Novel contact design ups SCSI connector throughput

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Apr 4, 2002

New from Enhance is the SplitFire 68 series of very-high-density cable interconnect (VHDCI) SCSI connectors, cable assemblies and terminators for the server and storage market.

New from Enhance is the SplitFire 68 series of very-high-density cable interconnect (VHDCI) SCSI connectors, cable assemblies and terminators for the server and storage market.

As transmission speeds increase, the connector interface is becoming an increasingly critical part of any system.

The SplitFire 68 products allow server and storage manufacturers to design applications that are capable of running at higher speeds.

Independent tests have shown that the SplitFire 68 connectors and cable assemblies are capable of transmission speeds beyond 640Mbyte/s.

Today, only a few SCSI connectors available from other manufacturers provide data transmission capability up to only 320Mbyte/s.

"With the growing demand throughout the industry for increased data transmission speeds, there is a need for interconnect products that can keep pace with emerging, storage and server applications.

Independent tests have shown the SplitFire 68 interconnect products surpass what we anticipate the U640 specification will be", said Brooks Lambert, President, Enhance.

"We believe the SplitFire 68 products are the fastest and have the smallest form factor of any VHDCI interconnect products available today".

The SplitFire 68 interconnect products include a patent-pending "split" connector design.

Most VHDCI connectors are moulded in one piece.

Enhance has created a unique design by splitting the connector in half.

This provides easy access to both sides of each contact for more effective welded or soldered terminations.

Splitting the connector also provides manufacturers with increased termination options, including the use of inline termination, ground buses, and indicator LEDs.

In addition, the Enhance SplitFire 68 design includes features which provide for true positioning of each conductor in the connector termination area, and equivalent electrical length contacts, thereby improving skew and signal integrity performance over standard insulation displacement connectors (IDCs).

Available immediately, the SplitFire 68 VHDCI interconnect series includes stand-alone low-voltage-differential/single-ended (LVD/SE) terminators, integrated inline LVD/SE and high-voltage differential (HVD) terminated cable assemblies, and a variety of standard VHDCI cable assemblies.

Pricing depends on products and quantity ordered.

The integrated inline terminated cable assemblies have LVD/SE or HVD terminators incorporated entirely inside the connector back shell eliminating the need for stand-alone external terminators.

This provides better performance and is more cost-effective as additional parts are not required.

In addition, the cable assemblies can be easily unplugged for troubleshooting without losing the entire bus or having to manually shut down the system.

All SplitFire 68 VHDCI cable assemblies are backwards compatible with SCSI standards.

The SplitFire 68 VHDCI connectors can be terminated to a range of wire gauges from 28-34+ AWG, including the newer 33AWG Madison Universal SCSIT cable, which is increasingly being used in designs requiring reduced size and improved flexibility.

Unlike IDC connectors, which have a limited range of acceptable wire gauges, the SplitFire 68 VHDCI connectors feature a novel contact design that allows for easy termination by solder or welding of wire of any size.

The low profile offset design of the SplitFire 68 VHDCI connector and back shell allows up to four plug connectors to fit within a single I/O slot.

This is a key benefit for manufactures that are designing server and storage applications within a limited space.

In addition, the SplitFire 68 is the only single-offset VHDCI connector on the market designed with a strain relief feature.

While reducing cable compression and providing outstanding durability, the SplitFire 68 strain relief is designed to not add any increase in diameter to the cable thus maintaining the low profile offset.

The SplitFire 68 back shell is die cast zinc with a bright nickel finish to provide for superior EMI/RFI performance.

All SplitFire 68 interconnect products are Electronic Industry Association (EIA) 700AOAF and Small Form Factor (SFF) 8441 compliant.

(This was Electronicstalk's Top Story on 3 April 2002).