US Conec has announced that the availability of the MXC multi-fibre connector will coincide with OFC 2014. Compared to existing optical connector solutions, the plug and receptacle design provides increased density, lower cost, and fewer components – making it suitable for new equipment card edge requirements driven by implementation of embedded, mid-board optics modules, the company says. PCB space consumption on the inside of the equipment is minimised by combining the traditional adapter and on-card plug into one simple, condensed, single piece housing.
While not intended to be a replacement for MTP connectors, which are typically used in data center cabling infrastructures, the new connector provides many benefits relative to this design, says US Conec. The MXC connector platform is optimised for next-generation, expanded beam, PRIZMMT ferrules providing a more robust solution that is less sensitive to debris when compared to existing solutions. However, the platform is also compatible with traditional physical contact MT ferrules, making it ideal for a wide variety of equipment interface applications.
Future variants of the platform support a wide variety of configurations including strain relief at the individual ferrule level or mass strain relief of multiple ferrules within a single cable unit. US Conec’s novel alignment design enables scaling to eight or more ferrules in a single connector embodiment for front panel bulkhead or blind mating.