Edge Rate®, one of Samtec’s most popular high speed, high bandwidth interconnect systems, also saves space on your PCB.
Edge Rate is both the name of the contact system and the product family. The contact system is designed for high speed, high cycle, rugged applications.
With some connectors, the mating edge of the contact is the cut edge of the pin (but not Edge Rate!). If you look at the edge of the pin under a microscope you may see micro burrs and edges. This reduces the life of the connector because repeated cycles against those cut edges will wear-out the plating.
But the mating surface of the Edge Rate contact is the smooth, milled side of the contact. This smooth mating surface reduces wear tracks on the contact, increasing the durability and cycle life of the contact system.
The thin, narrow, cut edges of the Edge Rage contact are positioned side-by-side. This minimizes the parallel surface areas, which reduces broadside coupling and crosstalk. Check-out this video which elaborates on the design of the Edge Rate contact system.
The Edge Rate contact is rugged and can handle high cycle applications. Contact wipe on the .8mm and .5mm pitch products is 1.5 mm for a reliable connection.
And finally, the contact is simply designed for higher bandwidth. The contact geometry is designed, simulated, and optimized for 50 and 100 ohm systems given the contract pitch and appropriate grounding schematics.
INTERCONNECT SYSTEMS
The connector series callouts are the ERM and ERF series. ERM stands for Edge Rate Male, ERF stands for Edge Rate Female. These three letters are followed by either an 8, 5, or a 6. Eight is for .8 mm pitch, five is for .5 mm pitch, and six is for 27 mm pitch. Just kidding, 6 is for .635 mm pitch.
Edge Rate connectors are available in vertical, right angle, and edge mount terminations. They are available with all kinds of design options, like full 360 degree shielding, latching systems, guide posts, and differential pair configurations, to name a few.
The new ERM6, ERF6, on .635 mm pitch, is designed to save space on the board. The slim body design is only 2.5 mm wide, or just under .100”. That’s big. Well, I mean it’s a small connector, but it’s a big deal.
Edge Rate contacts are rugged and designed for higher cycle applications. They’re high speed – depending on the configuration they’re rated at 28 Gbps or 56 Gbps PAM4, and there’s lots of design options.
EDGE RATE PRODUCTS
- ERM8 (.80 mm Pitch, Mezzanine Terminal Strip)
- ERF8 (.80 mm Pitch, Mezzanine Socket Strip)
- ERM8-RA (.80 mm Pitch, Right Angle Terminal Strip)
- ERF8-RA (.80 mm Ptich, Right Angle Socket Strip)
- ERM8-EM (.80 mm Pitch, Edge Mount Terminal Strip)
- ERF8-EM (.80 mm Pitch, Edge Mount Socket Strip)
- ERM5 (.50 mm Pitch, Mezzanine Terminal Strip)
- ERF5 (.50 mm Pitch, Mezzanine Socket Strip)
- ERF5-RA (.50 mm Pitch, Right Angle Socket Strip)
- ERM6 (.635 mm Pitch, Mezzanine Terminal Strip)
- ERF6 (.635 mm Pitch, Mezzanine Socket Strip)
