Addressing space-constrained RF/wireless designs with coaxial contacts

Harwin continues to strengthen its portfolio of interconnect solutions designed for implementation in harsh application environments with new additions to its flagship Datamate high reliability connector (Hi-Rel) product family. With the objective of addressing space-constrained RF/wireless designs, each member of the Datamate Coax series comprises multiple (ganged) coaxial contacts in a compact housing.

As they provide access to numerous coaxial lines through a single connection point, these components present engineers with a highly convenient, space efficient and cost effective way to address diverse connectivity requirements.

Featuring 2, 4, 6 and 8 contact options, the contacts contained within each Datamate Coax connector are arranged into single or double ended jack formats with 4.00mm pitch. They deliver strong RF performance characteristics up to frequencies of 6GHz. The connectors’ inherently robust construction means that they can cope with high levels of shock (100G) and vibration (10G/200Hz), plus extreme temperatures (-55 to +125 °C).

Among the key application areas for the space-saving, heavy duty Datamate Coax connector series are avionics, radar, robotics, industrial automation, military and medical, as well as general wireless communications. Benefitting from the technical expertise of Harwin’s engineering team and the company’s proven track record in a broad range of challenging Hi-Rel application scenarios, the accompanying cable assemblies ensure long term operational integrity while mitigating the related tooling costs that OEMs face when carrying out this work in house. The cable lengths available are 150, 300 and 450mm.

“In most cases OEM engineers simply don’t have the time or resources to create their own bespoke cable assemblies for the new products they are developing. Sourcing tooling and putting it in place for small prototype batches is not always convenient in the early stages of the project. Also coax cables tend to be time consuming, and such activities need a great deal of care and attention,” stated Scott Flower, Product Strategy Manager for High-Rel products at Harwin.

“As Harwin maintains a high degree of vertical integration, we are able to address these issues directly – providing superior quality, ready-to-use cabling solutions that enable our customers to get through the prototyping phase much quicker and thus move on to full scale production.”