When choosing a connector, what aspects should we consider the quality of the connector?
There are many types of connectors, such as wired-to-board connectors, board-to-board connectors, header headers, FPC connectors, and simple horn sockets. Connectors are used to connect two circuit boards or electronic devices to realize power or signal transmission. The connector can make the circuit modular, simplify the assembly process of the electronic product, and make the product easy to maintain and upgrade. The selection of connectors plays a pivotal role. So when choosing a connector, what aspects should we consider the quality of the connector?
1. Spacing
Pitch is the basic basis for connector selection. How many pins you choose depends on the number of signals you need to connect. Nowadays, electronic equipment is developing towards miniaturization and precision, and the spacing of the connectors ranges from 0.5mm to 2.54mm. The smaller the spacing, the higher the requirements for the production process. The spacing should be determined by the company's production technology level, blindly pursue small spacing.
2. Electrical performance
The electrical performance of the connector mainly includes: limit current, contact resistance, insulation resistance, etc. When connecting a high-power power supply, pay attention to the limit current of the connector; when transmitting high-frequency signals such as LVDS, PCIe, etc., pay attention to the contact resistance. The connector should have a low and constant contact resistance, generally tens of mΩ to hundreds of mΩ.
3. Environmental performance
The environmental performance of the connector mainly includes: resistance to temperature, humidity, salt spray, vibration, etc. Choose according to the specific application environment. If the application environment is relatively humid, the requirements for moisture resistance and salt spray resistance of the connector are high to prevent the metal contacts of the connector from being corroded. In the field of industrial control, the requirements for the anti-vibration and shock performance of the connector are high to prevent the connector from falling off during the vibration process.
4. Mechanical properties
The mechanical properties of the connector include insertion force, mechanical foolproof, etc. Mechanical foolproof is very important to the connector. Once plugged in reverse, it may cause irreversible damage to the circuit!
The insertion force is divided into insertion force and separation force. The relevant standards stipulate large insertion force and small separation force. From the perspective of use, the insertion force should be small and the separation force should be large. Too little separation force will reduce the reliability of contact, but for connectors that often need to be plugged and unplugged, too much separation force will increase the difficulty of unplugging and reduce the mechanical life.
