FCI® Releases Serial ATA Backplane Connectors

FCI has developed a broad offering of 22-position, vertical backplane receptacle connectors to enable the implementation of the new high-speed, Serial ATA (SATA) hard disk drive (HDD) interface that is extending the use of low-cost, high-capacity SATA drives to low-end enterprise storage applications in servers and storage systems. FCI offers options for through-hole solder, press fit, or surface-mount termination allowing engineers to select the termination technique best suited to their backplane design and manufacturing process.

The SATA backplane receptacle connector is designed for hot plugging and blind mating of HDDs. Staggered contact lengths provide sequential mating of contacts to enable hot plugging. Molded guide posts provide angled lead-in to compensate for connector misalignment, allowing the device plug and backplane receptacle to self align during the mating process. Each backplane connector also features stamped retention clips that provide additional mechanical strength for robust PCB attachment. The backplane receptacle accepts a SATA drive, but is keyed to block the installation of a Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) drive.

The seven contacts that comprise the SATA port are designed to support differential signaling, initially at speeds of 1.5 Gbps. The power segment of the SATA backplane receptacle uses fifteen contacts to provide options for 3.3V, 5V or 12V power.

"The SATA backplane receptacle connector allows a system designer to utilize a backplane for direct connection of SATA drives, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for internal cables that add to system cost and can interfere with airflow complicating thermal management within the system. Vertical SATA connectors from FCI provide options for connector termination to help optimize backplane design and assembly," said FCI Global Product Manager Conway Spykerman.

SATA vertical backplane receptacle connectors are RoHS-compatible. Samples are available for delivery, with production lead times from stock to 3-4 weeks.

FCI offers a wide range of SATA and SAS plug and receptacle connectors encompassing both client and enterprise applications. Vertical and right angle connector configurations provide options for motherboard, server blade, HDD carrier, backplane, and cable connections.

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