Erni Electronics introduced a fine pitch connector family. The dual-row MicroCon series with 0.8mm pitch is ideal for various demanding applications in the industrial, medical, lighting, automotive and consumer market. Due to the small dimensions - the 50-pin male connectors show dimensions of 24.2mm x 4.7mm with different heights - robustness was crucial during the development. The male connectors are provided with reinforced side walls.

Secure mating is ensured by coding and blind mate guide alignments, providing an increased locking range. A unique feature for this miniaturized device size is the double-sided spring contact. To support various PCB applications parallel (Mezzanine), orthogonal (90°) and coplanar configurations are available. With different heights for the male and female connectors Board-to-Board distances from 5mm to 20mm can be realized for Mezzanine applications.

Despite the miniaturization the new connectors offer a high mating tolerance with allowed misalignment tolerances of longitudinal and transverse axes of ± 0.7mm. The allowed angular inclination tolerance is specified with ± 4 degree. Some connector manufacturers mate the male connectors on the rough stamped side of the female “tulip”.

Due to the raw surface the current capacity and the mating cycles are limited. During the stamping process Erni twists the tulip by 90 degrees. This provides a secure insertion of the male contact on the smooth rolled surface of the female tulip, providing high mating reliability and current capacity. In addition, IDC ribbon cable connections will be provided to enable interconnections over longer distances.

The IDC female connectors provide interlocking with snap-on feature and support AWG 34. The cable pitch is 0.4mm based on the 2-row connector configuration. The female cable connector and the male connector provide a vibration resistant mating. The connectors are ideal for automated STM assembling. The robust plastic housing of the female connector withstands high temperature and is suitable for lead free reflow soldering. Tape-and-reel packaging supports automatic assembly.

The cable connector system will only be offered in 100% tested assemblies. The robust Class 1 connectors are specified for > 500 mating cycles while the current capacity per contact is up to 0.5A at 20°C. Erni Electronics will offer the connector family with 12 to 140 pins. Initially variants with 50 pins will be available in female straight (4mm height) and mail straight (1mm height) versions, while angled variants will follow. Later an IDC female connector and additional pin variants will be introduced.