The Amphenol FCI 86503-118HLF is an 18-position, dual-row unshrouded male pin header from the BERGSTIK II series, on a standard 0.100" (2.54 mm) pitch. It is designed for board-to-board interconnects where the mating receptacle provides the polarization and retention — the push-pull fastening means no locking latch on the header side. The through-hole solder tails (0.120" post length) give a solid mechanical anchor for the board edge or mezzanine stack. Rated 5 A per contact at 110 V, with gold or Gold, GXT™ plating at 30.0 µin (0.76 µm) on the mating surface. The 30 µin gold layer is the real story here — it's thick enough for repeated mating cycles in field-service or test-fixture applications, well beyond what a tin-plated header would tolerate before fretting. The UL94 V-0 black insulation handles the flame-rating requirement for equipment inside an enclosure.
Mating and Board Fit
Because this header is unshrouded, the mating receptacle must carry the keying and retention features — typically a standard BERGSTIK II female socket housing with its own latch or friction lock. The 0.250" (6.35 mm) mating pin length gives good wipe before the contacts bottom out, so the stack height between boards is driven by the receptacle's insulation height. The 0.100" row spacing matches the pitch, keeping the footprint compact for routing traces between the two rows.
Lifecycle and Sourcing
Active lifecycle status per the manufacturer — no end-of-life notice or last-time-buy window. No official cross-reference or direct replacement is listed, so confirm the position count and pitch against your BOM before committing.