Technical Consultant Zach Peterson

Currently Playing: PCB Connectors That Survive Space, Shock & 500 Thermal Cycles

Altium Develop keeps connector choices, plating requirements, and supply chain status visible to your whole team from schematic to fabricated board: https://www.altium.com/develop?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=ontrack-podcast&utm_content=pcb-connectors-that-survive-space-shock-500-thermal-cycles PCB connectors for military, aerospace, and LEO satellite hardware have to survive shock, vibration, humidity, and hundreds of brutal thermal cycles, and Samtec field applications engineer Shane Dabrowski explains how they're proven to do it. Zach Peterson and Shane walk through Samtec's Severe Environment Testing built around VITA 47, lot-based MIL-DTL-55302 testing, and why solder joint fractures, not the pins, are the top failure mode when a connector cycles from −65 °C to 125 °C. They also cover tin whisker mitigation and custom plating, mezzanine connectors inside VPX boxes, and why test engineers, not deployed hardware, drive mating-cycle requirements. The episode closes on the push to 224G and beyond, combo signal-and-power connectors, and why a column solder joint is replacing the BGA ball on high-speed connector tails. If you design rugged or high-reliability hardware, this is a practical guide to keeping the connector from becoming the weak link. 📚 More from this Episode: - Samtec Severe Environment Testing (SET): https://www.samtec.com/SET - Samtec Military & Aerospace Interconnects: https://www.samtec.com/industries/mil-aero/ - Connect with Shane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-dabrowski-b2a66235/?isSelfProfile=false 💡 Watch Next: - High-Speed Interconnects for AI & Physical AI with Samtec: https://youtu.be/zuh6i-EAS_E - High-Reliability PCB Design with Juan Frias: https://youtu.be/XrdVGJ57gKI - How Nvidia and AI Are Forcing New Interconnect MSAs: https://youtu.be/WOskQgjMgtE - How to Place Connections Between Boards in Altium Designer: https://youtu.be/wZy4kLBkj2s 💡 Stay Connected: Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth tutorials and tips from @AltiumAcademy Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below! 👉 Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/@AltiumAcademy?sub_confirmation=1 Don't forget to follow us on social to stay up-to-date on the latest Altium Academy content. 👉 Follow Altium on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@altiumdesigner 👉 Follow Altium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/altium 👉 Follow Altium on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/altium/ 👉 Follow Altium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltiumOfficial/ The Altium Academy is an online experience created to bring modern education to PCB Designers and Engineers all across the world. Here you can access a vast library of free training and educational content covering everything from basic design to advanced principles and step-by-step walkthroughs. Join industry legends as they share their career knowledge, review real-life design projects, or learn how to leverage one of Altium's leading design tools. No matter your level of experience, the Altium Academy can help you become a better Designer and Engineer! About Altium LLC Altium LLC (ASX:ALU), a global software company based in San Diego, California, is accelerating the pace of innovation through electronics. From individual inventors to multinational corporations, more PCB designers and engineers choose Altium software to design and realize electronics-based products. #altium #pcbdesign #connectors ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Mating Cycle Requirements 00:38 Shane Dabrowski's Background 02:14 Samtec in Mil-Aero Markets 03:30 Severe Environment Testing 06:21 Contact Styles & Power Density 07:21 Custom Plating & Tin Whiskers 12:08 Aerospace Material Selection 15:00 Environmental Testing Details 17:17 Thermal Cycling Failure Modes 18:55 SEARAY Connector Reliability 21:24 Mezzanine Connectors in VPX 24:51 Mating Cycles & Testing Labs 27:01 High Data Rates & Power Combo 29:59 BGA vs Column Solder Joints 34:07 Outro