company blog about Supply Amphenol Backplane Connectors Series: Paladin HD,XCede HD,Crossbow™,VHDM-HSD™,GbX

Supply Amphenol Backplane Connectors Series: Paladin HD,XCede HD,Crossbow™,VHDM-HSD™,GbX

Shenzhen Mingjiada Electronics Co., Ltd. is a renowned distributor of electronic components. Adhering to the principle of ‘serving and benefiting our customers’, we provide a wide range of high-quality electronic components.

【Supply Advantages】

1. Comprehensive product range covering all application scenarios

Extensive core product range: We specialise in 5G, new energy, IoT, automotive-grade, communications and AI integrated circuits, whilst also covering memory, sensors, microcontrollers, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), transceivers, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth wireless modules and connectors. Furthermore, we provide evaluation boards and development tools from brands such as STMicroelectronics (ST), ROHM and Lattice, supporting the entire process from R&D to mass production.

Precise Grading and Matching: We simultaneously provide general-purpose, low-power, automotive-grade (AEC-Q100, ASIL-B/D functional safety) and industrial-grade (-40°C to 125°C wide temperature range) products, serving diverse scenarios such as home appliances, in-vehicle electronics, industrial control, medical devices and smart wearable devices.

2. Rigorous Quality Control and Traceability

Purchased through official channels, accompanied by original manufacturer certification and comprehensive quality traceability reports to eliminate counterfeit products. Automotive and industrial-grade products have all passed relevant industry standard tests (e.g. AEC-Q100).

Professional quality inspection process: 100% incoming inspection + pre-shipment re-inspection to ensure batch consistency and reliability.

3. Ample Stock and Flexible Delivery

Extensive stock supports both single-unit sample orders (for R&D prototyping) and high-volume production. We offer VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) and long-term supply agreements.

Standard orders are dispatched within 24 hours; urgent orders are responded to within 4 hours; next-day delivery is available in key regions. Our dual-warehouse setup in Hong Kong and Shenzhen enables rapid global fulfilment.

4. Flexible Pricing and Services to Meet Diverse Needs

Volume purchasing delivers cost advantages, whilst tiered pricing and long-term price protection mechanisms help customers manage expenditure.

Value-added services include one-stop BOM matching, alternative component recommendations, technical consultancy and obsolete inventory management, effectively reducing procurement and design risks.

A hybrid distribution model combining authorised and unauthorised channels enables rapid procurement of niche, discontinued or scarce components.

I. Paladin HD Series: The Benchmark for Next-Generation High-Speed Backplane Interconnects

The Paladin HD Series is Amphenol’s flagship backplane interconnect system designed for ultra-high-speed, high-density applications. Its core purpose is to meet the extreme demands of next-generation electronic systems for data rates and integration. Available in two versions supporting 112Gb/s and 224Gb/s, it is the preferred choice for high-end data centres, supercomputing and similar scenarios.

The series’ most notable advantage lies in its ability to combine industry-leading signal integrity with high-density design: it supports up to 144 orthogonal differential pairs within a 1U rack space, whilst reserving ample airflow space to meet thermal management requirements; It employs a design featuring individually assembled, separately shielded differential pairs, combined with a hybrid board connection scheme—where the signal side is secured via crimping and the ground side via press-fit—which enhances both electrical performance and mechanical stability whilst remaining compatible with traditional manufacturing processes. In terms of transmission performance, the Paladin HD 224Gb/s version achieves resonance-free operation across the 67GHz range, with insertion loss and crosstalk margins exceeding 40dB at the Nyquist frequency and an impedance variation of less than 5Ω, ensuring stable signal transmission even when the connector insertion/removal travel reaches 1.00mm; The 112Gb/s version supports linear transmission beyond 40GHz, with impedance variation still controlled within 5Ω even at a mating travel of 1.50mm, and without stump resonance issues.

Furthermore, this series employs a symmetrical mating interface, supporting various connection methods such as backplane-to-board, board-to-cable and cable-to-cable. The Paladin HD 224Gb/s version is backward compatible with the previous-generation PhD 1 series, facilitating system upgrades without the need for extensive redesign. Its applications are primarily concentrated in fields with extremely high demands for transmission speed and density, such as next-generation data centres, high-performance computing and high-end storage equipment, providing reliable interconnect assurance for systems operating at 224Gb/s and above.

II. XCede HD Series: High-Density, Hard-Metric High-Speed Solutions

The XCede HD series focuses on mainstream applications requiring medium-to-high speeds and high density. Centred on a hard-metric packaging format, it balances performance with practicality. The series comprises variants such as the XCede HD and XCede HD Plus, offering a cost-effective choice for telecommunications equipment and mid-range data centres.

The key highlight of this series is the balance between high density and scalability: the XCede HD Plus version achieves a linear density of up to 84 differential pairs per inch (approximately 33 differential pairs per centimetre), far exceeding that of comparable products, and is capable of meeting the high-density interconnect requirements of today’s complex architectures; The base XCede HD series offers flexible configuration options, including right-angle and vertical packaging formats, supporting various differential pair combinations such as 3-pair, 4-pair and 6-pair, with impedance options covering common specifications such as 85Ω and 100Ω, to accommodate different signal transmission requirements. In terms of transmission performance, the XCede HD Plus version supports data rates of up to 28+ Gb/s, whilst the XCede HD standard series is suitable for rates of 25 Gb/s and below. Utilising a resonant damping shielded polymer design, it achieves low crosstalk across a wide frequency range, meeting industry standards such as IEEE 10G Base-KR and 25G Base-KR.

Furthermore, the series supports backward-compatible upgrades, allowing data rates to be extended to 56 Gb/s without requiring significant design modifications, thereby effectively reducing system upgrade costs. It also offers embedded capacitance options to further optimise signal integrity and minimise system interference. Its primary applications include mid-range data centres, enterprise-grade switches, routers and storage arrays, balancing performance and cost to meet most medium-to-high-speed interconnect requirements.

3. Crossbow™ Series: Dedicated to Orthogonal Mid-Speed and High-Speed Backplanes

The Crossbow™ series is a dedicated backplane connector designed by Amphenol specifically for orthogonal midplane applications. Its core purpose is to address signal loss and space utilisation issues in orthogonal interconnect scenarios, making it the preferred choice for orthogonal architectures in communication equipment and industrial control devices.

The core technical advantage of this series lies in its optimisation for orthogonal interconnections: utilising a differential signal transmission design, it supports ultra-high-speed transmission of up to 25 Gbps. Through the design of differential pairs sharing vias on both sides of the midplane, it achieves a through-hole connection, effectively eliminating electrical issues caused by residual stubs in traditional backplane vias and significantly enhancing signal integrity. In terms of density design, Crossbow™ offers two matrix configurations: 6×6 and 4×4, both based on a 4mm pitch. The 6×6 matrix achieves 72 differential pairs per inch (corresponding to a 31.75mm pitch), whilst the 4×4 matrix achieves 32 differential pairs per inch (corresponding to a 24.13mm pitch), balancing density with routing flexibility.

The mechanical design of this series is tailored to the specific requirements of orthogonal architectures, providing precise positioning and guidance functions to ensure stability and reliability during the mating process. It also offers excellent vibration and shock resistance, meeting industrial-grade environmental requirements. Its applications are primarily focused on communication switches, industrial control equipment and server backplanes utilising an orthogonal mid-plane architecture, and are particularly suitable for orthogonal interconnection scenarios with strict spatial layout requirements and a need to minimise signal interference.

IV. VHDM-HSD™ Series: The Classic Modular High-Speed Differential Solution

The VHDM-HSD™ series is Amphenol’s classic shielded, high-density, high-speed backplane connector. Centred on a modular design and focused on high-speed differential transmission at speeds of 10 Gbps and below, it is a proven choice for high-speed systems in industrial, telecommunications and medical sectors.

The core features of this series are modularity and compatibility: utilising the same modular design as the single-ended VHDM® version, it allows for the flexible mixing of VHDM, VHDM-HSD™ and Enhanced EHS D® modules, enabling the integrated transmission of differential and single-ended signals within a single connector to meet diverse system requirements; it also supports custom slot configurations, allowing designers to combine different modules according to their needs to optimise system design. In terms of transmission performance, the Enhanced EHS D® module supports data rates of up to 10 Gbps, with insertion loss of less than 2 dB at 10 GHz and a 3- to 5-fold reduction in wafer-to-wafer crosstalk. Furthermore, it is fully compatible with existing VHDM-HSD™ slots, enabling system performance upgrades without the need for redesign, thereby significantly reducing development costs and lead times.

Furthermore, this series utilises a press-fit connection for easy installation, with a linear density of 25–38 effective differential pairs per inch. It complies with RoHS environmental standards and offers excellent versatility and reliability. Its applications are extensive, covering industrial control, communications equipment, medical devices and mid-range servers, and is particularly suitable for scenarios requiring high-speed differential transmission whilst prioritising design flexibility and cost control.

V. GbX Series: Cost-effective, Flexible Upgrade Solution

The GbX series is a cost-effective differential backplane connector developed by Amphenol for low-to-medium and medium-to-high-speed applications. Positioned as a solution offering ‘flexible adaptation and low-cost upgrades’, it supports a seamless transition from low-speed to 14 Gbps high-speed applications, making it the preferred choice for SME-level equipment and entry-level data centres.

The core strengths of this series lie in its flexibility and upgrade compatibility: it offers a wide range of component options, including power modules and routing modules, and can be fitted with L-series chips. Featuring an open pin area of 1.85mm × 1.85mm, designers can flexibly allocate high-speed differential pairs, low-speed signals, power and ground contacts according to requirements, adapting to a diverse range of application scenarios. In terms of transmission performance, the base GbX version meets low-to-medium speed transmission requirements; upgrading to the GbX-U backplane module increases the data rate to 10 Gbps; when paired with the GbX Twist daughter card upgrade kit, this can be further increased to 14 Gbps. The upgrade process requires no major modifications to the original design, achieving ‘low cost and high adaptability’.

Furthermore, this series features a high-density design with a linear density of 27.5–69 actual differential pairs per inch. It incorporates protected socket contacts to eliminate the issue of pin stubs, whilst offering various packaging options such as right-angle and vertical configurations. It supports both standard and right-angle connection methods, accommodating the spatial layout requirements of different devices. Its primary application scenarios include entry-level data centres, servers for small and medium-sized enterprises, industrial automation equipment and low-end telecommunications equipment. With its cost-effectiveness and flexible upgrade capabilities, it meets the fundamental requirements for medium-to-high-speed interconnections.