Rational and Cost-Effective Board-to-Cable Solution

ERNI Electronics realizes additional space savings with the compact and economical SMC
Board-on-IDC cable connector

ADELBERG, GERMANY – March 17, 2008 – ERNI Electronics has made an even more compact version of its proven and tested board-on-IDC connector available as part of its 1.27 mm SMC series. The total height was reduced down to 5.0 mm from its previous height of 7.3 mm, and so subsequently, cable connectors can now be designed in an even more space-saving manner. In addition, the costs were significantly reduced in comparison to a conventional solution using female and male multipoint connectors. The system avoids detachable points of contact in sensitive applications. In the process, the cable is permanently attached to the connector – already soldered to the PCB – by means of the cable duct, and forms a gas-tight connection with the IDC contacts.

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The new connector enables the connection between the PCB and an IDC flat cable to be established using only one connector, and allows the assembly of the flat cable to be easily and quickly performed without the need for customized tools. The connector is designed for fully-automatic SMT assembly, and is equipped with features to take advantage of this, such as a black insulating body, high temperature-resistant thermoplastic housing (LCP) for SMT reflow soldering, a pre-assembled mounting hood and tape-on-reel packaging.

The simple assembly process is performed as outlined below, using a simple hand lever press:

• Remove mounting hood from the soldered connector, and mount PCB in customer-specified installation frame
• Move cable duct with pre-assembled flat cable to pre-lock position
• Using a flat die, press cable duct to crimp dimension. During this process, the connector must be supported on the bottom of the PCB. The data sheet provides additional information on the area and the dimensional design of the required support

The new SMT cable connector for the Board-on-IDC cable connector is available with 12, 26 or 50 pins. To promote reliable processing and a long service life, bonus features enable additional support by means of the contact underneath the connector, the pre-locking of the cable duct and the form-fitting inserted solder clips.

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