Connectors Put Memory Cards In Touch With Portables April 2001 Issue Published Date: April 01, 2001
Serving to link Secure Digital (SD) memory cards to digital portable products such as PDAs, cell phones, digital cameras and portable audio players, these new, nine-circuit connectors come in top- and bottom-mount styles and can accept cards packing as much as 64 MB of flash memory. The connectors also contain card detect and wire-protect switch functions to enable secure downloading of digital data, such as audio or image files. Other key features of the SD card connectors include a 3.1-mm height, metal-grounding cover for ESD protection, offset terminals for first make/last break capabilities, and a unique "push-push" ejection system that allows the postage stamp-size cards to be securely retained in and easily inserted into and extracted from the portable products. The 2.5-mm pitch connectors are rated at 0.5A and can withstand up to 10,000 mating/unmating cycles. And they are packaged on embossed tapes and cost about $2.50, depending on model and quantity ordered.
