ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS FEATURE
CUSTOMISING BACKPLANES with integrated connectivity
Robert Pulman, European product applications manager, HARTING Integrated Solutions (HIS), looks into how investment in the HIS UK operation is enabling the
company to expand its range of design and manufacturing solutions for both high-speed backplanes and high-power PCBs which integrate power connectivity
H
IS designs and produces finished backplane assemblies to the
highest specification and quality using the latest 3D CAD design systems and production technology – including vapour-phase reflow soldering and automated inspection and test equipment.1 Typical of the
projects handled by HIS is the development and production of a 40 Gbit/s backplane that enables extremely fast data transfer rates. For this, the selection of the appropriate connectors and a high performance base material for the printed circuit boards was needed. In order to ensure the backplane’s performance first time around, design rules were defined using computer simulation and needed to strike a balance between cost and performance. The connectors for the backplane and daughter cards are determined by the requirements in the base specification and the application. As a committee member, HARTING
worked with the PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group) to establish the interconnect limit values for the signal transmission parameters via a series of signal integrity simulations. This enabled the development and production of a 40 Gbit/s backplane whose performance was further verified via extensive prototype testing.
CONNECTOR SOLUTIONS HIS has also developed a range of customised connector solutions for interfacing power inputs to printed- circuit boards. In addition to their normal use for carrying data and signals, printed circuit boards are increasingly being used to link the power supply to connected devices. In order to handle the necessary current levels within the PCB, HARTING Integrated Solutions is deploying a range of connectors that offer particular advantages for various applications and designs.
The aim of HARTING’s development effort was a solution that permitted the continued use of the company’s proven Han connectors without requiring any additional wiring. The solution is ‘HanOnBoard’. Here, Han connectors are connected with a PCB using an adapter through which data, signals and
power are reliably distributed. The solution is based on an
industrially manufactured combination composed of tried and tested Han components, HARTING PCB adapters and the HARTING PCB. HanOnBoard is compact and
weight-saving while susceptibility to shock and vibration is reduced to a minimum. Moreover, manual wiring is replaced by quick module replacement and secondary service faults can be avoided. In addition, special technical processes ensure that sufficient flexibility remains for on-site adjustments when PCBs are used. Since all HanOnBoard
components come from HARTING and the design of the overall solution also takes place at HARTING, only a single contact partner is needed, which significantly reduces the time required to produce a solution. Other power solutions from the HARTING connector family include PCB adapters from the Han modular program that can supply currents from 7.5A to
HIS, part of the HARTING Technology Group, is active at three locations in Asia, the USA, and the UK, where its purpose-built 20,000 ft2
1 facility at Northampton is capable of processing backplane assemblies measuring up to 1500 × 800 mm. This facility is fully
accredited to the demanding IRIS (International Rail Industry Standard) as well as having its quality management system certified to ISO 9001:2008.
DESIGN SOLUTIONS | DEC/JAN 2016 23
Left: A 40 Gbit/s backplane designed and produced by HIS
40A to the PCB. When combined with semi-flexible PCBs from HARTING, this approach enables designers to save space and assembly costs. The Han-Fast Lock connector allows even higher currents of up to 60A, and simply needs to be inserted into a drilled hole provided for the contact. It is locked in place with an integral latching pin and can be released again if necessary. The compact har-flexicon connector is rated for currents from 6A to 17A, and is available in pitches of 1.27mm, 2.54mm, 3.50/3.81mm and 5.00/5.08mm. It is suitable for processing with reflow soldering and is also field-installable. Both screwless push-in spring force and insulation displacement terminal technologies are available for single-strand wiring. HARTING can also supply ‘classic’ connector types for the combined transfer of signals and power. The DIN Power connector can transfer up to 40A current together with signal and data in one standard DIN 41612 connector. The HARTING D-Sub Mixed connectors also allows a current of up to 40A in a standard I/O connector along with a range of other high current, high voltage, coaxial and pneumatic contacts in addition to standard signal contacts. High currents placed in proximity to sensitive PCB signal paths present special challenges in
terms of PCB design and thermal management, so it is reassuring to know that
The HARTING HanOnBoard PCB connector system
HARTING Integrated Solutions offers the expertise to overcome these issues by developing custom backplanes.
HARTING
www.HARTING.co.uk/ integrated- solutions
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