A new reflow-capable RJ45 jack is available in Yamaichi’s industrial Y-Con RJ45 series. The socket for 100 Mbit/s consists of a base body with 90° orientation of the connector to the solder pins, along with the “tab-up" tab orientation. The individual types vary in features to ensure that the right product can be selected to meet customer needs.
The jack optionally has machine-wound transformers, additional integrated power contacts and reflow-capable light pipes. For the power contacts and reflow-capable light pipes, Yamaichi relies on a mature design that provides customers the greatest possible flexibility in the transmission of power up to 100W as well as in the transmission of optical signals.
With the two additional power contacts, up to 2.1A can be transmitted at 70°C without affecting signal transmission. This is significantly more than provided by PoE. It also saves another cable.
When using light pipes, on the other hand, optical signals can be transmitted from the PCB on the front of the jack just as with an optical fibre. In contrast with the LEDs, however, light pipes have a nearly unlimited lifetime and a cost advantage. The use of light pipes in reflow soldering is also not limited by the high solder temperature, and there is still complete freedom in the selection of light colour.
The integrated machine-wound transformers ensure optimum, consistently good signal transmission, for example if there is no space on the PCB for magnetics when using Ethernet. In contrast with hand-wound transformers, in which performance can depend on the capability of the maker, machine-wound transforms ensure consistent transmission quality. They are also insensitive to vibrations, since the coil bodies are always cast.