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inside these smart appliances must fit within two different worlds. One of low-voltage wireless connectivity, and the other of long-lifetime, AC line-powered products. The wiring and connectors must meet multiple regulatory mandates for safety, support interconnections among multiple circuit boards and modules, allow for easy and reliable disconnect/reconnect for test and repair (no soldering allowed, of course), and may even need to be rated against humidity and liquids, including an IP67 rating. Examples Clarify the Situation Despite their simple outward appearance and tangible nature (and the naïve view of some engineers), a high-performance connector is much more than a basic electrical and mechanical assembly of specialized plastics and conducting materials. Instead, it is a carefully engineered and fabricated component. This is clearly demonstrated by the Molex Squba 1.8mm sealed wire-to-wire connectors for wire-to-wire connectors for medium-range currents, as seen by its external image (Figure 1) compared to its detailed breakout (Figure 2). These two- to 10-circuit sealed connectors can carry up to 125V at 6.0A to deliver reliable power in a wide range of space- constrained applications. This family of connectors features a miniature size with a 1.80mm pitch and a protected, low-profile positive latch with 30N (over 6.5 pounds) terminal retention. In addition, it includes seal caps with protective terminal channels and sealed components for an IP67 rating. A wraparound insulation crimp protects against seal punctures. On the electrical side, the contact resistance is under 10 milliohms, while leakage current is under 5mA at the dielectric withstand- voltage rating, and insulation resistance is over 100 megaohms. Another good example is the Molex FPC Easy-On Connector series, for voltage to 50V (Figure 3). These are available with a wide range of pitch options and features, including 0.20, 0.25. 0.30, 0.50, and 1.0mm, to meet the space and other requirements of today's designs. The 0.20mm-pitch front-flip model has a short length, low profile, and narrow width, includes Figure 1: At a casual glance, the Molex Squba 1.8mm sealed wire-to- wire connectors look like common, "ordinary" interconnect components. (Source: Molex, LLC) 15 Figure 2: A more-detailed study shows the Squba connectors are sophisticated assemblies with many features needed to provide the desired performance and capabilities in their target role. (Source: Molex, LLC) Protected, low-profile positive latch Prevents wire from getting caught on latch and damaging it. Minimizes latch size to prevent latch from adding to connector's package size Sealed components with proven performance Delivers IP67 NEMA rating. Prevents ingress of dust and water to ensure reliable connection Miniature size (1.80mm pitch) Alleviates space constraints Seal caps Protect seals from damage during shipping, handling, and use. Align terminals to prevent seal from being punctured during assembly Seal cap's protective terminal channels Align terminals during insertion to prevent punctures to seal during connector assembly movable contacts that provide more-secure contact retention force, and is designed for zero insertion force (ZIF) operation. The front-flip connector also features a short length which, when combined with its low profile and narrow width, offers an amazingly small overall volume size for a 0.20mm pitch connector. The back-flip version is designed to provide more contact-retention force via bottom terminals that move with the cable in case it is pulled up or down, thus ensuring that electrical contact is maintained between the cable pads and terminals. Figure 3: Connectors in the Molex FPC Easy-On series are available with five pitch values from 0.20 to 1.0mm, to precisely match the space constraints of the application as well as functional requirements. (Source: Molex, LLC) At the other end of the pitch range in this series, the FS19 1.00mm pitch front-flip FFC/FPC connectors feature a front-flip actuator for secure electrical and mechanical contact, while the FD19 1.00mm pitch double bottom FFC/FPC connectors feature double the contacts per circuit to yield a clean mating interface and superior contact reliability.

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