I. What is the pitch of a connector
Understanding connector pitch is critical to ensuring that the right connecting wire or cable is picked for compatibility in real-world applications.
Definition of Pitch: In any connector containing multiple terminal pins, pitch is the distance from the center of one pin to the center of the next.
When selecting a connector, follow these two rules of thumb:
- If you need a specific pin pitch due to design conditions in other parts of your product, you need to select the appropriate connector.
- We recommend that you look for a connector with a more appropriate pitch, for product development, and product stability. Common connector pitches are 0.5mm pitch connectors, 1.0mm pitch connectors, 1.25mm pitch connectors, 1.5mm pitch connectors, 2.0mm pitch connectors, 2.54mm pitch connectors, and 3.0mm pitch connectors.
Header pitch is measured from the center of one pin to the center of the next pin (A). It can also be measured from the outer edge of the first pin to the inner edge of the last pin (B), where A = B/(C-1). C denotes the number of pins.
II. Impact of different connector pitch
Connectors may be similar in outside dimensions, but different pitches can make them very different.
This is because as manufacturing becomes more advanced, connectors can be made smaller. Some connectors only carry a small amount of current and voltage, so they can be made smaller to save space and material costs. Sometimes on other projects where higher conductive power is needed, connections and wires with higher capacity are required. KONNRA connectors have created the new KR2017 series for customer needs, with a pitch of 2.0 and can carry 3A of current, which is smaller than competing products for the same pitch and current.
This is why it is important to know the connector pitch that needs to be used before purchasing and utilizing a connector. KONNRA Connectors is not only able to provide customers with datasheets and catalogs that will help them select the correct connector, but also provide customized connector solutions for their needs.
III. How to measure the pitch on the connector?
Measure the pitch of the connector housing.
For connector housings, you can instead measure the edges of both holes on the same side. For example, in the figure below measure “B” instead of “A”. B = A, so B is the pitch of the connector housing.
Or for multiple circuit connector housings, you can measure the distance between the two furthest circuits (dimension “C” in the diagram below) and divide by (number of circuits – 1). For example, the diagram below shows a connector housing for 6 circuits. You would divide C by 5 and the result would be the pitch of the connector housing.
If the connector is small and there are multiple lines, you can measure the distance between the number of contacts, subtract the width of the contacts, and divide by [number of contacts – 1].
For example, the pitch of the connector row of pins in the figure below is (C-W)/4.
IV. Consider these three points when designing the pitch of connector pins
In the design of electronic connectors, pin pitch is important to connector performance. It affects the performance, size, and other aspects of the product. Select the appropriate pitch of the connector pins need to consider the following three points:
First, the space
The smaller the pitch of the connector pins in the same design, the smaller the connector will be. Connectors with closer pin pitch can be more adaptable to the interconnection of compact equipment applications, in a small space to play a better transmission effect.
Second, current-carrying
The smaller the pin size of the current-carrying capacity is also lower, the design should ensure that the current-carrying capacity of the connector to meet the application requirements.
Third, other physical limitations
Connector pin pitch physical limitations are mainly reflected in the realization of the connector design, such as the number of pins is too much, may make the connector too long, easy to break. Pin pitch is too dense in the production will also cause inconvenience.
