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Connector Terminology

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Glossary of Connector Terminology

ASPECT RATIO (AR) Ratio of ZEBRA® connector height to width. (Aspect ratio of 1.5 and higher is recommended to minimize the amount of force required to deflect the ZEBRA® connector.)
BEZEL Positioning device designed to surround the LCD edges while applying force to the ZEBRA® connector. Usually the decorative portion of the connector package. Plastic or metal cover placed over the LCD.
BRIDGE Rib section on a ZEBRA® connector holder serving to reinforce the holder as well as minimize the length of individual ZEBRA® connection spans.
COMPRESSION SET Amount by which a compressed ZEBRA® connector will not recover to its original height when compression is removed within the prescribed deflection limits. (typical maximum of 25%)
CONNECTOR PITCH Center-to-center measurement of conductive layers.
CONTACT DENSITY Number of conductive layers per inch.
DEFLECTION Difference in original height versus compressed height of connector
GAP Space on a PC board or LCD which does not contain contact pads.
HOLDER / RETAINER Positioning device used to contain the ZEBRA® connector to assure proper alignment between two mating surfaces.
LCD PITCH AND/OR PC BOARD PITCH Centerline-to-centerline distance between contact pads.
LIP WIDTH Distance from outside edge of front glass to edge of back glass.
PAD WIDTH Distance measured edge-to-edge of contact pad (CW).
PAD LENGTH Distance measured end-to-end of contact pad (CL).
PAD MATERIALS LCD contact pads are normally indium tin oxide. PC board contact pads may be gold, carbon-coated or soldercoated.  Plating methods can result in significant variations in contact pad thickness, but should be kept as flat as possible.
REGISTRATION Vertical alignment of contact pads between two mating surfaces.
SEPARATION Distance between two mating surfaces.
STRESS RELAXATION The function which relates to the loss of back stress of the compressed connector over time. Expressed as a percent of original stress.
TOLERANCE STACK-UP Minimum and maximum dimensions of separation between LCD contacts and PC board contacts as determined by consideration of tolerance variations in flatness and parallelism of components.

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