Board Fit and Layout — 0.100" Pitch, Dual-Row SMT
The 52601-S10-8LF: Termination is surface-mount (SMT), meaning the header sits on the board surface with no through-holes. This saves board real estate on the opposite side but requires a reflow profile compatible with the phosphor bronze contacts and black UL94 V-0 housing.
Mating Interface and Contact Finish
Shrouding and Keying — Why It Matters on the Bench
This protects the pins from being bent during handling or shipping and, more importantly, prevents the mating receptacle from being plugged in backwards or off-center — a common failure in unshrouded headers that leads to bent pins or intermittent contact. Fastening is push-pull — no locking latch. The shroud provides the primary retention; the mating receptacle's friction on the pins holds the pair together in low-vibration environments. For applications with vibration or cable strain, a locking-header variant (not this part) would be a better fit.
The housing material is rated UL94 V-0 — the highest flammability rating for flame-retardant plastics in electronic equipment.
The 52601-S10-8LF is an active Amphenol ICC (FCI) Quickie™ series header.
How This Compares to the Tape-and-Reel Sibling
The closest peer is the 52601-S10-8TLF — electrically and mechanically identical (same pitch, positions, plating, shroud, and material) but packaged in Tape & Reel (TR), Cut Tape (CT), and Digi-Reel® instead of tray. The -8TLF also adds a Pick and Place feature in its spec listing, which may indicate a flat-top surface for vacuum nozzle pickup during automated assembly. If your line uses tape-fed pick-and-place, the -8TLF is the direct alternative; if you hand-place or use tray feeders, the -8LF tray package works fine.