Samtec, Inc., has announced production quantity availability of single-ended and mixed single-ended/differential pair signaling options using AcceleRate (ARC6) Slim Cable Assemblies. The new signaling configurations are designed to meet evolving needs of high-density system architectures, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) prototyping and emulation, and Mobile Industry Processor Interface Alliance (MIPI) protocols.
The ARC6 cable assembly features an ultra-narrow 7.6 mm body width and contacts that solder directly to the cable. Direct attach contacts streamline the transmission path by eliminating the transition card, providing superior signal integrity. Originally available only in differential pair configurations supporting 64 Gbps PAM4, PCIe 6.0/CXL 3.2, the ARC6 series now includes two new options: 
Source: Samtec, Inc.
- ARC6 (-S): Single-ended, 50 Ohm (5 Gbps NRZ)
- ARC6 (-M): Mixed signaling (single-ended 50 Ohm and differential pair 92 Ohm)
These additions provide engineers with greater flexibility in designing systems that require a mix of high-speed and lower-speed signal transmission. The integrated, flexible strain relief enhances rugged reliability while the metal latching system secures connection to the mating ARF6 board connector.
All configurations of AcceleRate Slim (ARC6) cable assemblies feature Samtec’s proprietary Eye Speed ultra-low skew cable technology. The single-ended, micro coax cable is designed with a thin .024-inch (0.61 mm) outer diameter making it easy to route through a complex system. The differential pair, twinax cable is ultra-low-skew at 3.5 ps/meter max and is also extremely thin with a 40% smaller cross-sectional area versus Samtec’s original Eye Speed cable. The smaller diameter provides weight reduction and maximizes air flow in compact applications.
ARC6 is one of many Samtec cable assemblies designed to provide end option flexibility. While catalog-standard solutions for ARC6 show a Samtec AcceleRate connector on both ends of the cable, a key advantage of all Samtec Flyover cable solutions is the ability to easily mix-and-match different end options for application-specific customization for easily routing signals from the mid-board near a chip to a front-panel or backplane.
