PCB Tech - The difference and test of FPC, FFC, PBT, RF connectors

Connectors are the bridges for transmitting signals and connecting current in electronic equipment. They can be divided into many types. According to different application environments, frequencies, and objects, the choice of connectors is also different. The most common connectors are BTB connectors, FPC connectors, FFC connectors, RF connectors, etc. What are the functions of these types of connectors?

BTB connector

The BTB connector has the strongest transmission capacity among all connector product types at present, and can be used to connect PCB boards to achieve mechanical and electrical connections. Mainly used in many fields such as network, communication, electric power, medical treatment, industry, finance, office and so on.

BTB connectors usually use a narrow-chip contact method, which is characterized by the mating use of male and female sockets. There are three basic performances, namely electrical performance, mechanical performance, and environmental performance. With the development of BTB connectors, the market trend is now mainly in light and thin, small pitch, and high performance.

FPC connector

The FPC connector is also called a flexible printed circuit board, which is made of foldable and bent material and is used to connect the display to the drive circuit. It plays an important role in many fields such as portable electronic products, communication electronic products, LCD screens, and measuring instruments.

FPC connectors are miniature, compact, and highly integrated, which can effectively save space, simplify wiring procedures and save labor costs. It has the advantage of being foldable, and the application is light and flexible.

BTB/FPC connector testing can use shrapnel micro-needle module as the test medium to conduct current and transmit signals. During testing, the shrapnel head is used to contact the object under test, and the other end is connected to the signal, which can transmit 50A high current, It has good connectivity, which can ensure the high efficiency of BTB/FPC connector testing without current attenuation. Facing the connector male and female socket test, the zigzag-type contact male socket of the shrapnel micro-needle module can be used to contact the female socket with a pointed tip to maintain a long-term stable connection. The female socket test yield rate can reach 99.8%, which is beneficial to improve BTB/ FPC connector test efficiency.

FFC connector

The FFC connector is a new type of data cable made of PET insulating material and extremely thin tinned flat copper wire, which is laminated through the production line of high-tech automated equipment, so it is also called a flexible flat cable connector. It can be widely used in products such as copiers, scanners, plotters, fax machines, speakers, etc., for signal transmission and mainboard connection.

FFC connectors are small in size, thin in thickness, simple to connect, easy to disassemble, soft, free to bend and fold, and easy to solve electromagnetic shielding (EMI).

Compared with the FPC connector, the FFC connector forms a different line. The FFC connector is a flexible printed circuit, which is made of flat copper foil sandwiched between the upper and lower insulating foil films. The finished product is relatively simple; while the FPC connector is a flexible circuit board, which is chemically etched to FCCL (flexible Copper-clad foil) processing, to obtain different single-sided, double-sided and multi-layer structure line routing.

RF connector

The RF connector is the radio frequency coaxial connector, which is a mechatronic product, is an indispensable key component of the coaxial transmission system, and mainly serves as a bridge.

There are many varieties and specifications of RF connectors, which mainly rely on mechanical structure to ensure electrical characteristics. They are usually considered to be installed on cables or equipment as components for gas connection or separation of transmission lines. RF connector is an important part of electrical connector, with the trend of multi-function, miniaturization, high frequency, low standing wave, low loss, large capacity and high power, it is developing towards standardization, serialization and generalization.

The FPC company should always be committed to a professional brand manufacturer of FPC connectors and FFC cables supporting mold design, R&D, manufacturing, and sales.