Introduction of several connectors commonly used in measurement and test applications
Summary：When it comes to microwave circuits, one cannot but mention coaxial connectors. No matter which frequency band your circuit is in, as long as it needs to be measured on a spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, etc., you need to use a coaxial connector.
When it comes to microwave circuits, one cannot but mention coaxial connectors. No matter which frequency band your circuit is in, as long as it needs to be measured on a spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, etc., you need to use a coaxial connector.
There are many types of coaxial connectors: SMA, SMB, SMC, APC-7, K connector, etc. No matter which connector you use, you need to pay attention to the applicable frequency range before using it. The frequency range of the connector is limited by the excitation of the first circular waveguide propagation mode in the coaxial structure. Reducing the diameter of the outer conductor will increase the highest frequency that can be used; filling the space with an insulator will reduce the highest frequency that can be used and increase system losses.
The performance of all connectors is affected by the quality of the connector interface. If the diameter of the inner and outer conductors deviates from the size required by the design, the plating quality is poor, or the gap at the connection is large, the reflection coefficient and resistive loss of the interface will be degraded. This is why the same kind of connector, good quality can be used at higher frequencies, and the standing wave coefficient is smaller, of course, if your circuit frequency is relatively low Original: knowledge about microwave millimeter wave coaxial connectors Or, it is just a beta version. If the requirements are not high, you can buy a few dozen pieces directly in the City God Temple.
The following is a brief introduction to the connectors commonly used in measurement and test applications.
The N-type (US Navy) 50Ω connector was designed for sub-4GHz military systems in the 1940s. Improvements in the 1960s pushed performance to 12 GHz and later reached 18 GHz. Some 75Ω products use an N-type design with a smaller center conductor diameter, but are not compatible with 50Ω connectors.
I believe this is the connector that you usually have the most contact with. As long as you are making circuits, you will basically use it. ) The SMA (micro A) connector designed by Bendix Scintilla is one of the most commonly used connectors for RF / microwave. It uses semi-rigid cables and is suitable for infrequent connections. Due to the difficulty of fixing the dielectric pillar, when using 24 GHz, the reflection coefficient of most SMA connectors is higher than other connectors. It’s a pity that WIN-WIN do not has the ability to offer customers with SMA connector, but we can provide customize service on headers or terminal blocks. Such as 1.0mm pin header,0.8mm female header,2.54mm wafer connector,etc.Not only we can offer pitch like this factory standard connector, but also customize one,such the following pitch. 3.5mm pin header and 3.5mm female header,2.92 pin header and socket,2.4mm header and so on.
The 3.5 mm connector was mainly developed by HP, now Agilent, and manufactured by Amphenol in the early days. Its design strategy is to use the conventional SMA size to achieve a highly reliable physical interface to achieve thousands of repeated connections and reach 34GHz.
One end of the feedthrough adapter is a 1.0mm female connector, and the other end is a glass-to-metal sealed interface. It is suitable for UHF (up to 110 GHz) signal transition from coaxial to microstrip package or circuit board.
This is the K type connector we usually use. In 1983, William. Old. Field senior engineer of Wiltron developed a new type K connector based on summarizing and overcoming the previously launched millimeter wave connector. It can be used in the DC-46GHz frequency range, has good electrical performance, and is compatible with the SMA connector that has been widely used, and is quickly recognized by the majority of manufacturers, and has become the most widely used millimeter in the world. One of the wave connectors. 2.92mm connectors can be adapted to SMA and 3.5 mm connectors. The performance is good when used in the 46GHz band, and the price is cheaper than the 3.5mm connector; when used below 18GHz, the performance is better than the SMA connector. Therefore, when you see that the K connector is similar to the SMA connector, but don't be surprised when the price is dozens of times more expensive, it is a high-end product.
The 2.4 mm connector is a connector developed by HP, Amphenol and M / A-COM for 50 GHz. This design solves the vulnerability of SMA and 2.92 mm connectors by increasing the thickness of the outer wall and strengthening the slot. It can be precisely matched with SMA, 3.5mm and 2.92 mm connectors. However, because the manufacturers of 2.4mm connectors are not as many as K-type connectors, and the price is higher, so the application is not as wide as K-type connectors.2.4mm headers customization are welcomed in WIN-WIN.
The 1.85 mm connector is a connector developed by HP in the mid-1980s, now Agilent, and its operating frequency reaches 65 GHz. In 1988, HP provided this design to the public domain to promote the standardization of connector types; through development, several manufacturers can provide several such devices. The 1.85mm connector is compatible with the 2.4 mm connector and has the same robustness. In recent years, 1.85mm connectors have been optimized to reach 67 GHz. Many experts believe that this connector is the smallest coaxial connector possible for general use up to 67 GHz.By the way, WIN-WIN can offer 1.85mm pin header and sockets, other pitch are also be acceptable. 1.85mm pin header and femaler header or socket customization is acceptable.
The 1.0 mm connector is designed to support all transmissions up to 110 GHz, which is an important result of precision manufacturing that can achieve reliable and flexible interconnection. WIN-WIN can customize 1.0mm pin header,1.0mm female header, or other 1.0mm connectors like that. Warmly welcome customers contact our sales team for more information.
To sum up briefly: if the circuit you need to measure and test is below 18GHz, you can choose SMA connector, N-type connector and APC-7 connector, which one you choose according to your circuit type and cost Consider, if your boss has too much money to spend, you can also use K-type connectors and other original: knowledge about microwave millimeter wave coaxial connectors. If you are measuring and testing in the millimeter wave band, then you can choose K-type connector or 2.4mm connector. Why not choose a 3.5mm connector? Because compared with the K-type connector, it has neither a price advantage nor a performance advantage (the applicable frequency is not as high as the K-type connector).
