SFP Cage for Board-Edge I/O — Press-Fit, No Solder
The Molex 0747370041 is a Series 74737 SFP cage — a shielded, press-fit, through-hole right-angle interconnect for pluggable SFP transceivers at the board edge. It is the cage-only member of the 74737 family, meaning it accepts standard SFP modules but does not include the connector header (that is a separate order code in the same series). The right-angle orientation places the SFP port parallel to the PCB, matching the standard card-edge I/O panel layout found in switches, routers, and NICs.
Why the EMI Shield Matters in This Cage
The EMI Shielded feature is integral to the cage design — it is not an add-on gasket. In an SFP application, the transceiver runs at multi-gigabit serial rates, and the cage acts as a Faraday enclosure around the module's RF section. Without the shield, radiated emissions from the high-speed SerDes lines couple into adjacent ports or escape the chassis. The press-fit ground pins on the cage body tie the shield directly to the PCB ground plane, which keeps the return path short and the common-mode noise contained.
Mounting and Termination — What Press-Fit Means for Your Board
The press-fit termination uses compliant pins that cold-weld into plated through-holes — no solder fillet, no reflow profile to manage. The through-hole right-angle mounting means the cage body stands perpendicular to the PCB, with the SFP insertion axis parallel to the board. Board layout must account for the cage footprint and keep-out zone — the press-fit pins require a specific hole diameter and plating thickness, so verify the PCB fab notes against the Molex application drawing before committing the panel.