Narrow-pitch connectors target wearable applications

Panasonic Corp. has announced that its Industrial Solutions Company has released the R35K Series of board to flexible printed circuit (FPC) narrow-pitch connectors in full-scale mass production. Targeting wearable device designs, these connectors reduce the required board mounting areas and are resistant to vibration and impact. Applications include wristbands, earphones, and AR/VR glasses used in a variety of industries such as health care, entertainment, and manufacturing.

The R35K devices with single-row terminals address the size and complexity issues of larger connectors that require more board mounting space due to complex wiring routing with double-row terminals, said Panasonic.

By leveraging the company’s molding and process technologies, Panasonic was able to develop connectors with a single-row terminal structure that enables wiring from terminals on only one side. This results in about a 49% smaller board mounting area compared to Panasonic’s conventional products (S35 series), which helps reduce the size and weight of wearable devices.

In addition, Panasonic said the header and socket cannot be easily removed or damaged thanks to its “unique Tough Contact structure” that is resistant to vibration and impact, which also helps to improve device reliability. These narrow-pitch connectors also deliver high currents despite their small size thanks to Panasonic’s material processing technology. They provide up to 3 A on the power terminal and 0.3 A on the signal terminal, meeting requirements for fast battery charging.