STRADA
WHISPER
Blinding Speeds
The STRADA Whisper backplane family was designed with your end customer’s need for
high-performing, high-bandwidth systems in mind. Its revolutionary design transfers data at
blinding speeds of 56 Gbps and offers unparalleled scalability up to 112 Gbps—allowing you to
achieve efficient future system upgrades without costly backplane or midplane redesigns.
Backplane Connectors
Performance Matters
The STRADA Whisper product family operates with extremely low noise, low insertion loss
and little to no skew—all of which provide system architects with design flexibility and high
design margin. Specific versions are available for 100-Ohm and 85-Ohm applications so you
don’t have to compromise on total system impedance design.
Mechanically, the STRADA Whisper connector family mirrors most high-speed backplane
connectors in the market for easy implementation. It differentiates itself through folded signal
pins surrounded by strong, protective C-shaped shields, which make the product family
one of the most robust offerings in the market. Additionally, the connector footprint keeps
crosstalk down and the overall connector design uses latest eye-of-needle (EON) technology.
Your Design Partner For 112 Gbps Architectures
To ensure smooth transitions from 10 Gbps to 112 Gbps systems using the
STRADA Whisper connector, TE Connectivity (TE) can assign a team of experts—comprised
of our best signal integrity and mechanical engineers—to help you develop a solution that fits
right into your architecture. Whether it’s traditional backplane, orthogonal midplane, direct
plug orthogonal, or a cabled-backplane system, TE can tailor the STRADA Whisper product
portfolio to best fit and enable your system architecture.
DATA AND DEVICES
/// STRADA WHISPER BACKPLANE CONNECTORS
STRADA WHISPER BACKPLANE CONNECTORS
Applications
•
•
•
•
•
Servers & Storage
Switches
Routers
Optical Transport
Wireless infrastructure
PRODUCT OFFERINGS
TE offers the STRADA Whisper
product family in multiple versions:
standard, orthogonal (for mid-plane
structures), direct plug orthogonal
(DPO) and a cabled version that
allows you to run longer distances
with lower insertion loss than PCB
materials.
• Backplane Configuration
»
4.5mm right-angle receptacle
»
4.5mm vertical header
»
3.9m right-angle receptacle
»
3.9mm vertical header
Orthogonal Midplane
Cabled-Midplane
Direct Plug Orthogonal
• Orthogonal Midplane
configuration
»
3.9mm orthogonal right-angle
receptacle
»
3.9mm orthogonal header
• DPO Configuration
»
3.9mm DPO connector
»
3.9mm orthogonal right angle
receptacle
• Cable Assemblies
»
3.9mm cable assembly
»
3.9mm right angle cable
assembly
4.5mm products are offered in
100-Ohm and 3.9mm configurations
are offered in 85- and 100-Ohm
versions.
Support Tools:
S-parameter Models
Routing Designs
Application Instructions
Related Links:
Whitepaper
Electrical Specifications
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Power Sum FEXT is lower than -50 dB for system
implementation at 12.5 GHz
Insertion loss is less than 1dB and linear up to 20 GHz
Individual shielded pairs offer excellent signal integrity / EMI
performance
Little to no skew through high-speed differential pairs
Common mode impedance controlled throughout the
connector, including footprint and mating interface
Superior 25-Gbps electrical performance maintained even
in a 1.5mm unmated condition
No reliance on noise cancellation, unlike some competitive
products, which can be critical in high-speed applications
and the presence of uncontrollable system skew
•
85-Ohm and 100-Ohm versions available
STRADA Whisper 40" Backplane Link
0
-20
Magnitude, dB
-40
-60
-80
@12.89GHz
Insertion Loss:
-33.3dB
Power Sum XTalk: -61.0dB
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
-100
Frequency, GHz
DATA AND DEVICES
/// STRADA WHISPER BACKPLANE CONNECTORS
PAGE 2
STRADA WHISPER BACKPLANE CONNECTORS
Mechanical
RECEPTACLE
Housing
C Shield
HEADER ASSEMBLY
DPO ASSEMBLY
DPO Connector
CABLE ASSEMBLY
Orphan Shield
(Flat Ground)
Existing PiC
Receptacle
Six ground
connection points
Signal contacts are arranged horizontally in high-
speed differential pairs for zero skew. This makes
your board design simpler, while increasing signal
integrity performance and saving board space.
Each differential pair is surrounded by six ground
connection points.
Fig. 1. Close up of signal contacts
Horizontal-Shield
Springs
Connector allows for 1.5mm worth of
mating separation (between both the
ground and signal) through TE’s patented
C-shaped, 360-grounding design, which
includes an extra “orphan” shield at the
bottom of the horizontal stack of contacts
for complete shielding. The 360-ground
shield provides high signal integrity margin,
(electrical margin) granting you more chip
and PCB flexibility.
C-shaped shields protrude outwards to
protect signal pins from damage.
Wide Paddle Tips
360-Shield
Springs
Tabs on the sides of C-shield assure that
ground contacts have at least a 2.5mm
wipe, which helps maintain electrical
performance with
1.5mm of unmate
condition.
DATA AND DEVICES
/// STRADA WHISPER BACKPLANE CONNECTORS
PAGE 3
STRADA WHISPER BACKPLANE CONNECTORS
For More Information
www.te.com/products/stradawhisper
TE Technical Support Center
USA:
Canada:
Mexico:
Germany:
UK:
France:
Netherlands:
China:
+1 (800) 522-6752
+1 (905) 475-6222
+52 (0) 55-1106-0800
+49 (0) 6251-133-1999
+44 (0) 800-267666
+33 (0) 1-3420-8686
+31 (0) 73-6246-999
+86 (0) 400-820-6015
Latin/S. America: +54 (0) 11-4733-2200
te.com
STRADA Whisper, TE Connectivity, TE connectivity (logo) and Every Connection Counts are trademarks. All other
logos, products and/or company names referred to herein might be trademarks of their respective owners.
The information given herein, including drawings, illustrations and schematics which are intended for illustration
purposes only, is believed to be reliable. However, TE Connectivity makes no warranties as to its accuracy or com-
pleteness and disclaims any liability in connection with its use. TE Connectivity‘s obligations shall only be as set
forth in TE Connectivity‘s Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale for this product and in no case will TE Connectivi-
ty be liable for any incidental, indirect or consequential damages arising out of the sale, resale, use or misuse of the
product. Users of TE Connectivity products should make their own evaluation to determine the suitability of each
such product for the specific application.
© 2018 TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies All Rights Reserved.
6-1773465-0 05/18 DND
DATA AND DEVICES
/// STRADA WHISPER BACKPLANE CONNECTORS