Card-edge power connectors deliver high current density

By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer

TE Connectivity recently released its high-density-plus (HD+) card-edge power connectors for data centers. The card-edge power connectors offer the highest current density for these types of interconnects, according to the company, and support power supplies up to 3 kW. These new interconnects enable systems with increasing power requirements in next-generation data centers.

“TE’s new HD+ card-edge power connectors not only support the highest current density among all card-edge connectors in the market, but they can offer strong dependability through our dual-layer contact design,” said Bandy Yuan, product manager, TE Connectivity.

Delivering a current density of 15 A/2.54 mm, the HD+ card-edge connectors support 2,000- to 3,000-W power supplies for data center equipment. They feature a 1.27-mm signal contact pitch and a 5.08-mm power contact pitch with a working voltage of 60 VDC.

The connectors also boast low contact resistance thanks to the dual-layer design of the DC power contacts and pass-through pins, which facilitate multiple mating/contact points to the PCB. They’re designed in the common industry PCB footprint, leveraging a compact and cost-effective design with a common power and signal contact module, said TE.

In addition, the connectors deliver a flexible configuration with different contact quantities and positions and support both AC and DC in low-power and high-power applications, helping designers attain better scalability. The connectors target server, switch, and mass storage system applications.