Pitch, Positions, and Contact Side — the Three Numbers That Define the Fit
The F31L-1A7H1-11030: 30 positions at 0.5 A per contact means this is a signal-duty connector — not for power. Bottom-contact design: the FPC must be inserted with the conductive pads facing down toward the PCB. A flipped flex shorts the wrong row — check the cable orientation before seating the actuator.
Mating Cycles and Plating — What the 30-Cycle Rating Tells the Field Engineer
30 mating cycles on gold-over-nickel (1.97 µinch gold) — this is a low reconnect duty connector. In a product that is assembled once and never field-serviced, that is fine. If the FPC is disconnected quarterly, the gold flash prevents fretting corrosion at the contact interface, but the cycle budget will be exhausted in under eight years. The ZIF slide lock holds the FPC without insertion force on the contacts — the actuator clamps the cable after it is seated, which avoids stubbing the beam against the pad edge.
CT suits prototype or low-volume builds.
Board-Mount Orientation and Retention
Housing is LCP (UL94 V-0), actuator is halogen-free PA9T — both materials survive the reflow profile without distortion.