0.3mm pitch for board-board connector system

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Mar 21, 2003

Honda claims to have produced the world's finest pitch board-board connector system, with the release of a new ultraminiature 80-way connector on a 0.3mm pitch.

Honda claims to have produced the world's finest pitch board-board connector system, with the release of a new ultraminiature 80-way connector on a 0.3mm pitch that occupies just over half the space of a standard miniature equivalent.

Honda's new system, sized at just 14 x 4mm for the 80-way plug, is believed to be the industry's most compact board-board system, the majority of alternatives being on 0.5mm pitch.

The new Honda plug occupies just 56mm2 of PCB real estate, compared to a popular 80-way 0.5mm pitch alternative that occupies 104.5mm2 - nearly twice as much.

Initially released with a stacking height of 1.5mm, Honda is expecting to offer 2.0 and 2.5mm in the future, depending on market demand.

The receptacle is slightly larger, at 15.5 x 4mm.

To help ensure reliable soldering of such fine-pitch connectors, Honda has designed a novel four-row staggered lead pattern.

Each contact has two alternative terminal locations available to be soldered to the PC board, and the front and back locations are used alternately, giving an increased spacing between the solder joints.

The terminals are located under the connector body to keep the PCB footprint to an absolute minimum.

A further key feature of the compact style is a small passive latch holding mated pairs in place.

This helps ensure good connector retention when mated, despite their compact size, by increasing the connector retention force.

Honda is offering the connectors with an optional metal shield for EMI protection, and a solderable hold down to increase sheer strength from the PCB board.