Board-to-Board Connectors Board-to-board (BTB) connectors are used to accurately interconnect printed circuit boards (PCBs) in a stackable manner. They can accommodate various types of PCB orientations, relative distances, and space constraints to allow for design flexibility. In addition, multiple materials, plating finishes, and pitches are available to meet electrical and mechanical specifications. Depending on the purpose of the interconnect, connectors are further offered as high-speed, floating, or power. To achieve the desired performance, all the above should be considered when designing an interconnect system.
Board-to-Board Connector Types
Pin Headers
Pin headers (male) and female headers (socket) are used as a set. A male pin header consists of one or more rows of metal pins molded into a plastic base. Due to their simplicity, male pin headers are the most cost-effective.
Female Headers
Female headers are the sockets that male headers fit into. These connectors complete the design by allowing the PCBs to be easily connected and easily replaced should either of the headers become damaged.
Box Headers
Box Header connectors are featured with a plastic shroud around the header. This helps guide the connectors during the mating process to avoid mating errors.
High-Speed Connectors
High-Speed Connectors are specifically designed with robust terminals and high-temperature resistance plastic to be used in industrial applications that require high-speed transmission. The unique contact structure allows it to maintain a steady impedance profile, which ultimately minimizes both the noise and signal loss over the connectivity, with a potential secure data transmission of up to 4Gbps.
