I’ll research TE Connectivity’s 640456-6 documentation and write the application guide, with cited specifications, practical wiring guidance, and clearly labeled alternatives.
TE lists a 5 A maximum contact rating, but usable current depends on the wire, contact loading, and temperature—not simply 5 A on every pin. I’m also distinguishing functional alternatives from drop-in replacements; matching pitch alone does not establish mating compatibility.
The TE Connectivity 640456-6 is a six-position, single-row MTA-100 vertical through-hole PCB header with 2.54 mm contact spacing, tin-plated square pins, and a partially shrouded, polarized friction-lock interface (TE product page). Its common use is connecting a removable cable harness to a PCB for low-voltage power and general-purpose signals; the connector does not define a communications protocol or a fixed signal assignment.
1. Quick Specifications
Rating terminology: This passive connector does not have the semiconductor-style “Absolute Maximum Ratings” versus “Recommended Operating Conditions” tables. Treat TE's published ratings as connector limits, not recommended design targets, and...
Created the 640456-6 Application and Usage Guide in project files, covering all seven requested sections with citations and Flux-linked alternatives. It explicitly flags unresolved pin orientation, hole dimensions, current derating, and purchasing details; neither alternative is claimed as a verified drop-in replacement.
The TE Connectivity 640456-6 is a six-position, single-row MTA-100 vertical through-hole PCB header with 2.54 mm contact spacing, tin-plated square pins, and a partially shrouded, polarized friction-lock interface (TE product page). Its common use is connecting a removable cable harness to a PCB for low-voltage power and general-purpose signals; the connector does not define a communications protocol or a fixed signal assignment.
1. Quick Specifications
Rating terminology: This passive connector does not have the semiconductor-style “Absolute Maximum Ratings” versus “Recommended Operating Conditions” tables. Treat TE's published ratings as connector limits, not recommended design targets, and qualify the complete header–receptacle–wire–PCB assembly for its intended load.
Table
Attribute
Published specification / condition
Classification and practical interpretation
Operating voltage
250 VAC, listed by TE
Operating voltage rating, not a suggested circuit voltage or a complete mains-safety approval. TE product page.
Contact current
5 A maximum, listed by TE
Maximum contact rating, not a verified simultaneous six-contact operating allowance. TE product page. Exact application derating remains unresolved; see below.
Operating temperature
−55°C to +105°C, listed by TE
Published operating range; the harness and other components can impose narrower limits. TE product page.
Positions
6
Mechanical configuration.
Pitch
0.100 in / 2.54 mm
Mechanical spacing, not proof of cross-brand compatibility.
Select voltage and current from the system requirements, below the applicable assembly limits. No “typical current” is invented here.
Evidence boundary: The voltage, maximum current, and temperature above were obtained directly from TE's exact-part product page. Independent PDF verification of the catalog performance table and Product Specification 108-1050 Figure 4 was still pending after two attempts; those PDF lookups are unresolved, not evidence that the values are undocumented. A numerical wire-gauge/contact-loading/ambient-temperature derating table has therefore not been reproduced or extrapolated for this six-position header. Consult the linked product specification and obtain TE confirmation where the operating margin is small.
2. Pinout & Connections
All six positions are passive contacts. Labels below are position identifiers for schematic documentation, not manufacturer-assigned functions such as VCC, GND, TX, or RX. Physical pin-1 orientation and numbering were not independently verified from the retrieved drawing; check the controlled drawing, footprint pad numbers, mating receptacle view, and harness drawing before assigning nets. Do not assume that a cable mating-face view and a PCB solder-side view have the same left-to-right order.
Table
Pin Number
Pin Name
Description
Best Practice
1
Contact 1
First user-assigned circuit position; physical orientation requires verification
Mark pin 1 on the PCB and harness; confirm mapping by continuity testing.
2
Contact 2
Independent user-assigned circuit position
Tie to GND only if the interface definition assigns this position to ground.
3
Contact 3
Independent user-assigned circuit position
Label the actual signal and its allowed voltage in the schematic.
4
Contact 4
Independent user-assigned circuit position
Add pull-ups or termination only when required by the connected circuit, not by the header.
5
Contact 5
Independent user-assigned circuit position
Verify direction and voltage compatibility if connected to an MCU input or output.
6
Contact 6
Independent user-assigned circuit position
Mark an unused position NC; do not arbitrarily connect it to a supply or ground.
The six-position configuration is verified in TE's drawing.
3. Standard Application Circuit
Six-wire board-to-cable interface
Use the header as the PCB-side interface and select a qualified six-position MTA-100 cable receptacle for the intended wire and mating configuration. The common arrangement is a point-to-point harness carrying application-defined power, return, and signal nets. TE describes the MTA-100 system as a wire-to-board interface (TE exact-part page).
The following is an illustrative low-voltage assignment, not a TE pinout or a universal standard:
Text
PCB net Header position Harness circuit
V_SUPPLY (protected as needed) ------ 1 --------------- Remote supply
GND -------------------------------- 2 --------------- Remote return
SIGNAL_A --------------------------- 3 --------------- Application signal A
SIGNAL_B --------------------------- 4 --------------- Application signal B
SIGNAL_C --------------------------- 5 --------------- Application signal C
NC --------------------------------- 6 --------------- Unused
Define the same numbering and net assignment at both ends. Before connecting powered electronics, verify that position 1 reaches the intended harness circuit, that the return is correct, and that there are no adjacent-position shorts.
Required passive components: None are required by the header itself. There is no header-specific decoupling capacitor, pull-up, LED series resistor, USB CC resistor, or shield connection. Add protection, filtering, pull-ups, and termination only when the connected circuit or cable environment requires them:
For a power input, place the system's selected overcurrent and reverse-polarity protection ahead of vulnerable circuitry. Determine bulk capacitance from cable impedance, load steps, regulator requirements, and inrush limits rather than assigning an arbitrary value to the connector.
For a cabled logic interface, choose protection devices and any series termination from the I/O ratings, cable exposure, and edge rate. This header supplies neither protection nor level translation.
Keep IC decoupling capacitors at the IC supply pins; input bulk capacitance and connector-adjacent transient suppression serve different purposes.
Harness assembly: Use the termination tooling and inspection requirements appropriate to the selected receptacle. TE requires no broken conductor strands and prohibits bare wires extending above the contact or beyond the housing rear. Conductor insulation must remain within the insulation strain relief. An exact mating receptacle MPN was not independently confirmed in this research, so none is presented as a qualified mate.
4. PCB Layout & Routing Guidelines
Use the controlled land pattern, not pitch alone. Verify finished plated-hole size, hole tolerances, pad annular rings, housing clearance, and physical pin numbering against the latest TE customer drawing. Hole spacing is 0.100 in; TE's drawing states that PCB tolerances apply to the solder side. The standard hole diameter was not reliably verified here, so no production drill value is prescribed.
Reserve mating and service clearance. Leave access above the vertical header for receptacle insertion/removal and account for the harness bend radius and mechanical loads. Check the complete mated envelope rather than using dimension L alone. Place a visible pin-1 marker and supply-polarity labeling outside the housing outline.
Size the entire current path. Determine trace width, copper weight, pad neck-downs, vias, and return-path capacity from actual current, acceptable temperature rise, and voltage drop. Do not infer trace width from the 5 A catalog maximum. For plane connections, select thermal-relief spokes that satisfy both solderability and current capacity; validate any direct plane attachment with the assembly process.
Qualify the soldering profile. TE recommends standard-temperature headers for solder dip, hand solder, or concentrated heat, and not for applications requiring assembly preheating. Do not assume this exact part is a high-temperature wave/reflow variant; confirm with TE before using such a process.
Route according to the connected interface. Give signals a nearby return path. No differential impedance, bandwidth, or pair assignment was verified for this part; controlled-impedance PCB traces alone do not qualify its pins and harness for USB or another high-speed link. Place protection near the cable entry and decoupling at the consuming IC where applicable; no connector-specific capacitor placement is mandatory.
5. Common Pitfalls / Things to Watch Out For
Treating “5 A maximum” as 5 A on every position under all conditions. The header rating does not establish the usable current of every wire termination, receptacle, PCB trace, and loaded assembly. Confirm the applicable current-carrying guidance, account for local heating, and verify temperature rise at the worst-case load and ambient before release. Exact six-position derating is unresolved in this guide.
Assuming equal pitch means a drop-in replacement. Matching hole spacing does not establish shroud geometry, post length, lock engagement, cavity dimensions, plating compatibility, or harness numbering. A wrong mating-face interpretation can reverse power polarity. Check drawings and sample assemblies, then perform an unpowered pin-to-pin continuity test.
6. Popular Alternatives & Equivalents
No verified cross-manufacturer drop-in replacement was established. These are functional migration options, not approved substitutes for the existing MTA-100 harness.
Flux library identifies a six-contact Molex through-hole header; Molex's manufacturer-generated product sheet describes the KK 254 vertical friction-lock header. Manufacturer-generated sheet, distributor-hosted. Independent PDF citation verification remained pending.
Functionally similar only. Pin/footprint/mating compatibility with 640456-6 is unverified. Select the Molex-qualified receptacle and compare complete drawings before reuse of a board pattern. The library entry's datasheet URL points to an ISO certificate rather than the component datasheet; use the source linked here for documentation.
The JST XH family sheet lists B6B-XH-A with six circuits. Pitch is 2.5 mm, with 3 A AC/DC at AWG #22 and 250 V AC/DC ratings.
Functionally similar only; not footprint-compatible. 2.50 mm is not 2.54 mm. Requires a new PCB land pattern and a JST-qualified XH receptacle/contact harness. Preserve the application net mapping deliberately rather than assuming numbering equivalence.
A substitution approval should cover mechanical fit, mating parts, wire/termination tooling, current and voltage limits, operating temperature, plating, and assembly process. These library links confirm availability of part entries, not independent validation of their footprints or live distributor stock.
7. Sourcing & Purchasing Guide
Table
Attribute
Details
Primary Distributors
Exact-part listings were located for Mouser and DigiKey. Their pages could not be directly read during this research; current stock, price, MOQ, and packaging are unverified. Use TE's purchasing channels to confirm franchised supply.
Packaging Options
TE's exact-part page states “Package,” packaging quantity 2,000 (TE product page). Distributor break-pack/bulk presentation must be confirmed at ordering. Tape-and-reel and cut-tape options were not verified; do not assume an SMT-style reel for this through-hole header.
Standard MOQ
Not independently verified. TE's 2,000-piece package quantity is not automatically a distributor MOQ. Obtain the orderable minimum and pack multiple for the selected seller rather than relying on a generic one-piece claim.
Sourcing Advice
Specify the exact MPN 640456-6 and compare the purchase line with the controlled drawing and finish requirements. 1-640456-6 is not merely a packaging suffix; it is a different TE part number. Do not remove or add prefixes/suffixes without confirming the resulting configuration. Prefer franchised distributors and traceable manufacturer packaging; unknown marketplace stock can introduce counterfeit, wrong-finish, or mechanically nonconforming parts. Purchase the mating receptacle and termination/tooling requirements as part of the interface BOM.
Sources
Research date: October 7, 2026. Primary manufacturer sources are preferred; a distributor-hosted copy is explicitly identified below. Source links are provided for access, while inline evidence markers identify validated drawing/specification claims.
TE Connectivity, exact-part product page: 640456-6 — https://www.te.com/en/product-640456-6.html. Used for exact-part configuration, published electrical/temperature ratings, PCB thickness, and packaging. Web-page revision/date not stated.
TE Connectivity, customer drawing 640456 — Official drawing download. TE's current page lists ENG_CD_640456_W3.pdf; equivalence of the stored drawing revision used for inline evidence to the latest W3 issue was not independently established. Use the current controlled drawing for production release.
TE Connectivity, MTA 100 Connector Application Specification 114-1019, Rev L, September 14, 2020 — Manufacturer PDF. Revision/date verified. Used for header soldering guidance and termination inspection requirements.
TE Connectivity, Product Specification 108-1050 — Official specification download. TE's product page lists Rev L. Independent retrieval/citation verification of Figure 4 remained pending; exact current derating and PDF issue date remain unresolved here.
TE Connectivity, MTA, CST-100 II & SL-156 Connectors catalog — Manufacturer PDF. Located as the family catalog; independent performance-table citation verification remained pending. Catalog revision/date not verified.
Molex, 0022232061 manufacturer-generated product sheet, generated September 29, 2022 according to its web-indexed text — Distributor-hosted PDF. Independent PDF verification remained pending; date and detailed ratings are not treated as release-qualified evidence. The official Molex part page exposes only limited information.
JST, XH Connector family datasheet — Manufacturer PDF. Used for B6B-XH-A circuits, pitch, and electrical rating conditions. Revision/date not verified.
Remaining checks before design release: exact physical pin numbering; finished-hole dimensions and current drawing revision; qualified mating receptacle MPN; applicable current derating; solder-process approval; and distributor MOQ/stock. This guide does not constitute a footprint, harness, or safety certification.