 |
| Quantity: | |
|---|---|
Card Edge Connector
Industrial, IT Datacom
The PCIe SAS Vertical SMT 68Pin Receptacle Connector represents a critical interconnect component for modern data center infrastructure. Designed to bridge high-speed Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) hard disk drive interfaces with PCIe-based storage devices, this 68-position receptacle enables seamless communication between storage media and host systems.
What sets this connector apart is its ability to speak multiple protocols fluently—SAS, PCIe, and SATA all run through the same interface. For system architects and hardware engineers, this means one board design can accommodate cost-effective HDDs, high-performance SSDs, and NVMe drives without costly redesigns.
CONSHARE brings this critical interconnect to the market with a focus on signal integrity, mechanical durability, and manufacturing consistency—addressing the real-world challenges that engineers face when deploying high-density storage systems.
In high-speed differential signaling environments, the connector is often the weakest link in the transmission path. Every millimeter of trace, every transition between materials, and every contact interface introduces impedance variations that can degrade signal quality.
The CONSHARE PCIe SAS Vertical SMT Connector is engineered with this reality in mind. The dual-in-line pin arrangement with staggered contact lengths serves a dual purpose: it enables hot-plugging capability by ensuring sequential mating of contacts, and it optimizes the signal return path for reduced crosstalk. When a drive is inserted or removed while the system is live, the staggered pins make contact in a controlled sequence—power and ground first, then signals—preventing the voltage spikes that can damage sensitive controller electronics.
For layout engineers, the connector’s footprint is designed to work with standard PCB manufacturing processes. The SMT pad configuration—with specific dimensions for both 1.27mm and 0.80mm pitch terminals—provides a clear routing strategy that helps maintain controlled impedance across the entire high-speed differential pair routing. This isn't just about following a datasheet; it's about giving your board design a fighting chance at passing PCIe and SAS compliance testing on the first pass.
The contact area finish is not a cosmetic detail; it’s a performance specification. At 30 microinches (0.76μm) of gold over nickel, this plating thickness provides three tangible benefits:
Wear resistance – Each mating cycle wears down a microscopic layer of plating. Thicker gold means more cycles before the underlying nickel is exposed to oxidation.
Low and stable contact resistance – Gold does not oxidize. In high-humidity data center environments or industrial settings with airborne contaminants, this translates to consistent electrical performance over the connector’s service life.
Signal integrity at high frequencies – The skin effect concentrates high-frequency signals at the contact surface. A clean, thick gold surface maintains the low-loss transmission path that 24Gbps SAS and PCIe Gen 4 signals demand.
The housing is molded from high-temperature Liquid Crystal Polymer, a material chosen for its dimensional stability during the SMT reflow process. LCP maintains its shape and coplanarity through the high temperatures of lead-free soldering, ensuring that all 68 pins align perfectly with their PCB pads after soldering. The UL 94V-0 flammability rating is non-negotiable for enterprise equipment that must meet stringent safety certifications.
The contact base metal is a copper alloy selected for its combination of conductivity and spring properties. The stamped retention clips provide additional mechanical hold after soldering, preventing the connector from lifting off the board during blind mating or when cables exert lateral force.
The connector is designed for the high-density storage backplanes found in rack-mount servers and JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) enclosures. In these applications, the ability to mix SAS HDDs for bulk storage with PCIe SSDs for caching—all on the same backplane—reduces bill-of-materials complexity and simplifies inventory management.
When space is at a premium, the vertical SMT profile allows the connector to sit directly on the board without requiring additional through-hole clearance on the opposite side. This makes it suitable for densely packed mezzanine cards and blade servers where every millimeter of Z-height matters.
The connector’s robustness supports the repeated insertion and removal cycles typical of external storage enclosures and drive carriers. The molded guide posts provide angled lead-in that compensates for minor misalignment during blind mating—a small feature that makes a big difference in field service scenarios where drives are swapped by technicians working under time pressure.
Feature | CONSHARE PCIe SAS Vertical SMT | Typical Industry Baseline |
|---|---|---|
Contact Plating | 30μ″ Gold over Nickel | 15μ″ Gold (entry-level) |
Housing Material | High-Temp LCP (UL 94V-0) | Standard Thermoplastic |
Mounting Type | Vertical SMT | Varies |
Pin Count | 68 Positions | 68 Positions |
Hot-Plug Support | Yes (staggered contacts) | Varies |
Protocol Compatibility | SAS / PCIe / SATA (tri-mode) | Often single-protocol |
Mating Cycles | 500 cycles rated | 200 cycles typical |
When evaluating this connector for your design, consider these practical factors:
If your system needs to support both SAS drives and NVMe SSDs on the same backplane, the tri-mode capability of this connector eliminates the need for separate interfaces. This is particularly valuable in storage server designs where drive populations change over the product lifecycle.
The SMT footprint is designed for standard PCB manufacturing. However, for optimal high-speed performance, the board material should have a low dielectric constant (Dk in the 3.0–3.5 range) to compensate for the capacitive nature of the SMT pads. This is a detail that separates a working design from a high-performance one.
The LCP housing maintains its mechanical properties across the operating temperature range typical of enterprise equipment. If your application involves extreme temperatures or significant thermal cycling, the material stability of LCP provides an extra margin of reliability.
A: Yes. The plating thickness directly affects the connector’s durability and long-term contact resistance stability. In high-mating-cycle applications—such as storage backplanes where drives are frequently swapped—30μ″ gold provides approximately twice the wear life of 15μ″ before the underlying nickel is exposed. For enterprise equipment with a 5–7 year service life, this difference translates to fewer field failures and lower warranty costs.
A: Yes. The connector is designed to be backward compatible with SATA drives as well as SAS drives across multiple generations. This means you can populate the same backplane with cost-effective SATA drives for capacity-oriented storage and high-performance SAS or NVMe drives for latency-sensitive workloads.
A: Vertical SMT means the connector mounts perpendicular to the PCB surface, with the mating direction straight up from the board. This is the preferred orientation for storage backplanes where drives plug in vertically. Right-angle versions are typically used when drives mount parallel to the board—the choice depends entirely on your mechanical enclosure design.
A: The staggered contact lengths ensure that power and ground pins make contact before signal pins during insertion, and break contact after signal pins during removal. This sequencing prevents the transient voltage spikes that can occur when live connections are made or broken, protecting both the drive and the host controller.
A: The connectors are supplied in tape-and-reel packaging compatible with automated pick-and-place assembly lines, supporting high-volume SMT production.
