Molex ZIF Flat Flex Circuit (FFC) Connector. Today, pin grid array semiconductors packages are quickly migrating to pad grid arrays that require other solutions, usually Z-axis compression.

Click on the illustration above to see an animation of this action. In some cases, this ZIF socket is also used in producing products to allow field replacement of fragile multipin arrays. One piece affixes the contacts to the PCB and the second piece is cam activated with a lever or screw fitting to close the contact beam after the package under test is fully inserted. ZIF sockets normally work with a two-piece plastic housing. The combination of zero mating force with very high cycle life requirements made ZIF ideal for testing pin grid array semiconductor devices and multi-chip modules. The ZIF arrangement allows easy plugging of the multipin array without stressing the often ceramic substrate. ZIF connectors offer cycle life exceeding 20,000 mating cycles, making them extremely useful for these applications.ДЄnother important application of ZIF is for test sockets, especially for those testing large pin grid arrays. Entertainment equipment is frequently configured for a specific stage or act, then reconfigured for the next act or next performance. Think of test equipment, especially on assembly lines that must test a wide variety of products, each having a special test head connected to the tester with a common ZIF interface. The medical applications are the most important, but similar requirements exist for any equipment that needs frequent reconfiguration. So, if you have an application requiring frequent mating and unmating of cables, consider the ZIF solution as a candidate.

Many applications requiring frequent mating in the industrial, test and automotive manufacturing market segments.

Probe connections for Ultrasound systems where probes are frequently changed during the day for different exams.

Typical applications for ZIF cable connectors include:

ZIF solutions are less suitable for these applications. Conventional cable IO solutions most often use redundant dual-beam contacts to ensure high reliability during vibration, shock or adverse environments. Normally ZIF connectors use single beam contacts, mating on one side of the mating surface.ZIF designs with cams are bulkier and the torsional force to activate the cams increases with the number of contacts and can require a large lever.You want to use ZIF connectors in clean, indoor environments. Minimal mating wipe requires clean contacts with no insulating films in the mating area.The handle for the ZIF mechanism can do double-duty by mating signal contacts inside a metal housing with suitable EMI containment shielding minimizing or eliminating electrical interference.Frequently, the engagement handle can be activated with one hand, making it handy for locations where it is difficult to access with two hands or tools.High mating cycle life is easy with ZIF connectors because they have no frictional mating wear.Minimal mating wears, since there is little or no frictional rubbing between mating contacts.

This can be accomplished by turning a handle like a doorknob, or by a screwdriver to keep the hardware small. Instead of a frictional mating force, the cam-typically a quarter or half-turn arrangement-is moved into position by rotating a handle.

After the housings are mated, a cam is rotated, moving the contacts so that they fully mate with the specified normal force. Contacts are arranged so that the plastic bodies can fully engage without the contacts touching, eliminating mating friction and associated wear. The principal for most of these connectors was similar. In the 1970s connectors started to appear with features to enable ZIF (Zero Insertion Force). Cannon DLM ZIF interconnect for the ultrasound probe. Many system designs can really benefit from using connectors designed to mate with zero insertion force. (To compare, most dual beam contact designs have mating forces in the range of 5 oz per contact.) High mating forces can be a problem for many connector designs, including IO connectors that are frequently mated and unmated, test sockets that mate hundreds or thousands of times per day, and especially for high pin count connectors. In my last post, I wrote about the Bendix-Amphenol Bristle Brush connectors that had mating forces of 1.5 oz per contact.

40 pin zif socket pinout