TE Connectivity’s Mezalok Mezzanine Connector Gets an Upgrade With Increased Data Rate Support up to 32+ GB/S

May 11, 2021

TE Connectivity has recently upgraded its rugged, high-speed Mezalok mezzanine connector family to support the growing demand for higher data rates and improved processing power in military electronics. The upgraded connectors have increased data rate support up to 32+ Gb/s. The Mezalok connector family has been designed specifically for mezzanine cards in rugged applications and is standardized as the interconnect for XMC 2.0 (VITA 61). Rapidly evolving technologies in signal intelligence, radar, communications and surveillance are driving the need for more powerful embedded computing solutions. 

Mezzanine cards are often used to provide additional functionality and processing capability within a small form factor. TE designed the Mezalok connector family to support these applications. Typical applications include application-specific high-speed input/output (I/O) protocols, graphics, memory and digital-signal processing.

“New designs in rugged embedded computing require higher speeds and high pin counts in order to pack more functionality into smaller plug-in modules,” said Jason Dorwart, product manager for TE’s Aerospace, Defense and Marine division. “TE recognizes this trend and is continuing to build on this platform to help solve customer needs, offering new options in stack height, pin density and higher speeds, giving the system designer a broader solution set to work with when needing a fast, rugged and reliable mezzanine connector for extreme environments.” 

TE’s highly reliable Mezalok mezzanine connectors more than double the speed and durability of competing technology, making it one of the most viable options for today’s military and commercial aerospace applications. At 5 GHz+, this rugged, surface mount mezzanine connector incorporates a redundant “mini-box” four-point contact system for separable interface and offers excellent signal integrity up to 32+ Gb/s. LCP plastic housings offer thermal stability and are low-outgassing. In addition, compliant Ball Grid Array (BGA) board attachment supports standard surface mount processing and excellent thermal stability with a contact design that provides robust, uniform solder joints.

The TE Mezalok connector family has been engineered for high-speed reliability:

• ● Rugged four points of contact – based on M55302 standard (two for low extraction)
• ● Protected socket end for reliable blind mateability 
• ● Optimal thermal stability, to 2,000 thermal shock cycles
• ● Low extraction force product lines launching in summer 2021 

For product configurations, TE offers:

• ● Multiple positions – 60, 114 and 320 (114 position is the XMC 2.0 standard) 
• ● Multiple stack heights – 10,12,15,17 and 18mm stack heights
• ● Ball grid array (BGA) PCB supports standard surface mount processing

https://www.te.com/usa-en/about-te/news-center/mezalok-mezzanine-connectors.html