The global need for smaller and lighter devices has led to increased demand for Micro D high-contact density interconnects.

Weight and size are crucially important factors in missile, aerospace and man portable applications, where their reduction can lead to increased performance. The bulkhead connector with its excellent ground path is a natural place to house the RFI filtering and Oxley have been offering innovative, reliable filtering on MIL-DTL-83513 plan-form layouts for many years.

This experience, gained through the in-house manufacture of the capacitive filter elements and metalwork, also allows the customisation of performance requirements to meet the strictest demands. Cost and lead times can be tightly controlled thanks to Oxley in-house design, test, tool room, machine shop and plating facilities.

Oxley Micro D planar arrays and assemblies have a 1.27mm contact pitch and hence a 50% smaller footprint than equivalent ARINC arrays for the equivalent number of contacts. They use the Oxley ‘spring contact’ design, which protects the ceramic array from mechanical and thermal stress and removes the need for difficult soldering operations.

The Micro D arrays can be supplied with compliant grounding strips or fully assembled into a modified connector or custom housing. The same size 26 vias can be placed on custom layouts, including circular arrays.

Oxley Developments EMC business development manager Mark Johnson says, "This range of products gives the customer the benefits of freeing up space and weight for other components, fuel or munitions but allows them to avoid the very fine assembly work required by the close pitching of the contacts."