Wi-Fi has changed the connector and cabling content in wireless local area networks. Here’s how different types of Wi-Fi are affecting, and sometimes displacing, connectivity products in LANs.   Wi-Fi – what would we do without it? It’s the first thing any Generation Y or Z person looks for when they walk into a new restaurant,Read More

By choosing the best components for a wireless network, says David Burrell of Phoenix Contact, it is possible to reduce the installation time as well as the risk of problems during installation.   As the demand for lower operating costs in plant facilities increases, operations personnel need to seek out and learn new ways toRead More

As part of the Connector Basics series, APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants have introduced us to the phases of new connector development and defined the skills needed for each. In this installment, Bill Garver and George Bedorf discuss the required skills for the manufacturing phase of connector development.   In a previous article, it was suggested thatRead More

Evolving technologies and next-generation systems are creating new connector opportunities in homeland defense and border security.   We know that the homeland security sector comprises two parts – land and maritime border security. Evolving technologies and next-generation systems have created new growth opportunities for the connector industry in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), and theRead More

Delivering the optimum cable for the medical industry is much more challenging than it was just a few short years ago: It is no longer just pieces of copper within a non-conductive sleeve adapted to the application. Floyd Henry of Bioconnect examines cable material design criteria for the medical industry.     Cutting-edge cables for aerospaceRead More

There are critical steps to effectively manage – and minimize – the risk involved in the design, manufacture, and assembly of custom medical cables to ensure the cable assembly is not the system’s Achilles heel.    An impactful new medical device is released to the market, only to be recalled months later due to theRead More

In the latest installment in our Connector Basics series, Ed Bock of APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants looks at the ability of a contact system to operate in spite of external contamination and contact design considerations for long-term reliability.   For those critical electrical contact applications where the consequences of failure are severe and long-term reliability isRead More

We now live in an always-connected world, forcing networks to evolve in ways not anticipated even just a few short years ago. We asked Bishop & Associates’ Lisa Huff: What’s next in networking?   Programmability seems to be the latest network trend. Software-defined networks (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV), while hyped over the last fiveRead More

In the past, industrial connectors have evolved over time rather than at a revolutionary pace. Now, with the anticipation of the Internet of Things, Keith Kufahl of TTI discusses the revolution of the interconnected factory and how design engineers can stay on the cutting edge. The fact that the world of industrial connectors changes atRead More

OEMs are hopeful the connectors they specify for end-product designs will be reliable and trouble-free for the life of the product. Unfortunately, connector problems may arise. Ed Reynolds of APEX offers his checklist for recovery after a connector problem. All manufacturers of devices that use connectors are hopeful that the specified connectors will be reliable and trouble-free for theRead More

Press-fit technology is widely applied in multiple automotive applications because it meets the needs of smaller, lighter, more durable components in the latest vehicle designs. The basic principle of a press-fit connection is that a contact terminal is pressed into a printed circuit board (PCB). There are two types of press-fit pins – the solidRead More

We spoke with Joe Venturella, TTI vice president, transportation business unit, and asked how buyers in the transportation sector can best prepare for 2015. Here are five things to know about the transportation market in the new year. CS: Do you have a general outlook for 2015? JV: We see continued growth in the transportation market segmentRead More