18-Position Shielded Plug at 0.50mm Pitch
The Hirose ST40X-18S-CV(30) is an 18-position shielded plug from the ST series, built for discrete wire termination at a tight 0.020" (0.50mm) pitch.
Board Layout and Routing Considerations
At 0.50mm pitch, the footprint on the mating PCB side is dense — each signal pair sits on 0.50mm centers, which forces a tight trace-and-space on the board. The shielded shell adds a keep-out zone around the plug body for the ground clip or solder pad that ties the shield to the PCB ground plane. The free-hanging form factor means the cable assembly floats; the board-side receptacle (not included) takes the alignment load. The lever lock engages without tools, so the plug can be seated and unseated in the field without prying at the shell.
It is ROHS3 compliant, which clears the regulatory gate for EU and most global assemblies. No official successor or cross-reference has been published, so the BOM line stays with this order code.
Comparison with Peer Variants
The ST40X-18S-CVR(30) is a near-identical peer — same 18 positions, same 0.50mm pitch, same shielded plug body with gold contacts and lever lock. The only difference in the evidence is the suffix "R" in the order code; functionally the two parts appear interchangeable for the same BOM position. The ST40X-18S-CV1(30) drops the contact finish thickness spec from the listing but otherwise matches the base variant. For a higher circuit count, the ST40X-24S-CV(30) carries 24 positions at the same pitch and lever lock, useful when the harness needs six more signal lines without changing the connector family.