Groundbreaking Quad-Row Board-to-Board Connectors Commercially Available
• World's smallest board-to-board connector ideal for space-constrained smartphones, smartwatches, wearables, and augmented/virtual reality devices
• Staggered circuit layout saves 30% space compared to traditional connector designs
• Robust features enhance more reliable performance
• Over 50 million units shipped since 2020, supporting a major smartwatch maker
Molex, a global electronics industry leader and connectivity innovator, announced the commercial availability of Molex’s Quad-Row board-to-board connectors featuring an industry-first interleaved circuit layout that saves 30% space over traditional connector designs . These patent-pending connectors offer product developers and device manufacturers greater freedom and flexibility to support compact structures, including smartphones, smartwatches, wearables, game consoles, and augmented reality/virtual Reality (AR/VR) devices.
"Molex continues to drive connectivity innovation to support smaller but more powerful devices," said Justin Kerr, vice president and general manager of Molex's Micro Solutions Business Unit. "Through the highly dense Quad-Row board-to-board connectors , our customers can now pack more features, sensors and functions into increasingly tight spaces without compromising device performance. As a result, Molex is setting new connectivity standards for space optimization."
First-of-its-kind staggered circuit layout brings unprecedented space savings
Molex's long-term collaboration with product developers at a major smartwatch manufacturer led to the initial design of the Quad-Row board-to-board connector. Molex engineers also collaborate with experts from a global leader in flexible printed circuit (FPC) design, development and manufacturing. The engineering team worked together to validate the first-of-its-kind staggered circuit layout, with four rows of pins arranged with a 0.175mm signal contact pitch. The result saves space in unprecedented ways, while enabling high-density circuit connections.
The Quad-Row board-to-board connector adheres to the 3.0A current rating, meeting customer requirements for high power in a compact form factor. In addition, the product complies with a standard solder pitch of 0.35mm to speed up volume production using typical Surface Mount Technology (SMT) processes. Benefit from internal armor and plug-in power pegs for robust and reliable performance, protecting pins from damage during volume manufacturing and assembly. These properties, combined with the wide array, allow for quick, safe joining and reduced dropout rates.
High volume production, diverse application portfolio
Since 2020, more than 50 million Quad-Row connectors have been shipped to support the production of the world's best-selling smartwatch. Molex's meticulous attention to manufacturing design speeds volume production. The connector also supports larger reel sizes, which can improve production efficiency and thus increase production yield.
In addition, the compact size and reliable performance of Quad-Row board-to-board connectors make them ideal for a variety of applications requiring increasingly smaller printed circuit boards and flex assemblies. The ability to meet product miniaturization demands creates unlimited opportunities for augmented reality/virtual reality, automotive, communications, consumer, defense, IoT, medical, and wearable applications.
Availability
Molex Quad-Row board-to-board connectors are available worldwide in 32- and 36-pin configurations, with 20- and 64-pin configurations coming soon. There are also plans to support up to 100 pin configurations.
Molex Consumer and Commercial Solutions
Molex has proven expertise in 5G, mmWave, RF, signal integrity, antenna, power, camera and display technologies, providing critical connectivity for the entire mobile device ecosystem. Strengths such as precision, volume manufacturing and miniaturization enable Molex to meet changing market demands, providing leading mobile device manufacturers and their suppliers with the smallest, densest and most advanced connectors available on the market today.
