May 14, 2013 – Five critical considerations for choosing the right flexible circuit supplier.

May 14, 2013—Facebook’s Open Compute Project aims to provide an open source platform for building infrastructure of the future.

Not Your Father’s Dorm: Smart Students and Their Smart House Juniper Research has valued the smart home market at $60B by 2017 When I started researching this article, I contacted a number of connector companies (10 to be exact) and asked to interview their experts on intelligent home applications. That was a mistake. Each andRead More

April 16, 2013 – While the carrier network, enterprise network, mobile and wireless, and cable equipment infrastructure sectors all showed slight declines in 2012, the enterprise sector increased in revenue by more than 4%, in spite of continued challenging macro-economic conditions. In 2013, Bishop & Associates is optimistic about the slowly rebounding telecommunications market.

April 9, 2013 – Ruggedization involves modifying commercial cables to meet more extreme mechanical, environmental, and thermal hazards. Because requirements differ with applications — low-fire-hazard cables on aircraft or the use of non-halogenated materials on ships — one type of ruggedization does not fit all cables.

April 2, 2013 – Amphenol, Corning, FCI, Hirose, Molex, Samtec, TE Connectivity, USConec, and Y-Connect showcased their products at the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) and National Fiber-Optic Engineers Conference (NFOEC) that was held March 17-21 in Anaheim, Calif. As in the past two years, 40/100G datacom and telecom connectors and cable assemblies were shown, but this year, there were even more exciting new optical interconnects on display, and several suppliers showcased optical engines, an entirely new direction for some.

April 2, 2013—Once an indicator for economic trends and equity markets, data on the metal’s prices and US equities show a directional divergence, with stocks doing well while copper isn’t, and with the economy showing modest growth. 

March 19, 2013 – The evolution of critical medical systems and medical imaging equipment has improved patient care, but these advanced medical devices have created a new set of design requirements and considerations for engineers. Medical imaging devices require rugged connector configurations that deliver consistent and reliable current and voltage ratings with excellent EMC performance, and several additional parameters unique to the medical environment. Fred Kozlof of CONEC examines the application’s requirements and how the connector industry is responding.

March 19, 2013 – Despite Europe’s economic woes, 2012 world automotive light vehicle sales set a new record, and the automotive sector continued to dominate the world connector market with sales of $10.179 billion. Roger E. Rickey discusses the drivers behind the growth and how that may carry into 2013.

Medical Device Design – Challenges of Miniaturization and Harsh Rural-Clinic Environments Smaller, lighter, more portable, and more affordable are the primary objectives for just about every medical device manufacturer. The demand to succeed in achieving these attributes is particularly strong from remote medical clinics in rural settings, where funds are often scarce. In light ofRead More

March 5, 2013 – This is not your father’s (or your) distribution training. Some of the US’s most respected colleges and universities are offering training in distribution sales and marketing, and once students learn about the career possibilities, they are jumping to the front of the line to sign up.

By Raymond Yuen, Portfolio Director – Commercial at FCI ElectronicsLegacy connectors are dependable, reliable devices that offer design engineers a no-risk solution that has been proven in the field for decades. These interconnect products typically offer the most cost-effective solution, as these commodity devices are standardized and do not involve customized engineering or specialty designs toRead More