Thermal Behavior of Plated Electrical Connectors Under High-Power and High-Frequency Excitation

The temperature variations of interconnected coaxial connectors in RF circuits are strongly influenced by the contact surface characteristics and the ferromagnetic properties of the electroplated materials. In this study, specially structured N-DIN connectors with either magnetic or non-magnetic plating were designed. A dedicated high-frequency, high-power RF experimental platform was set up to monitor and measure the temperature and power of the connectors. Finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to simulate the current density and temperature distribution across the samples. Furthermore, an equivalent circuit model of the central conductor was established by integrating electrical contact theory with the magnetic hysteresis effect. Based on the voltage–temperature (V–T) relation and the derived magnetic field–magnetoresistance (H–M) relation, a predictive model for the temperature rise of the central conductor was formulated. Experimental results demonstrated good agreement with simulation predictions, validating the proposed model and highlighting the critical role of plating material properties in high-power RF connectors’ thermal effect.