The smaller the connector, the greater its importance.
The reason is simple: the products are getting smaller and smaller. Nowadays, countless electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and blood glucose meters have increasingly strict requirements for size and internal sealing, leaving almost no space for connectors. This trend also appears in the fields of defense and aerospace, such as satellites, guided missiles, and avionics systems, where compactness requirements can only be met through "miniaturization" connectors.
The demand for smaller connectors is constantly increasing, and design engineers are also facing a series of new challenges. They are unable to complete the connector design in the final stage of the project. Micro connectors require foresight. It requires designers to consider various factors in advance, such as packaging, durability, current load capacity, and replaceability.
Designers should consider the convenience of replacement, especially in enclosed enclosures. Molex VITA 67 is an easily replaceable micro connector.
Here are some design suggestions from micro connector suppliers. These suggestions not only come from connector design experts, but also from the painful experiences of designers, so they are worth referring to.

1. Consider connectors in the early stages of design
Mitch Storry, Product Development Engineering Director at TE Connectivity, said, "Engineers often focus too much on designing the entire system and put connectors in the final stage of design before considering them. They believe that connectors are simple, so they can put related designs in the final stage.". Then they were bound by their own designs
Storry saw too many stories of designers hastily designing connectors in the final stage of design. He told us that in many cases, designers have to choose non-standard connectors to complete their designs, which not only increases costs but also delays delivery times.
To avoid such problems, relevant experts suggest that in the early stages of design, you should consider the connectors you will be using and reserve design space for them. The design should also revolve around them.
Stephen T. Morley, a product development engineer at TE Connectivity, said, "No one has a reason to hear you say 'first, decide the connectors you need.' But if they do, it can actually save them a lot of time and trouble."
The specifications of the Molex SlimStack Armor miniature connector are 0.35 * 0.6 * 2.0 (millimeters).

2. Clearly understand the limitations of space
Although the thickness of micro board to board connectors is usually less than 1 millimeter, they are also commonly used in tightly packed applications. To address potential packaging issues, designers need to consider the wiring on the PCB board and the additional wires connected to the connectors. Mike Higashikawa, Regional Product Manager at Molex, said, "Due to the reduced spacing, it is necessary to narrow the wiring and wires.".
Additionally, please note that some connectors, such as flexible cable connectors, offer options for flipping forward and backward. When designing a system, you need to consider these flipping methods. For example, if there is another component flipped backwards on the front and back of the connector, it may be difficult to access.
Finally, designers also need to note that surface mounted devices may not be able to handle smaller components at times. In some cases, they may need new vacuum nozzles to address these issues.

3. Understand the current load capacity
As the size of the connector decreases, the current carrying capacity of the connector also decreases. Generally speaking, micro connectors can handle currents between 200mA and 500mA, which is approximately half of the rated current of large board to board connectors. To compensate for the problems caused by lower current carrying capacity, designers may need to increase the number of terminals.

4. Consider the stability of small/micro connections
Morley from TE Connectivity said, "I need to make this suggestion not only during the design phase, but also during the assembly process to ensure they are not damaged.".
Morley is a microcontroller design expert in the field of radio frequency applications, recalling that half of the connectors he designed for military and space applications were destroyed during the testing phase.
He said, "If we don't take this issue to heart first, it may push up costs.". Damaged connectors need to be reconfigured, refurbished, and labeled. Even more expensive on-site replaceable connectors may be needed to replace them, and such changes may extend the design time by another one to two weeks.
Morley said, "It should be noted that existing connectors should always be given priority. If these connectors are not compatible with your design, then consider designing them yourself. This can save you a lot of time."
Molex's SlimStack Armor board to board connectors and FPC connectors for blood glucose detection