C&D Develops Position Perfect Converter Interface

C&D Technologies Inc. (Tucson, AZ) has developed a new pin technology that it is applying to high-current dc-dc converters to enhance the mechanical mounting integrity and improve the mounting accuracy by eliminating the possibility of component movement during assembly. The new Position Perfect™ technology allows higher currents to be handled by the converter pins to ensure that full-rated current can be delivered to the host PCB in most dc-dc converter models. The Position Perfect design is plated with a matte tin over nickel for future lead-free compatibility.

The new pin technology helps designers take full advantage of today's surface-mount, high-current dc-dc converters. The annular ring on the host board used to accommodate a through-hole dc-dc converter is all that is needed to affix dc-dc converters built with Position Perfect interfaces. Instead of using solder ball interfaces for self-leveling of pins during placement, the Position Perfect interconnects use precision-designed copper pillars that are attached to the converter through a high-speed automatic swaging process. A post-swaging crop process results in a level surface and a pin co-planarity of less than 0.004 in (0.1 mm). The flat pin surface eliminates the possibility of movement during assembly, while the co-planarity ensures accurate registration of the converter on the PCB.

The Position Perfect interfaces will be available on select models of eighth-brick and quarter-brick dc-dc converters immediately, and a number of other C&D products in the future.