Molex expands Impact connector system

Pete Soupir, global product manager at Molex, said: 'Our Impact Orthogonal technology not only meets the demand for high-speed connectors, but due to specific design enhancements we have improved the signal and lowered the mating force.

'Additionally, the new design configurations allow engineers to make the most out of the printed circuit board (PCB) real estate,' he added.

The standard Impact backplane connector system provides data rates of up to 25Gbps and features a simple 1.90 x 1.35mm (0.075 x 0.053in) grid on both backplane and daughtercard, increasing PCB routing flexibility while reducing complexity and costs.

The products also include a broad-edge-coupled transmission technology, enabling low cross-talk and high-signal bandwidth while minimising channel-performance variation across every differential pair within the system.

In addition to their overall design characteristics, the products feature the following specific attributes.

The two-piece Impact Orthogonal direct connector system allows a right-angle male connector to mate with the standard orthogonal daughtercard connector, creating a direct right-angle male connector solution.

The design is said to improve airflow and reduce PCB space constraints by directly connecting vertical and horizontal add-in cards and eliminating backplane and midplane connections.

In addition, its shorter line cards and switch-mode signal paths allow for more overall robust signal channels.

With up to 80 differential pairs per linear inch, the Impact 85ohm system is claimed to have the highest density per square inch in the industry.

In addition, its common signal ground reduces insertion loss and cross-talk resonance to provide more efficient transmit and receive (Tx/Rx) signals.

The 85ohm connector is polarised to mate only with 85ohm receptacles and uses a grey housing design colour to differentiate it from the black housing colour of the 100ohm connector system.