Page 54 - 2021 High-Reliability, Harsh Environment Connectivity eBook

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Standard connectors of this type often experience what is known as the popcorn effect, a defect resulting from trapped gas and cleaning solutions that causes the rapid expansion of moisture when exposed to high heat that can physically damage the component. This defect is particularly troublesome, as it is both commonly triggered by soldering process temperatures and difficult to recognize when the initial damage occurs. Instead, this failure is often recognized later in the product life cycle, after it has caused damage to other circuit board components. Embossed connector bodies avoid this failure mode by elevating the majority of the connector off of the board, the benefit of which is twofold:
1.Heat and gas can escape from underneath the connector, thus preventing damage from trapped moisture 2.The assembler can inspect 100% of the solder joint to determine damage immediately
The advantage of determining damage by inspecting the solder joint early in the product lifecycle cannot be underestimated, as SMP and SMPM connectors are just some of the tens of thousands of components that can be affixed to circuit boards, which range from different connectors and resistors to diodes, inductors, and more. Moving forward with board-level testing without realizing that there is an issue with your SMP or SMPM connector jeopardizes the entire circuit board and can even cause designers to restart development from scratch, doubling cost and lead time.
Enhancing Versatility
Pre-tinned connectors reduce installation costs and further enhance the circuit board’s performance by making solder joints more reliable and preventing corrosion and oxidation before and after assembly.
SMP and SMPM connectors with pre-tin and “boss” features will mate with standard cable-mounted connectors as well as with standard female-to-female adapters (also commonly referred to as bullet adapters), which can tolerate radial and axial misalignment to provide a blind-mate interconnect solution between male connectors when stacking boards. Some SMP and SMPM connectors can also withstand multiple engagement and disengagement cycles without degradation in electrical performance.
Manufacturers are increasingly looking to get more out of their interconnect solutions, and standard SMP and SMPM solutions just don’t work for applications with very specific or unique demands. To keep up with an ever-evolving industry, developers are continually looking for ways to optimize their designs while ensuring reliable, consistent performance in unrelenting environments. When it comes to developing microwave systems to support the latest innovations, pre-tinned and embossed push-on connectors provide the flexibility and reliability to get the job done confidently. Interconnects that are subminiature, lightweight, and blind-mateable are ideal for complex high- performance microwave modules and systems where size and weight are primary considerations.
Visit Carlisle Interconnect Technologies online to learn more.