Bellows Contact

An alternative to spring-loaded type-test pins for high frequency test applications are gold-plated bellows contacts. Servometer contact springs are manufactured from electro-deposited nickel and are gold-plated according to ASTMB- 488 to enhance conductivity and provide extremely low DC resistance with a minimum of insertion loss. The bellows contacts have been designed to provide lifetime spring and force repeatability. Servometer contacts are rated for a maximum current of 4A.

There are mechanical advantages of Servometer bellows over spring-loaded type-test pins. They can typically be made as small as 0.020" (0.5mm) in diameter. This becomes more critical as PCB densities increase and test pins are located closer and closer to each other. Addtionally, the bellows can be coated with noise reduction materials to reduce crosstalk between test pins in close proximity, with little or no loss of mechanical capabilities.

Because Servometer bellows are created by electrodeposition, the bellows can be made out of different materials - making conductivity of bellows at high frequencies from the giga-hertz range and up superior to similar sized spring loaded test pins. Bellows can be made with nickel, copper, gold or silver for maximum performance.