The LFH connector in this fixture had been declared obsolete, but a drop-in replacement kept the line running.
Choosing a replacement LFH connector
The problem
A test house running a semiconductor handler had been told that the 160-pin board interface in their fixture was obsolete. Their options appeared to be a costly fixture redesign or sourcing remaining stock from brokers at a price that reflected the scarcity. The fixture runs roughly 300 mating cycles a week, so wear was an ongoing cost regardless.
What we found
The interface was an LFH 160-pin connector, and the retention geometry rather than the plating was the limiting factor on life. Our own 160-pin design is covered by a utility model patent specifically for contact retention, which keeps contact positions stable over high cycle counts — the same requirement the original part had been specified for.
What we supplied
A drop-in LFH 160-pin connector with pin-compatible layout, plus documented cycle data so the customer could move from reactive replacement to scheduled maintenance. A small number of complete replacement assemblies were supplied so that a worn interface could be swapped in minutes rather than measured to prove it had drifted.
The outcome
The fixture remains in service with no redesign. The customer now logs mating counts and replaces the interface on a schedule, which removed the unplanned downtime that had previously disrupted their test queue.
Products used in this project
Send us the application detail and we will confirm which of our connectors or cable assemblies suits the duty, or propose a custom construction. You can also review our quality control process and the documentation supplied with each order.
What this means for your project
Obsolete does not automatically mean redesign. Where the mechanical interface is standard, a pin-compatible replacement can extend a fixture for years — provided the retention geometry suits the cycle count the fixture actually sees.
Reference material for the standards referenced above is published by ISO and the RoHS compliance guide. Where a project requires conformance to a particular standard, tell us at the enquiry stage and we will confirm what documentation we can supply.