Backplane connectors target serial attached SCSI apps

FCI has developed a broad offering of 29-position, vertical backplane receptacle connectors for the new high-speed, Serial Attached SCSI (sas) hard disk drive (HDD) interface that is replacing the SCSI drive connection in enterprise storage applications for servers and storage systems.

The high-speed, serial interface is designed to support differential signaling, initially at speeds of 3Gbps. The SAS backplane receptacle accepts either SAS or SATA (Serial ATA) drives, giving the system manufacturer the option to plug either drive to a backplane. Because both technologies have similar electrical interfaces, users have the choice of deploying cost-effective SATA drives for bulk storage or higher-performance SAS drives for mission-critical applications.

In addition, by offering the new connectors in options for through-hole (TH) solder, press fit, surface mount (SMT), or hybrid terminations, engineers can select the termination technique best suited to their backplane design and manufacturing process.

The SAS backplane receptacle connector is designed for hot plugging and blind mating of HDDs. Staggered contact lengths provide sequential mating of contacts to enable hot plugging. It also features molded guide posts to provide angled lead-in to compensate for connector misalignment, allowing the device plug and backplane receptacle to self align during the mating process. Each backplane connector also features stamped retention clips that provide additional mechanical strength for PC-board attachment. Wide-base housing options are available for greater stability. SAS vertical backplane receptacle connectors are RoHS-compatible.

Typical prices are in the range of $1 to $2 each in quantities of 1,000, depending on the connector configuration. Samples are available for delivery, with production lead times from stock to four weeks.

- Gina Roos
eeProductCenter