ERNI Continues To Expand SMC Family

All usual termination types with up to 80 pins and different assembly heights available - Redesign enables smaller footprint and high-density or high-current variations

Adelberg, Germany, April 13, 2005 - ERNI  - a pioneer and innovative leader in the area of SMT assembly - is continuing to design and improve its popular 1.27 mm pitch Surface Mount Connector (SMC) family. This complete redesign is also backwards compatible. With a corresponding design layout, the high-density SMC connectors can reliably transmit differential signals at data rates of up to 2.5 Gbit/s. The SMC model range is ideally suited for diverse mezzanine, board-to-board, and board-to-cable applications in industrial automation, telecom, and datacom applications. For example, these SMC connectors have been certified for the new Airbus 380. Press Fit and IDC Versions Too Besides the SMT versions, the SMC connectors from ERNI are also available in press-fit versions for certain applications (such as rear I/O connections on the rear side of backplanes), and in IDC versions for easy connection of flat ribbon cables with a pitch of 0.635 mm. Consequently, they lend themselves to hybrid processing techniques. Design Criteria The primary design criteria for the SMC series are a double-sided design of the female contact (ERNI Type 6™) for good RF characteristics, heat-resistant insulation bodies (with polarization, pre-centering and optional coding), excellent mating reliability due to long wipe lengths, and two solid-metal SMT mounting brackets. Various Profiles and Board-to-Board Configuration For variable module design, one often needs to vary the board-to-board stacking heights. Thus, besides the standard versions (8.2 mm und 9.0 mm), ERNI SMC models also offer low-profile versions (6.2 mm and 6.7 mm). By combining male and female connectors with different assembly heights, it is possible to implement any PCB stacking height between 8.0 and 14.0 mm. Long wipe lengths ensures that mating quality is maintained for all intermediate sizes. PCBs can be connected together using the straight male and female SMC connectors with 12, 26, 50, 68 and 80 pins. And, PCBs can be connected to the backplane using a right-angle version of the SMC connector. Since all versions are available in inverted versions, any conceivable board-to-board configuration is possible. Designed With Production In Mind Male and female connectors are supplied in tape-on-reel packaging for automatic SMT assembly. Prior to being taped, all SMC connectors are thoroughly tested to ensure that they maintain the co-planarity tolerance of 0.1 mm so that customers can process them at the highest levels of reliability. Furthermore, the SMC connectors have a large lock-in range that is specified at ± 0.7 mm or ± 4° in the longitudinal and ± 2° in the transversal direction. Additional design features for fully automated assembly are: A black insulating body for rapid and reliable visual recognition, a pre-assembled mounting hood for easy pick and place, and sturdy SMT mounting brackets made of metal. Future Plans Over the next few months, ERNI will redesign the complete SMC family with different termination techniques. The purpose of these measures is to achieve further production improvements, generate new variants that require a smaller footprint on the board, and develop high-density or high-current variations. Increased mechanical stability and quality in accordance with ERNI's new philosophy with regard to mounting and stamping technology is an additional criterion. For future developments for customers, the new design makes it possible to double the number of pins without increasing size requirements.

ERNI ERNI Elektroapparate GmbH, a German member company of the international ERNI Holding Group, was established in 1956 and is headquartered in Adelberg (near Göppingen). ERNI develops and manufactures a wide variety of connectors for backplane and printed circuit board applications. The system technology business unit develops and produces customer-specific printed circuit board systems and backplanes. ERNI is a globally active enterprise with branch offices in Europe, North America and Asia. ERNI products are also marketed via a network of representatives and leading distributors. Further information is available at www.erni.com.