A Guide to Electrical Connectors

An electronic system of any type is an electricity-based interconnection network that allows

communication and links different electronic devices. There is a need for several

interconnects in order to transmit signal and distribute power that is required for the proper

functioning of the associated devices.

These electrical connectors are divided into three major types as per their termination ends:

· Board-to-board connectors

· Wire /wire-to-cable/ Cable connector

· Cable/wire-to-board connectors

Board-to-Board Connectors

Board-to-board connectors are designed to connect PCBs without needing a cable or wire.

These are used especially in limited spaces to save space that is consumed by the cables. The PCBs are connected in perpendicular or parallel configuration.

One connector that is commonly used to join two PCBs is known as a mezzanine connector.

When choosing mezzanine connectors, you need to consider some specifications like separability, mechanical requirements like tolerance, height and constraints including

brackets, standoffs, or chassis slots.

A backplane in the system is the group of connectors in parallel. The connectors are in

parallel so that each of the connectors is linked with the relative pin to form a connector bus.

You will see this type of system used in different areas like in computers and telecommunication systems because of the advantages it has like the reliability and the

flexibility. The backplane system as the name suggests is used to connect several plug-in cards into a

single backbone to get a complete backbone system. The signals are generated by the

transmitter of the system cards via multiple connectors and after that, reaches the receiver. A high signal integrity backplane system is used in devices that are used in high-speed

applications. In case the data rate increases, the channels in the backplane can weaken the signal that is transmitted. The channels in the backplane system cause ISI (inter-symbol interference, crosstalk and reflection. Reflection and crosstalk release sound, energy and noise are created, the amplitude of the signal drops and the signal edge rate degrades, this causes the channel jitter performance to deteriorate further. In the case of a high data rate and the long length between the channels of the system, the integrity of the signals become worse.

Wire/Cable-to-Wire/Cable Connectors

Wire to wire connectors as the name suggests connecting two wires. One end of the connector is permanently connected to the wire and the other end of the connector makes a separable interface. The permanent connection can be formed using insulation displacement contact or crimping. Insulation displacement connector IDC is a method where the connection is made by taking the insulated wire and inserting it into a sharpened metal beam. The beam has sharp edges that cut through the insulation and make a rigid contact between the beam and the

wire.

Wire/Cable-to-Board Connectors

As the name suggests, a wire to board connector connects cables or wires to a PCB. The wire connection used here is similar to the ones used in the wire-to-wire connection, and the board connection is wire-to-board and press-in or soldered in two-piece connectors. However, some of the card edges still remain in use. The coupling interface for the separable connection can be the same if compared to the wire-to-wire connector from a similar product family. Although there are a lot of uses of wire-to-board connectors, the main focus is towards cable-to-board connectors to take benefit of the

IDC.