IN Brief:
- The 185-AL is a 50Ω compression-mount launch supporting signals to 67GHz.
- Its 30-degree cable angle reduces interference around devices under test and adjacent connectors.
- Solderless, field-replaceable construction supports reusable evaluation and high-frequency test fixtures.
Samtec has moved its 185-AL angled RF board launch into production, providing a solderless 1.85mm connection for test and measurement systems operating at frequencies up to 67GHz.
The 50Ω jack uses a 30-degree launch angle rather than routing the mating cable horizontally from the edge of the printed circuit board or vertically above it. That geometry improves clearance around densely populated devices under test, fixtures, shielding, cooling hardware, and neighbouring RF channels.
Mechanical attachment is provided through a compression-mount arrangement, removing the need to solder the connector directly to the board. The connector can consequently be installed, removed, and replaced without repeated heating of the launch area or disposal of the complete test board after connector damage.
A threaded coupling secures the mating interface, while an air-dielectric construction supports high-frequency performance. Samtec has also reduced the launch’s dependence on the exact gap between the PCB edge and the connector body, giving mechanical designers more freedom around board outline and enclosure construction.
Mechanical layout becomes part of the RF channel
At tens of gigahertz, the distinction between mechanical and electrical design becomes increasingly artificial. Small changes in pad geometry, dielectric thickness, via placement, connector seating, torque, and reference-plane continuity can produce measurable shifts in insertion loss, return loss, and channel-to-channel consistency.
The connector therefore has to be evaluated as part of the complete transition from coaxial cable into the PCB transmission line. Launch simulation, controlled stack-up, fabrication tolerances, assembly repeatability, and suitable calibration structures are required if laboratory measurements are to represent the device rather than the limitations of the fixture.
An angled launch addresses a practical constraint that grows more severe as evaluation boards add channels. Vertical connectors require space above the PCB and can impose bending loads once cables are attached, while horizontal edge launches consume perimeter and can cause neighbouring cables to obstruct controls, probes, cooling plates, or each other. A 30-degree route occupies a middle position and allows the cable to leave the test area more gradually.
Solderless construction is valuable in shared laboratories and characterisation environments where boards are repeatedly configured, transported, or connected to expensive cable assemblies. A worn connector can be replaced independently of the PCB, although compression interfaces still require controlled mounting pressure, clean contact surfaces, and consistent fastener torque if measurements are to remain repeatable.
Connector selection is also becoming a lifecycle decision rather than a final mechanical detail. A recent engineering support service for connector specification and obsolescence was established around problems that frequently emerge late in development, when qualification, footprint constraints, and cable assemblies make substitution expensive.
Those pressures intensify in millimetre-wave systems. Connector availability, mating-cycle life, cable compatibility, calibration standards, and board-launch documentation can determine whether a promising RF design can be manufactured and tested consistently. A component that performs well in one laboratory fixture may still be unsuitable when assembly variation and long-term sourcing are included.
Applications for the 185-AL include semiconductor evaluation, high-speed digital characterisation, radar, communications, instrumentation, and research platforms. Its 67GHz ceiling allows one mechanical interface to cover a broad range of microwave and lower millimetre-wave work without changing the connector system between successive test-board generations.
Production availability also allows engineering teams to move beyond prototype fixtures and qualify the launch within repeatable test hardware. That transition requires agreed assembly procedures, inspection criteria, torque settings, and calibration methods so that replaceability does not introduce uncontrolled variation.
The 185-AL is a relatively small component, yet its geometry addresses a recurring limitation in high-frequency development: as channel density rises, cable routing, mechanical access, and signal integrity can no longer be solved independently. A board launch that accommodates all three can remove constraints from the fixture before they become limitations in the measurement.
