What is a floating connector? What advantages do floating connectors offer during the assembly process, and why should you consider them for your applications? Read on to find out more about floating board-to-board connectors, floating blind mate connectors and more, from Hitaltech.
What is a floating connector?
Floating connectors are electromechanical PCB-to-PCB connectors. Their spring-like terminals incorporate a self-alignment mechanism which enables them to correct a range of misalignments when PCBs are assembled, reducing placement errors in pick-and-place machines. Ideal for automated assembly and industrial control solutions, floating connectors decrease the stress generated by vibrations on floating board-to-board connectors.
Floating connector design
Shock resistance:
Floating connectors withstand significant shock and vibration in demanding environmental settings. The weld tab design applied on both male and female connectors helps distribute the stress loads across soldered leads, enhancing their performance during critical conditions.
Easy alignment pegs:
Positioning pegs (also known as failsafe posts) are placed on both sides of the connector to prevent misalignments. They also help reinforce the connector after soldering it onto the PCB.
About Hitaltech’s floating board-to-board connectors
Hitaltech floating board-to-board connectors integrate a power terminal (power supply: 3A) and a signal terminal (signal transmission: 0.5A), which saves a remarkable amount of volume in the PCB. Besides allowing a blind mating assembly through a floating blind mate connector, the 10.5° flip-out prevents any interference at the assembly points.
The wide floating range of our floating connectors enables them to better absorb alignment errors, making them an essential addition to the PCB assembly of rigid connectors, guaranteeing a rapid and precise automated substrate assembly that protects the efficiency and cost-efficiency of the automated PCB assemblage.
Floating connectors also resolve the issue of aligning multiple rigid connectors on the same PCB. When you need to use multiple pairs of connectors on the same PCB, floating absorbs the cumulative tolerances.
Together, the self-alignment ability and high tolerances of Hitaltech floating connectors support complete design flexibility, which is also supported by:
- Pin counts ranging from 60-160
- High pin density
- Mating heights of 6.3mm – 33.75mm
Hitaltech can also optimise and regulate all aspects of products according to the terminal application, to achieve maximum functionality with competitive costs.
Hitaltech floating applications
Floating connectors are most frequently used in automated substrate assemblies for the industrial, automotive, commercial, and medical industries, where vibration and shock are common problems encountered during operation.
In the automotive sector, GPS systems, infotainment, and wireless modules are the main areas of application. In the industrial field, applications include PLC, CNC, sensor and control modules. Commercial applications include LED displays and indoor and outdoor small-pitch displays.
You can watch our video about floating connectors by scanning the QR code below.
Contact us
Engineered with precision, our floating connectors give your electronic connections exceptional flexibility and freedom of movement. With their unique design, our floating board-to-board connectors allow for misalignment and angular displacement, accommodating vibrations and shocks without compromising signal integrity. Achieve seamless connectivity, even in challenging environments, with our cutting-edge floating blind mate connectors.
To learn more about our floating connectors and flexible interconnect systems, and to explore how we can optimise them for your application, please contact the Hitaltech team today at +44 (0)1253 899910 or send an e-mail to uksales@hitaltech.co.uk.
