What this connector is
The 68697-118HLF is Amphenol's 18-position dual-row member of the BERGSTIK II 2.54 mm pitch header family — a board-to-board interconnect with a push-pull mating interface, through-hole right-angle mounting, and square male pins that seat into the matching BERGSTIK II receptacle. All 18 circuits are loaded. The contacts are phosphor bronze with either gold or Gold GXT plating at 30.0 µin (0.76 µm) on the mating face — the heavier gold grade pushes the mating-cycle durability well above tin, making this suited for field-service or production-test contexts where the header sees repeated engagement.
Ratings that drive fit
At 5 A per circuit and 110 V, this header sits comfortably in the power/signal crossover band — enough current for low-level motor drive signals or indicator power, enough voltage headroom for standard industrial logic rails. The 0.100" (2.54 mm) pitch and 0.190" (4.83 mm) insulation height define the board footprint; the right-angle orientation routes the daughter board parallel to the mother board at a fixed stack height determined by the mated pair's combined profile.
What it is used for
The BERGSTIK II header is the workhorse parallel-board interconnect in industrial automation and instrumentation — it stacks a processor or I/O daughtercard against a backplane, connects a display module to a main board, or anchors a sensor node to a host PCB. The push-pull fastening (no jack screw or latch) makes it suitable for applications where tool-free field access matters, but the unshrouded pins mean the pair needs adequate enclosure or panel proximity to prevent side-loading on the contacts in high-vibration environments.
Lifecycle and sourcing
The 68697-118HLF carries an Active product status — it is currently in normal production. No official successor or cross-reference is listed for this specific order code, so the sourcing path is through the standard RFQ against BOM quantity rather than a declared alternate part.