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cause sufficient wiping action during
lead insertion to help break the tin
oxide surface film.
Selective gold-tin plating is Samtec’s
most popular plating option because
it provides designers with the best
of both worlds. The critical contact
area has the reliability of gold, and
the tail has the lower cost and
solderability of tin.
In conclusion, interconnect systems
do not meet industrial performance
requirements by chance. The
connector insulator, contact system,
and rugged features must allow it to
withstand high mating cycles, high
reliability, and harsh environment
applications. Also, rugged contacts
and insulators, often on a smaller
centerline, are designed to meet
higher bandwidth requirements.
Multi-finger,
heat treated
BeCu contact
for high cycle,
high reliability
applications
Phosphor
Bronze,
long-beam
contact for
shock and
vibration
applications
This minimizes the parallel surface
area reducing broadside coupling
and crosstalk.
PLATING
Designers frequently ask what
plating finish we recommend. The
best plating finish is whatever
material meets your requirements at
the lowest cost. Gold is generally
specified for high cycle and high
reliability applications, or in low
voltage or low current applications.
Even in very hostile environments,
it will remain free of oxides which
could cause an increase in contact
resistance.
Tin is a lower cost alternative and
has excellent solderability. It is used
in connector systems where fewer
cycles are expected. Tin is also used
in high normal force contacts which
Connectors & Cables
Special Edition
New-Tech Magazine Europe l 55