1. Capture the interface
Write pitch in millimetres, contact count, row count, and whether the pair is 50 ohm single-ended or 100 ohm differential. A 0.50 mm pitch and a 0.80 mm pitch are different drawings even when both are called board-to-board.
US business buyers
Industrial board connector briefs before factory quotes
LinkScope Sourcing 39 works as an independent sourcing partner. A buyer lists the host board, the pitch, the contact count, the quantity, and the US destination, then asks more than one factory to answer that sheet. A family name on a photo is not a stock claim and it is not proof that two parts mate.
- Same pitch, same contact count, same plating note, same destination.
- Current, voltage, and connector mating cycle stay written as questions.
- Stack height, keying, and the PCB or wire interface stay marked open until a drawing names them.
Lifecycle checkpoints for an industrial board connector
Each checkpoint is a question for the proposed supplier. LinkScope Sourcing 39 does not publish measured values for an unnamed part. The TIA-568 overview, accessed as a public cabling reference on 2026-10-27, is a question source only. It does not certify a mezzanine connector.
2. Ask for ratings
Ask for current per contact, voltage, and the ambient used for that current. A 1 A figure at 25 C is not the same statement as 0.5 A at 85 C. Ingress protection, if claimed, needs the exact housing, not the family name.
3. Bind the evidence
Request the current datasheet, the plating thickness in micrometres, and the connector mating cycle rating. Gold flash near 0.05 um and a 0.76 um gold layer answer different durability questions. Measurement accuracy belongs on the test report, not in a catalog adjective.
4. Compare delivered scope
Separate the connector body, pick-and-place caps, screws, and freight. Currency, Incoterm, and whether the number is per piece or the whole order stay on the sheet before any total is discussed.
Where the connector sits in the network stack
Line card and daughtercard
A mezzanine link may sit between a switch main board and a port card. The buyer records stack height, such as 5 mm, 8 mm, or 16 mm, plus the keep-out around the housing. Reach here is a mechanical distance, not an optical span.
Radio and timing boards
When the pair carries RF or a clock, ask for impedance, frequency range, insertion loss, and return loss at the frequencies the host actually uses. VSWR is a supplier measurement for that exact geometry. A nominal 50 ohm label does not replace the plot.
Power and control headers
Power rating is the current and voltage the drawing states, with the temperature rise the supplier used. A control header at 3 A is a different purchase from a high-speed pair at a fraction of an ampere. Do not merge those lines on one price.
Two sourcing disagreements to keep visible
Original-drawing versus second-source footprints: one side prefers the host vendor drawing because support policy may follow that geometry. The other side accepts a second source when pitch, plating, keying, and electrical limits are checked on the exact host. Neither side is settled by a photo.
New lots versus surplus lots: a new date code may carry a clearer plating callout and a full connector mating cycle rating. A surplus lot may be the only way to hold a legacy 1.27 mm pitch, but only after the buyer sees condition, remaining cycles, and whether the part is new, unused, or reworked. LinkScope Sourcing 39 does not grade either path in advance.
Compatibility questions that stay open
Does a matching pitch prove the parts mate?
No. Pitch, contact count, insulator height, and keying can still disagree. Ask each factory to mark compliant, deviation, or alternative against the drawing you sent.
What should a buyer prepare before the first reply?
Host platform, topology, quantity, US destination, requested timing, and which values are mandatory. Leave unknown plating or ingress protection blank rather than copying a neighbor line.
How does supplier matching work on this desk?
The desk sends the same brief to factories that can quote the family. Replies come back as factory statements. This site does not claim it has audited those plants or that it holds their stock.
Which limits should stay on the sheet?
Three limits travel with every brief: the desk has no inventory, a name match is not interoperability, and a target budget is a buyer note rather than a price already negotiated. Environment above the stated ambient, and current above the stated derating, need a fresh supplier answer.
Compare factory quotations on one configuration
Put pitch, contact count, plating, quantity, currency, and destination in the requirement. Optional budget can be an amount or a range, in a named currency, per piece or for the whole order. High-end, mid-range, budget, or undecided is a buyer preference, not a verified rating.
Read the inquiry labels or the procurement brief before you send the sheet. Then use the RFQ lane if you want the longer contact layout.