“The automotive-grade Mini50 connectors have smaller pins and terminals than conventional connectors, so they can be encapsulated in tighter spaces while reducing costs and providing robust reliability for the automotive industry,” says Mike Gardner, Global Marketing Manager at Molex.
The Mini50 was one of the first connection systems with the features required for 100 Mbps transmission speeds, making it the benchmark evaluation platform for many industry developers. For example, a recently published guide, Automotive Ethernet – The Definitive Guide, co-authored by Intrepid Control Systems Inc. and Harman International, refers to the Mini50 as the de facto solution. The guide notes that some automotive Ethernet products available on the market incorporate Molex's Mini50 connection system, which is significantly smaller than the RJ-45 connectors used for standard Ethernet connections and has been specifically designed and tested for automotive applications.
Furthermore, Mini50 connectors have proven ideal performance for the target systems with 1 Gbps capacity, manufactured with a suitable combination of cables and assemblies. As Ethernet-based solutions were rapidly expanding in the automotive industry, it was crucial to find a connection system that not only met USCAR standards and other industry specifications, but also the fundamental electrical performance requirements of Ethernet.
With its small form factor and specified performance, the Mini50 meets these requirements. Available in sealed and unsealed versions, the Mini50 delivers end-to-end throughput well above the required 100 Mbps standard. It also exceeds industry requirements for unshielded jacketed twisted pairs up to 15 m in length. The first 100Base-T1 Ethernet applications, soon to be rolled out by automotive OEMs, require Mini50 connectors in both single and multi-pair configurations.
Mini50 connection systems have the desirable operating characteristic of establishing firmer connections between terminals than competing 0.50 mm systems, thus offering superior silicon performance in terms of XTalk-type interference (NEXT and FEXT).
“The ever-expanding functionality of applications for the Mini50 connection system will, in the short term, lead to even more impressive developments, which will solidify 0.50 mm terminals as the right choice for current and future sealed or unsealed high-speed Ethernet applications,” concludes Mike Gardner.
