{"id":1389,"date":"2020-04-24T09:49:17","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T16:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crystalfontz.com\/blog\/?p=1389"},"modified":"2026-04-01T06:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T13:07:30","slug":"zif-connectors-everything-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crystalfontz.com\/blog\/zif-connectors-everything-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"ZIF Connectors: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are two main ways a display can be connected to a PCB. Some displays are solder-down, requiring fine pitch soldering to connect the tail to the contacts on the PCB. Others use Zero Insertion Force (ZIF<\/a>) connection. With a ZIF connection, the tail of the display is simply slid into a connector. The tail should slide easily into the connector, thus “zero insertion force”. The connector has a movable piece that either swings down or pushes in, locking the tail in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
An 18-pin, .5 mm pitch, gold top and bottom connector<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Choosing a ZIF connector: what’s important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
A 40-pin display tail and a 6-pin touch panel tail<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In order to make sure the connector is compatible with a ZIF tail there are four features that need to be considered: Pins, Pitch, Connection Side, and Metal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The need to consider pins in selecting a connector is fairly self explanatory: the number of pins on the ZIF connector should match the number of pins on the tail of the display. If the connector is too small, the tail will not fit. If the connector is too large, seating the tail can be confusing, plus the connector will take up more space on your PCB than necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"ZIF
Pitch is called out in drawings of the ZIF tail<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The pitch is how far apart the individual pins are on the tail. Crystalfontz carries displays with three pitches. The most common pitch is .5 mm, some displays with more pins to fit on the tail use .3 mm, and some tails (usually the touch panel tails) use 1 mm spacing. It’s very important to make sure the selected connector has the same pitch as the tail, otherwise adjacent pins can be shorted together causing irreparable damage to the display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection Side<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Connection side refers to which side of the connector has contacts. Some only have contacts on the top or bottom, while some have contacts on both. When selecting a connector, consider which side of the tail the contacts are on, and the orientation of the display to the PCB. Designs may require the tail to be folded, changing the orientation between the display and board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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