Amphenol (NYSE: APH) has launched a new series of SFP+ Active Copper Cables for the IT/Data center market at CablesOnDemand.com. Engineered by Amphenol High-Speed Interconnects (AHSI), the SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cables integrate active limiting, pre-emphasis and equalization circuitry, thereby ensuring compatibility with a growing number of 10-Gigabit Ethernet switches with “active-only” SFP+ ports.
"Maintaining 10-Gigabit data-rates over a single data lane is always a challenge, especially when copper is the transmission medium," comments Nick Blas, Product Marketing Manager for Amphenol Cables on Demand. "To combat these challenges, Amphenol has designed its active SFP+ cable series using a comprehensive systems engineering approach. Everything from the SFP+ connector’s PCB backplane to the twinaxial copper wire itself is bandwidth-optimized – often with the aid of proprietary Amphenol technology.”
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Amphenol says it intends to fill a void in the marketplace with its new Active SFP+ Cable offering. According to the company, the proliferation of 10-Gigabit Ethernet network infrastructure has excelled well beyond industry expectations. With critical subcomponents in short supply, OEM’s are removing the signal equalization circuitry from their equipment’s SFP+ ports. While the move helps to lower associated hardware costs, the additional signal processing demands are offset onto the network’s interconnect platforms. This leaves network integrators and installers with only two options for wiring up short-distance links 10 meters or less in length.
The first and most expensive interconnect option in the aforementioned scenario is to link up a pair of SFP+ ports using a separate SFP+ optical transceiver module for each port in conjunction with an optical patch cord. This particular interconnect method is extremely expensive due to the costs incurred from the SFP+ transceiver modules as well as the power and/or heat budget considerations associated with the optical engines themselves. The second option, which offers significant cost advantages over the optical route, is to use an active equalized SFP+ copper cable assembly such as the one offered by Amphenol. One Amphenol SFP+ Active Copper Cable Assembly will perform the same function as two SFP+ transceiver modules with optical patch cord – all for approximately one quarter the cost and one half the power consumption, according to the manufacturer.
The Amphenol Active SFP+ Copper Cable Assemblies are available in a variety of lengths, including 1m, 3m, 5m, 7m, and 10m – ideal for short-run top-of-rack switching applications. Each Active SFP+ Cable utilizes Amphenol’s latest integrated 20-position “board-as-connector” design with active equalization and limiting amplifier circuitry; fully enclosed within zinc die-cast backshells for superior EMI performance and minimal insertion loss. Each cable is expertly assembled with Amphenol Spectra-Strip brand twinaxial SKEWCLEAR 2-pair wire; optimized for bandwidth-intense applications such as 10Gb Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, and SONET. SFF-8431 SFP+ MSA compliant for guaranteed compatibility with your SFP+ ported switch, router, or NIC.
All of the cables discussed above are available now for same-day shipment from Amphenol Cables on Demand’s Endicott, NY-based fulfillment center. Bulk discounts are available in quantities above 50 pieces.