The TOLC-135 and SOLC-135 are both part of Samtec’s FOURRAY™ series of four-row board-to-board connectors. The TOLC-135 is a male pin header (terminal strip), while the SOLC-135 is a female socket (socket strip). The TOLC-135 uses square post contacts that extend from the PCB, while the SOLC-135 features Samtec’s Tiger Eye™ contact system, which receives the male pins and forms the electrical connection. Both use a staggered four-row layout with a 1.27 mm contact pitch. The staggered arrangement yields an effective 0.635 mm terminal pitch, effectively doubling routing density without moving to a smaller physical pitch. In a typical setup, one board carries the TOLC-135 header and the mating board carries the SOLC-135 socket, with the connection made via vertical stacking or right-angle mating.
Core Specifications
Both series share identical key specs: four rows, 35 positions per row, 140 total contacts, 1.27 mm (0.050″) pitch, SMT mounting. Operating temperature range is -55°C to +125°C. Rated current is 2.4 A per contact (tested with six adjacent pins energized simultaneously). The housing is black LCP rated UL94 V-0, and the contacts are phosphor bronze with gold plating over a 50 µ” nickel underplate. Plating options include F (3 µ” flash gold), L (10 µ” gold), and S (30 µ” selective gold). Choose based on expected mating cycles and cost targets.
How They Mate
Each square post on the TOLC-135 inserts into a Tiger Eye™ contact on the SOLC-135. The Tiger Eye™ design uses a multi-finger spring structure that provides low contact resistance, and the gold plating ensures long-term stability across repeated mating cycles. All 140 positions align one-to-one. Both series offer an -LC suffix (locking clip), which secures the mated pair against vibration and shock.
Applications
With 140 high-density positions and 1.27 mm pitch, this series fits a range of applications. In telecom equipment, it handles board-to-board interconnects in routers, switches, and base stations. In medical electronics, it serves patient monitors, ultrasound systems, and diagnostic instruments. In aerospace, the wide temperature range and locking clip option meet demanding environmental requirements. In automotive electronics, it supports onboard controllers, infotainment systems, and ADAS modules where vibration and temperature cycling are concerns. In industrial automation, it’s used in PLCs, servo drives, and test instrumentation. The high density also works for consumer electronics that need a large number of I/Os within limited PCB real estate.
Selection Guide
First, confirm whether you need the male header (TOLC) or female socket (SOLC). The pin count must match—both TOLC-135 and SOLC-135 are 140-position. Choose the plating thickness based on expected mating cycles and budget: flash gold for low-cycle, cost-sensitive applications; 10 µ” for general use; 30 µ” for high-cycle or high-reliability requirements. For vibration-prone environments, select the -LC locking clip version. For volume production, -TR tape-and-reel packaging is compatible with automated SMT lines; for small batches or hand soldering, use tube packaging. The TOLC/SOLC series is a drop-in replacement for older series such as FOLC and MOLC—pinout and footprint are compatible, so no PCB layout changes are needed when upgrading.
