FCI MicroTCA™ Connector

MicroTCA™ (μTCA™) vertical card-edge connectors provide 170 contacts on 0.75mm pitch and enable AdvancedMC™ (AMC™) modules to be plugged directly to a backplane. Both press-fit and surface-mount (SMT) termination options are available. FCI connectors are in full compliance with the MicroTCA standard. The press-fit version accommodates speeds up to 10 Gb/s, and the SMT version supports speeds of 10 Gb/s and beyond.

FCI’s MicroTCA connectors are designed for low manufacturing cost through the use of proven connector manufacturing processes, low-cost materials and a minimal number of components. Capability for connector installation using standard press-fit or SMT assembly processes, combined with connector designs that require no costly hardware, secondary mechanical retention or compensating board stiffeners, results in low total applied cost. Metal retention clips on the SMT connectors provide additional mechanical strength after soldering.

The MicroTCA standard, developed within PICMG®, creates a physically small but very powerful system in 4U height and 300mm depth. The MicroTCA system architecture reduces size and cost by eliminating the ATCA® carrier board and providing a chassis that accepts AMC™ modules directly. MicroTCA shelves will also support hot-pluggable modules, which will increase availability by allowing individual modules to be serviced or upgraded without taking the shelf offline. The MicroTCA form factor is expected to be ideal for communications equipment, such as core routers and IP-gateways, radio base stations and switching centers and customer premises equipment, where small physical size and cost are key design constraints.