The FCI BERGSTIK® II 95687-418HLF is an 18-position, dual-row unshrouded header on a standard 0.100" (2.54 mm) pitch — the classic board-to-board interconnect footprint that matches a wide installed base of IDC sockets and receptacles. The through-hole solder tails give a reliable mechanical anchor for the board stack, and the 0.100" insulation height keeps the mated profile low. Rated 5 A per contact with tin-plated phosphor bronze pins, this header is suited for signal and moderate power distribution on a PCB.
What the ratings mean for the board layout
The 0.100" pitch and dual-row layout are the primary footprint drivers — each row of pins lands on a 0.100" grid, with a 0.100" row-to-row spacing. That gives a 0.200" center-to-center between adjacent pins across rows, which is wide enough for a single trace between pads on a standard 2-layer board. The 0.360" mating pin length provides enough wipe for a reliable connection with a standard 0.230"-deep receptacle, and the 0.360" post length gives good solder-joint visibility after wave soldering. The 5 A per-contact rating is derated by the board's copper pour and ambient temperature — at 25 °C the contact itself is not the limit, but in a dense array the adjacent-circuit heating will pull the practical current down.
Unshrouded design and mating considerations
This is an unshrouded header — no plastic wall around the pins. That means the mating receptacle must provide its own alignment and polarization. The push-pull fastening type means the connector pair is held together by contact friction alone; in a high-vibration environment, a secondary retention method (a wire-to-board latch on the receptacle side, or a board-mount clip) is worth planning for. The tin-on-tin contact interface is rated for a moderate number of mating cycles — the 100.0 µ" tin plating on the mating side gives good corrosion resistance for indoor equipment, but tin fretting under vibration can increase contact resistance over time. For applications requiring frequent field service or high-vibration duty, a gold-plated variant in the same series would be the better call.
Lifecycle and sourcing
The 95687-418HLF carries an Active lifecycle status from the manufacturer — no end-of-life notice, no last-time-buy window. It is a standard BERGSTIK® II catalog item, so the tooling is mature and the supply chain is established.