PANASONIC AXT610124

Notes on Using Narrow Pitch RF Connectors

Safety Remarks: Observe safety remarks to prevent accidents and injuries. Do not use connectors beyond specification sheets. Usage outside of specified rated current, dielectric strength, and environmental conditions may cause circuitry damage via abnormal heating, smoke, and fire. Thorough specification review is appreciated. Contact a sales representative for usage outside specifications, as Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd. cannot guarantee quality and reliability otherwise.

Quality & Reliability: Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd. strives for continuous improvement. However, electrical components generally have a statistical failure probability, and durability varies with use environments. Check actual electrical components under actual conditions before use. Continued usage in a degraded state can lead to deteriorated insulation, resulting in abnormal heat, smoke, or fire. Implement safety designs, periodic maintenance, redundancy design, fire spread prevention, and malfunction prevention to avoid injury, death, fire, or social damage.

Device and PC Board Pattern Design: When using board-to-board connectors, a pair of boards shall NOT be connected with multiple connectors to avoid mating failure or product breakage. Consider positioning errors of mounting equipment (+0.2 to 0.3 mm) when designing PC boards and patterns. If connectors have positioning tabs, design PC boards with matching positioning holes. Ensure PC board meets recommended pattern design dimensions for mechanical strength during soldering. Minimize cover lay thickness to prevent poor soldering, as connectors have no stand-off. For narrow pitch series, design means to fix the PC board in place (e.g., with screws and spacers) to prevent detachment during vibrations or impacts and to avoid loads on soldered portions.

Mounting on FPC: To prevent solder detachment from terminals when mating/unmating, reinforcing plates are recommended on the backside of the FPC where the connector is mounted. The plate should be larger than the recommended PC board pattern (0.5 to 1.0 mm extension on each side) and made of glass epoxy, polyimide (0.2-0.3 mm thick), or SUS (0.1-0.2 mm thick). Due to the temporary locking structure, FPC size, weight, or bending force can cause mating separation upon dropping impact; consider measures to prevent this. The narrow pitch connector series is compact and thin; take care during mating to avoid displacement or angled mating, which can damage or deform the connector.

Connector Placement Machine and Mounting Procedures: Select placement machines considering connector height, required positioning accuracy, and packaging. Avoid excessive chucking force that may deform the connector body or terminals. Be aware that external forces during mounting can deform contact surfaces and terminals. For connectors where self-alignment is not possible, carefully position the terminal with the PC board pattern. Positioning bosses offer approximate alignment; use an automatic positioning machine for accurate mounting. In dry conditions, static electricity may cause parts to adhere to carrier tape; maintain 40-60% RH and use an ionizer. Do not use resin-containing solder, as it may fix contacts firmly.

Soldering:

• Reflow Soldering: Measure recommended profile temperature with a sensor near the connector. Screen printing is recommended for cream solder. Refer to specifications for screen opening area and PC board foot pattern. Avoid increasing the size of the board pattern and metal mask at the base of terminals. Do not provide too much solder to prevent interference during mating. If mounting on the underside of a PC board, use adhesives or other means to fix the connector. Solder/flux rise and wettability vary by type; consider characteristics and set reflow temperature/oxygen level.
• Hand Soldering: Set soldering iron tip temperature below 300C (SMD type) or 350C (all products) for within 5 or 3 seconds respectively. Prevent flux spread onto connector leads or PC board. Touch the iron to the foot pattern, heat the pattern and terminal, then apply solder wire. Avoid applying load on terminals during soldering. Clean the soldering iron thoroughly. Clean off any solder from contact surfaces after soldering. Pay attention to solder amount to prevent miss mating due to interference.
• Solder Reworking: Finish rework in one operation. Do not use supplementary solder flux for rework of bridges to avoid contact problems. Keep soldering iron tip temperature below specified limits.

Handling Single Components: Do not drop or allow parts to fall. Excessive force on terminals can cause warping, come out, or weaken solder adhesion.

Precautions for Mating: To prevent deformation or damage of contacts and molding, avoid mating connectors in tilted, twisted, or misaligned states. Avoid reverse insertion, which can cause circuitry damage.

Cleaning Flux from PC Board: No cleaning is required. If cleaning, keep solvent clean, prevent contact contamination, and use pure water-passed liquid solvent to avoid dissolving molded parts. Do not insert or remove the connector when not soldered, as external pressure can weaken terminal adherence.