Editing Edge connector

{{Short description|Connector type for printed circuit boards}}
{{refimprove|date=December 2009}}
[[File:44EdgeConnector.jpg|thumb|Two 44-pin edge connector sockets (blue objects) and matching circuit board. The Edge connector is {{convert|3.5|in|abbr=on}} long, with 22 contacts on each side]]
[[File:PCIe x4 Anschluss mit millimetermass IMGP2794 smial wp.jpg|thumb|Edge connector for [[PCIe]] x4]]

An '''edge connector''' is the portion of a [[printed circuit board]] (PCB) consisting of [[signal trace|trace]]s leading to the edge of the board that are intended to plug into a matching [[jack (connector)|socket]]. The edge connector is a money-saving device because it only requires a single discrete [[female connector]] (the male connector is formed out of the edge of the PCB), and they also tend to be fairly robust and durable. They are commonly used in computers for [[expansion slot]]s for peripheral cards, such as [[Peripheral Component Interconnect|PCI]], [[PCI Express]], and [[Accelerated Graphics Port|AGP]] cards.

== Socket design ==
Edge connector sockets consist of a plastic "box" open on one side, with pins on one or both sides of the longer edges, sprung to push into the middle of the open center. Connectors are often [[Key (engineering)|keyed]] to ensure the correct [[Electrical polarity|polarity]], and may contain bumps or notches both for polarity and to ensure that the wrong type of device is not inserted. The socket's width is chosen to fit to the thickness of the connecting PCB.

The opposite side of the socket is often an [[insulation-piercing connector]] which is clamped onto a [[ribbon cable]]. Alternatively, the other side may be [[Soldering|soldered]] to a [[motherboard]] or [[daughtercard]].

== Uses ==
[[File:PokemonSilverBoard.jpg|thumb|An opened [[Game Boy]] cartridge with edge connector on bottom]]
Edge connectors are commonly used in [[personal computer]]s for connecting [[expansion card]]s and [[computer memory]] to the [[system bus]]. Example expansion peripheral technologies which use edge connectors include [[Peripheral Component Interconnect|PCI]], [[PCI Express]], and [[Accelerated Graphics Port|AGP]]. [[Slot 1]] and [[Slot A]] also used edge connectors; the [[central processing unit|processor]] being mounted on a card with an edge connector, instead of directly to the motherboard as before and since.

[[IBM PC]]s used edge connector sockets attached to ribbon cables to connect 5.25" [[floppy disk drive]]s. 3.5" drives use a pin connector instead.

[[Video game cartridge]]s typically take the form of a PCB with an edge connector: the socket is located within the console itself. The [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] was unusual in that it was designed to use a [[zero insertion force]] edge connector:<ref>{{cite web |title=Lance Barr Interview |url=http://www.nintendojo.com/archives/interviews/view_item.php?1130801472 |website=Nintendo News, Previews, Reviews, Editorials and Interaction |publisher=Nintendojo.com |access-date=20 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313182357/http://www.nintendojo.com/archives/interviews/view_item.php?1130801472 |archive-date=13 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> instead of the user forcing the cartridge into the socket directly, the cartridge was first placed in a bay and then mechanically lowered into position.

Starting with the [[Amiga 1000]] in 1985, various Amiga models used the 86-pin Zorro I edge connector, which was later reshaped into the internal 100-pin [[Amiga Zorro II|Zorro II]] slot on the [[Amiga 2000]] and later upmarket models.

== See also ==
* [[Pin header]] connector
* [[Insulation-displacement connector]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Electrical connectors]]
[[Category:Computer connectors]]
[[Category:Printed circuit board manufacturing]]