Press-Fit Socket for Power Distribution
The Molex 2043160018 is a 3.4 mm press-fit female receptacle socket from the Coeur Sentrality 204316 series. It is a press-fit terminal, meaning it installs into a plated through-hole on the PCB without soldering — the compliant pin cold-welds to the barrel wall during insertion. This termination method is standard in backplane and power distribution applications where solderless assembly, reworkability, and high-reliability connections are required. The socket accepts a male pin of matching diameter; the female contact geometry provides the wiping and retention force.
Solderless Backplane Installation
The press-fit termination eliminates the soldering step from the assembly process, which reduces thermal stress on the board and allows for easier field replacement of individual contacts. The compliant pin design accommodates standard PCB thicknesses and plated through-hole tolerances — the 3.4 mm socket body centers the contact in the hole. For the correct PCB hole size, refer to the product drawing; the press-fit zone is engineered to a specific finished hole diameter range to achieve the required retention force without damaging the barrel plating.
Series and Mating Half
This socket is part of the Coeur Sentrality 204316 series, a family of press-fit power contacts. The female receptacle mates with a male pin of the same series — the 3.4 mm diameter is the critical interface dimension. The series includes both male and female press-fit terminals, allowing the designer to specify the correct gender for the board-to-board or wire-to-board power interconnect.