SFP+ Cage for High-Speed I/O — Press-Fit, Right Angle, Shielded
The TE Connectivity 2170680-1 is an SFP+ cage, the metal enclosure that receives a pluggable SFP+ transceiver module and provides the mechanical alignment, grounding, and thermal path to the host board. The integrated EMI shielding is part of the cage structure, containing radiated emissions from the high-speed serial data lanes inside the module.
Press-fit termination eliminates the soldering step for the cage pins. The compliant pin geometry deforms elastically as it enters the plated through-hole, creating a gas-tight, low-resistance connection. This is a standard approach for SFP+ cages in high-layer-count backplanes where the thermal profile of wave or reflow soldering could warp the board or damage nearby BGA joints. No solder paste or wave solder is required for the cage itself, though the host board may still go through reflow for other surface-mount components.