Organic Fibre Plug® Receptacles & PCB Pass Through Interconnects
Mill-Max Organic Fibre Plug® (OFP®) receptacles are open bottom interconnect sockets for through hole soldering into printed circuit boards. A paper plug protects the internal contact during assembly, then knocks out when the mating lead is inserted, so a device lead or header pin can pass straight through the receptacle. They are supplied as individual receptacles and assembled into strip sockets such as the series 834 and 835 pass through sockets.
Organic Fibre Plug® Receptacles
Organic Fibre Plug® (OFP®) receptacles are Mill-Max interconnect sockets made for through hole soldering into printed circuit boards. They are open bottom receptacles, which means a device lead or mating pin can pass all the way through rather than stopping inside the barrel.
Like all Mill-Max receptacles, an OFP® receptacle uses a precision machined brass housing with a press-fit beryllium copper multi-finger contact. Heat treated beryllium copper is the best electrical spring contact material available, and a multi-finger contact grips the mating lead at several points instead of relying on one wiping surface, which is what gives the connection its reliability over repeated insertions.
The open bottom is the defining feature. It removes the closed barrel that a lead would otherwise bottom out against, so the same receptacle that terminates a lead on one board can also let a longer pin continue through to the assembly below.
How the Organic Fibre Plug® Barrier Works
An open bottom receptacle would normally be exposed during assembly, since solder, paste or flux could travel up into the barrel and contaminate the internal contact. The Organic Fibre Plug® is the answer. Each receptacle is fitted with a paper plug that seals the bottom of the barrel throughout placement and soldering, protecting the vital contact area.
When the device lead or mating pin is plugged in, the OFP® is knocked out, and the lead passes through the fingers of the internal contact to make a reliable electrical connection. The barrier does its job during assembly and then simply gets out of the way.
To learn more review the
Assembly Advantages
The barrier is not only contact protection. It changes how the receptacle can be handled on a production line, and the knock out bottom changes how short the part can be made.
- Pick and place ready. The OFP® barrier gives the receptacle a solid surface to be vacuum picked from, so these through hole parts can be placed at the same time as surface mount components, removing a separate hand placement step.
- Tape and reel packaging. Receptacles are offered in bulk or on tape and reel, and the reduced length lets them stand upright and stable in a carrier tape pocket.
- Minimal protrusion. The knock out bottom allows these receptacles to be made relatively short compared with many similar parts, so how far they protrude through the underside of the PCB is kept small, which matters on a densely populated SMT board.
- No lead trimming. Because the bottom is open, long device leads that would bottom out in a closed receptacle do not need to be trimmed, removing another assembly step.
- Board stacking capability. The same pass through ability makes the receptacles suited to low profile board stacking.
The OFP® Receptacle Range
Nineteen sizes and styles of OFP® receptacles are available, available in bulk or on tape and reel. The range extends from receptacles that accept standard component leads down to micro-miniature parts for high density work.
At the small end, the 4428-0-43-15-04-14-10-0 is the smallest OFP® receptacle Mill-Max has built. It is optimized for high density packaging down to 1 mm pitch, accepts .008” to .013” (0,2 - 0,33mm) device leads or mating pins, and can be soldered into a hole as small as .030” (0,76mm).
OFP® receptacles are also supplied already assembled into strip sockets, which is how they are typically used to interconnect two or more circuit boards. The series 834 and 835 pass through sockets are exactly that.
Next sectionPass Through Interconnects: series 834 and 835 sockets built from OFP® receptacles, with specifications and board stacking application examples.
Need help selecting an Organic Fibre Plug® receptacle or developing a custom design?
Mill-Max engineers can review the mating lead diameter, hole size, board thickness and solder process behind your application, then recommend an OFP® receptacle from the fifteen sizes and styles available, in bulk or on tape and reel. If no standard part fits, we build to order.