Spring contact developed with insulation coating

Spring contacts are employed in a wide range of markets, including markets for consumer devices, industrial equipment, and many are used in smartphones, in particular, for the RF antenna, ground, battery, and speaker connection.

Meanwhile, requirements for further downsizing of components integrated into end products are growing as PC boards become smaller and components are arranged in higher density layouts.

Responding to these needs, ALPS developed the SCTAxA series of spring contacts and started mass production last year. In August 2016, it added the SCTAxB series, a model with insulation coating, to its product line and commenced mass production.

A spring contact of the industry’s smallest dimensions of 1.4×1.4mm was realised using a unique double-spiral spring construction and precision processing technology. High resilience against vibration and impacts, and therefore high contact reliability, were achieved by employing a spring construction that enables vertical movement despite the square shape. Additionally this product can be mounted by automated processes.

As a connection component, a single contact or multiple contacts can be used. Flexibility of the layout on the PC board is improved, by allowing an array arrangement taking advantage of the square shape. Furthermore, the construction prevents catching on fingers during assembly, helping to improve work efficiency during the device assembly process.

The new series that was added to the product line this time has insulation coating around the outer surface of the spiral spring and it therefore ideal for the connection of devices, such as a RF antenna, which require stable high-frequency performance. The series has four mounting heights variety; 0.85, 1.6, 1.8, and 2.0mm.