What This Cage Does in the System
The TE Connectivity 2198230-3 is a ganged (1 x 2) SFP+ cage with an integrated heat sink, designed to house two standard SFP+ transceivers side-by-side on a backplane or line card. The press-fit termination eliminates the need for wave soldering, which simplifies assembly on dense multilayer boards where reflow would risk thermal damage to adjacent components. The EMI shield is integral to the cage, containing radiated emissions from the high-speed serial lanes running at 10 Gbps or higher per channel.
Mounting and Termination — Press-Fit, No Solder
This is the standard termination method for high-reliability backplane connectors because it avoids the thermal cycle of reflow and allows rework — a bent pin can be extracted and replaced without desoldering. The through-hole, right-angle mounting provides mechanical retention against the insertion force of the SFP+ transceiver latch, which can exceed 30 N per port. The cage ships in a tray, which is the typical packaging for press-fit components that must be kept flat to avoid pin damage during handling.
Thermal Management — Integrated Heat Sink
The integrated heat sink is the key differentiator for this cage. SFP+ transceivers dissipate 1–2 W per module, and in a ganged 1x2 configuration the heat from two adjacent modules can accumulate. The heat sink provides a low-thermal-resistance path from the transceiver case to the cage body, which then conducts heat to the PCB ground plane and to the airflow across the cage. Without the heat sink, the transceiver's internal temperature could exceed the 85 °C operating limit under high data-rate load. The EMI shield is bonded to the cage, so the heat sink does not compromise the shielding effectiveness — the cage remains a continuous conductive enclosure around the transceivers.