The current miniaturisation trend in industrial electronic applications requires the combination of flexibility and stability, not only in PCB design but also, perhaps more prominently, in the connectors used for connecting PCBs together or to peripheral devices.
New designs are driven by demand for improved performance and cost reduction requirements spurring the move away from a conventional approach of connecting PCBs to one another, by means of a backplane, to a more flexible approach where the device’s individual modules can be plugged directly into one another. Such an approach can be achieved by the use of a right angle connectors, mezzanine approaches, and positioning the modules next to one another on one level. Alternately ribbon cables can be used if the distance between the modules is too great.
The har-flex connector series has been developed by HARTING as a universally compatible board-to-board connector family. Available in straight and angled versions in addition to the cable mounted connectors with ribbon cable termination utilising Insulation Displacement Contact (IDC) technology which provides high flexibility in system design due to spacing options of vertically and horizontally arranged PCBs. With the har-flex, a number of PCBs can be connected to a BUS or a multiple board connection.
har-flex connectors are available with even number contact counts of between 6 and 100 and use a 1.27mm contact spacing, which has proven its mechanical stability in industry applications and provided high data rates. They are available either as fully Surface Mount Technology (SMT) compliant or as Through Hole Reflow (THR) hold down frames for additional mechanical stability.
HARTING’s Wire-to-board solutions are achieved with har-flexicon connectors, which have been designed for the tool-less connection of single wires, cables and the SMT/SMC reflow soldering process. This ensures efficient processing for both device production and installation. IDC technology means that the connection of thin flexible wires with cross sections of AWG28-26 is effortless since no special tools are needed. A current of up to 4 amps can be transmitted, depending on the connection cross-section.
har-flexicon has a pitch of 1.27mm – the smallest field convertible PCB connection technology in an industrial environment. Also available in pitches of 2.54mm, 3.50mm/3.81mm, and 5.00mm/5.08mm in straight and angled versions with up to 20 pins. A push-in spring cage connection allows stranded and solid wires to be quickly connected without tools.
All components are designed for the reflow soldering process and for automated positioning performed in the pick and place process. Rugged SMT fixtures ensure the high stability of the SMD components on the circuit board and makes them, suitable for automatic assembly and reflow soldering processes.
The har-flex and har-flexicon range deliver maximum performance, flexibility and stability using a minimum amount of space, making them the ideal compact PCB terminal and connector solution.
For more information please contact (+44) 01604 827500 or email salesUK@HARTING.com
