Board to Board Connectors
Board to board connectors connect power and signal between Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). These devices are available in a wide range of pitches. The best boards are designed to withstand high-speed data transmission with premium signal integrity.
Floating connectors have a special mating guide construction to absorb tolerances during the automated PCB assembly process. They are ideal for backplane, mezzanine, and orthogonal connections.
Types
Board-to-board connectors link two printed circuit boards without the use of cables or wires. They come in several different types, depending on the needs of the circuit boards that they connect to. There are differences in height, package styles, pin pitches, and more. For example, a PCB connector that is designed to accommodate different types of wires can have a varying number of poles on each end, which affects how many contacts the connector has per row.
Other important aspects of a board-to-board connector are its termination method and whether or not it has polarization and keying features. Polarization and keying ensure that a connector is inserted in the correct orientation, which helps to prevent damage to the connected device. These features can include asymmetrical shapes or notches, as well as tabs and slots.
The plating material used on a connector can also impact its conductivity performance and physical endurance. For example, a copper alloy can offer different levels of conductivity than pure tin. Moreover, the type of finish applied to the connector also determines how resistant it is to corrosion.
Lastly, some board-to-board connectors have insulation displacement contact systems (IDC). These are connectors that have sharpened blades that remove the cable’s insulation during the connection process. This saves time by removing the need to cut, strip and crimp each individual wire.
Insulators
Insulators are the components that separate current or signals between the contact and housing parts of a board-to-board connector. They are made of a material that has low conductivity so current can’t flow through it, such as glass, porcelain, plastic, or air. They also have a structure that allows them to support the conductor and prevent it from touching metal or other conducting surfaces, which can cause a short circuit.
Depending on the type of connector, insulators may be rigid or flexible. A flexible insulator has a resilient material, such as a rubber or board to board connector plastic, that is capable of stretching and compressing to accommodate changes in position without losing its insulation properties. A rigid insulator, on the other hand, is a solid, non-conductive material. It has a rigid body with threaded pinholes that are typically used to connect wires to the connectors’ contacts.
In addition to insulators, a board-to-board connector must have a metal shell for protection. The shell protects the built-in insulating mounting plate and pins from mechanical damage, aligns the plug and socket after mating, and secures the connector to the device. It must be able to withstand corrosion and moisture, such as those found in an industrial environment.
There are many types of board-to-board connectors, including card edge and crimp-style connections. Some are solderless, which reduces the amount of labor required for assembly. Others have unique features designed for special applications, such as hermetically sealed or resistance to chemicals.
Mounting Applications
Board-to-board connectors come in a variety of configurations to meet different mounting applications. For example, they may be oriented vertically (known as card edge connectors) or perpendicular to each other, like the daughterboards stacked on a motherboard in hard drive applications. Regardless of their orientation, all board mount connectors operate under the basic principle that male pins and sockets match up with each other during the mating cycle.
Aside from the mounting orientation of the connector, a number of factors also determine the quality of board-to-board connections, such as signal integrity and density. The latter refers to the number of differential pairs and other signals within an area of a connector, largely determined by its pin-pitches. Smaller pin-pitches offer a higher number of connections but can limit the routing densities on a circuit board, which can impact signal integrity.
Other considerations include plating options and environmental requirements. For instance, some board-to-board connectors are designed to be solderless and press-fit, while others are hermetically sealed or chemically resistant. They may also have features such as polarized contacts or locking mechanisms to prevent mismating and inadvertent disconnects. These and other configurations are available to meet a wide range of manufacturing and operating environment needs.
Compatibility
The board to board connectors that you choose for your circuit boards must not only provide a physical connection, but they also must excel in terms of signal transmission, current capacity, and mechanical stability. You should also look for features that increase maintainability, such as hermetically sealed or chemical resistant housings, or those that are configured to filter out electromagnetic interference (EMI).
The board-to-board connectors we carry come in both through hole Board-to-Board Connector Supplier formats for manual insertion and SMD options for automatic pick-and-place machines and reflow soldering. They are available in multiple pin pitches to meet the requirements of your specific circuit board layout. In addition, some board-to-board connectors are designed to be press-fit, avoiding the need for soldering.
We also offer floating board-to-board connectors that are able to absorb positional shifts and misalignments during assembly, making them ideal for robot-assembled applications. Compared to general rigid-type connectors, this type of board to board connector can mate even if they are mounted out of alignment, eliminating the need for complicated tolerance management. Floating board-to-board connectors also reduce stress on solder joints to suppress solder cracks. They are available in several types to meet your circuit board connection needs, including parallel or coplanar for backplane or mezzanine connections, and a variety of materials, plating finishes, and pitches to support high-speed signals up to 25Gb/s.
