TTi has announced Tyco Electronics' new Z-Pack Slim UHD (ultra-high-density) connector series for telecommunication, router, server and switch applications. Devices are available in a standard version for data-transfer rates of up to 3.5Gbit/s; a high-speed version can master up to 20Gbit/s. The new connectors are flexible and upgradeable and fit in 15mm-system-slot pitch applications. The connectors feature high contact density and improved signal performance. Flexibility is achieved by giving the board designer the ability to implement pin assignments in such a way that they fulfill the application's signal requirements for today or tomorrow. A 2.0 differential pair per column assignment, for example, results in 24 differential pairs per connector module. If signal speeds of over 20Gbit/s are specified, a 1.5-differential-pair-per-column assignment can be selected. Two different performance versions of the receptacle connector can make an application upgradeable, by simply exchanging daughter cards. Both receptacle versions have identical envelope dimensions and mate with a uniform header connector.
