SURFACE MOUNT PACKAGE EMULATION

SMT Package Emulators

Ironwood has developed the industry's widest range of interconnection adaptors for SMT device emulation and interconnect. Our new Giga-snaP™ BGA SMT Package Emulators provide highest speed, reliability, and lowest insertion force. We offer SMT bases and thru-hole adapters for BGA, PLCC, QFP, and SOIC packages.


Surface Mount Package Emulators

The following SMT package emulator adaptors are available in our on-line catalog.

The Giga-snaP™ 1 mm pitch BGA Surface Mount Feet Adapter line of products provide an inexpensive and reliable method for socketing 1mm BGA chips. The product line consists of patent pending female sockets with machined pins epoxy over molded into an assembly that matches a particular BGA pattern along with male adapters for IC mounting, and ball on pin male SMT feet. These adapters have less than 1/3 the insertion force of competitive adapters, shorter electrical path for highest speed, and can be solder reflowed numerous times.

Giga-snaP™ Spec

  • QFN - Female Interface
    These patent pending QFN SMT Feet provide a reliable method for interconnecting to QFN pads. These high performance adapters have the same pad configuration as the QFN IC being emulated and a female socket array to which various adapters can be plugged.
  • BGA - Male Interface
    BGA surface mount feet These BGA surface mount feet are easily attached to target boards using standard flux and reflow methods. They present an array of gold plated pins, typically our "mini-grid" (.05" pitch MGA) for pluggable connections to parts like probe boards and in-circuit emulator adapters.
  • BGA - Female Interface
    These BGA surface mount feet present a female interface. We utilize blind pin technology to isolate our low temperature solder balls (63/37 PbSn) from the pins.
  • PLCC
    PLCC surface mount feet Our PLCC surface mount feet utilize J-leads to attach to the target system's SMT lands. They present an array of gold plated, .05" pitch MGA "mini-grid" pins. There are various part profiles and pin length configurations available.
  • QFP
    QFP surface mount feetWe offer almost 150 surface mount feet for QFP interfaces. Our proprietary shaped solder technology, gull wing leads, or leadless systems are employed to attach the part to the SMT lands. These parts present our MGA (.05" pitch "mini-grid") array of gold plated pins to provide pluggable connections.
  • SOIC
    SOIC surface mount feetOur SOIC surface mount feet are offered in leadless (-L), J-leaded (-J), or bottom termination (-K) variations. When soldered to the target SMT lands, they create a pluggable connection by presenting an array of gold plated pins. Some of these parts utilize our proprietary .0315" pitch "micro-grid" (uGA) technology.

General Information

Ironwood's SMT package emulation adapters are often called "surface mount feet" or "emulator bases". These adapters provide access and interconnections to surface mount lands. Typically, the adapters are soldered to the target board in place of the IC device and provide a pluggable array of pins interface for sockets, probing adaptors, package converters, and even board-to-board connections. These adapters are often utilized as a base for many of our probing adaptor products.

We constantly innovate to provide the most reliable, cost effective interfaces available. For example, many of our PLCC, QFP and SOIC emulation bases use our proprietary shaped solder techniques, replacing expensive, and often fragile, J-lead and Gull Wing leads. Shaped solder parts are easily fluxed and reflowed onto the target system.

Our emulator bases can present either a male or female interface, and Ironwood's standard MGA (0.05"pitch pin grid array) "mini-grid" is typically used. Smaller, denser packaging has led Ironwood to develop and patent our uGA (0.8mm pitch pin grid array) "Micro-grid" interface using an innovative Z-axis interstitial technology.

For PLCC package emulation, we also offer a line of socket plugs. These plugs fit into a PLCC socket and present a through hole, MGA pin, or surface mount interface. These plugs provide superior connections and eliminate the possibility of damaging PLCC sockets.

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