NEW AIRMAX™ VS
VARIANT
FCI's NEW AIRMAX VS™
HIGH-SPEED CONNECTOR REDUCES THE BACKPLANE LAYER COUNT BY UP TO 50 PERCENT!
FCI has announced a second variant of its AirMax VSä backplane board connector that enables system designers to cut the number of high-speed backplane board and daughter card layers by as much as 50%, while also improving the electrical performance of the interconnection.
Unique in its construction, the AirMax VS™ connector (VS stands for virtual shield) uses an insert molded lead frame assembly (IMLA) that carries both differential pair and single-ended signals. Each signal path and IMLA is separated by air, thereby eliminating the need for interleaving ground shields, while the use of air as a dielectric also minimizes both insertion loss and crosstalk.
The latest AirMax VS™ vertical-receptacle/right-angle header connectors are configured with 10 IMLA columns, each equipped with 12 signal contacts.
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This innovative configuration reduces the slot spacing between daughter cards by 20mm and offers a maximum of 40 differential pairs or 120 single ended connections.
Compared to the previous 150-pin version, the new 120-pin AirMax VS™ connector increases the air gap between the IMLAs from 2 to 3mm. As a result, system designers can now route high-speed signals using just two layers of PC board backplanes and daughter cards. Not only does that save costs, but it also reduces near-end multi-active crosstalk to less than 1.75% and far-end multi-active crosstalk to less than 2.25%.
In reference designs, the AirMax VS™ connector has demonstrated excellent signal integrity at speeds ranging from 2.5 to 6.25 GBits/s. The new FCI solution allows users to scale their systems to data transfer rates of 12 GBits/s and higher without having to redesign the basic platform.
Thanks to the common IMLA design for both differential and single-ended signals, system developers now have complete freedom to mix and match pin assignments within and between IMLAs. This flexibility eliminates the need to define, order and stock unique part numbers for each application.
A complete solution, the AirMax VS™ connector is supported by power connector modules offering a current handling capacity of 80A. An additional module provides protection against ESD and ensures correct alignment and keying of the complete connector assembly.
Gerhard Strobl, EXT 37
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