Connectors 101: The Three “Languages” from Wire to Board
—A 5-minute quick guide for purchasers, written by an independent-site operator
Strip a new-energy car, a surgical robot or a foldable phone down to its “smallest replaceable unit” and you’ll be surprised: the real joints are not screws but connectors.
Today we skip the parameters and talk “language”—how do devices actually talk to each other? The answer lies in three basic grammatical forms.
Grammar 1 Wire-to-Board | When “nerve endings” shake hands with the brain
Key words: anchoring, power delivery, ruggedness
Snapshot
• Automotive camera: a lens module the size of a fingernail must push 2-K video to the mainboard in real time.
• Smart coffee machine: a 24-V pump starts instantly while the logic board lives on 3.3 V.
Why W2B?
1. Mating cycles from 100 to 500—exactly the “factory + field-service” window.
2. Plastic housings with polarization posts; blind mating keeps line yield 3 % higher.
3. Plating from 3 μ“ to 30 μ“; choose 48 h or 480 h salt spray and you match either consumer or automotive specs in one click.
One-sentence sell: delivers high voltage plus high-speed data to the board edge so engineers never need “flying wires” again.
Grammar 2 Board-to-Board | When two “brains” align
Key words: stacking, high speed, space saving
Snapshot
• AR glasses: left temple = battery board, right temple = driver board, only 4 mm air gap in between.
• 5G small cell: RF board and base-band board must hot-swap yet run 10 Gbps through a 0.5 mm pitch.
Why B2B?
1. Mated heights from 1 mm to 8 mm in steps; mechanical designers delete “copper pillars” overnight.
2. 90 Ω or 100 Ω differential pairs, SI report passes first time and saves two board spins.
3. 30 N locking force; stays firm under 15 g vibration—built-in “thread-locker” effect.
One-sentence sell: turns two boards into “zero-wire” stack, cutting a 20-line FFC BOM to a single connector.
Grammar 3 Wire-to-Wire | When “nerves” need an extension
Key words: sealing, fast mating, field repair
Snapshot
• E-motorcycle: battery pack and controller sit under the foot-rest, immersed in 30 cm of water.
• Stage lighting: on tour, 5 min change-over; electricians must mate correctly in the dark.
Why W2W?
1. Silicone seal + secondary lock, IP67/68/69K; insulation resistance >100 MΩ after 24 h submersion.
2. Flared entry, 3-second mating even with gloves.
3. Color + keying double polarization; field-service complaints cut in half.
One-sentence sell: lets two wires “shake hands underwater” and break apart again in 10 seconds.
Quick-lookup cheat-sheet (turn the sales story into one graphic)
|
Spec |
Wire-to-Board |
Board-to-Board |
Wire-to-Wire |
|
Max current |
15 A per pin |
5 A per pin |
35 A per pin |
|
Top speed |
8 Gbps |
56 Gbps PAM4 |
1 Gbps |
|
Smallest pitch |
0.8 mm |
0.35 mm |
2.0 mm |
|
Ingress protection |
IP20–IP65 |
IP20 |
IP67/68/69K |
|
Typical cycles |
100–500 |
50–250 |
50–100 |
|
Buzz-words |
blind-mate, polarized, anti-vibration |
high-speed, stacking, impedance |
sealed, fast-mate, field |
Final word
A connector is not a “small accessory”; it is the only component in the BOM that simultaneously specs electrical performance, mechanical strength and environmental life.
Next time you pitch a customer, translate “connector choice” into “protocol choice”:
• Need the brain to command limbs? Wire-to-Board.
• Need left & right brains to sync? Board-to-Board.
• Need the neural network to extend? Wire-to-Wire.
Post time: Nov-11-2025
