Once reserved for large manufacturing operations, networked wire processing equipment is poised to change how small-to-medium wiring harness shops do business, according to Schleuniger’s Pete Doyon.   Having been in the wire processing business for 30 years, I have seen a lot of changes and improvements made possible, primarily, by advances in electronics and software.Read More

If a network cabling contractor can do a job faster than his competitor, he can bid lower, win the job, and still turn a decent profit. In an excerpt from a recent white paper, Siemon explains how termination speed impacts the bottom line.   As a network cabling contractor, you need to keep an eye onRead More

Milliohm-sensitive four-wire measurement helps to locate bad solder joints, faulty crimps, recessed pins, pin contact contamination, improper wire gauge, and stress-extruded wire.   Four-wire Kelvin measurement makes it possible to accurately measure resistance values less than 0.1Ω while eliminating the inherent resistance of the lead wires connecting the measurement instrument to the component being measured.Read More

The environment and specific application requirements weigh heavily in determining a cable system’s true cost.   Designing a cabling system requires an understanding of the various costs inherent to the application type, which include labor, environment, and network configuration. “Specifiers need to fully understand their particular application and purpose for the cabling before choosing theRead More

IPC/WHMA A-620-B is an excellent tool for everyone involved in the building of wire harnesses because it greatly simplifies best practices for the harness supplier. The WHMA’s Donnie Hill updates us on the latest revisions to the standard.   IPC/WHMA – A-620-B is the current wire harness standard developed jointly by IPC and the Wire HarnessRead More

Read the latest interconnect news for September 8, 2015. Molex announced it operates a fully ISO 146441-1:1999 Class 8-certified clean room, satisfying strict particulate contamination levels specified by ISO-compliant requirements. Located in Thailand, the facility has less than 100,000 particulates (³0.5mm) per cubic foot of air and manufactures a variety of ISO 13485-compliant medical cablesRead More

As consumers try to warm up to Google Glass, Apple’s iWatch, and their Fitbit wristbands, TE unveils its latest “collection”: A Silicon Valley-based incubator team to enable the next generation of wearable devices.   Nicholas Langston, Jr., insists he’s the luckiest guy you’ll ever meet. Langston heads up TE Connectivity’s Wearables Lab in Menlo Park, Calif.,Read More

Military wearables enhance soldier capabilities, but the next generation of battlefield equipment will require an evolution in connector technology.   New wearables, including augmented reality technology and devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), will not (yet) make the new soldier or airman look like Iron Man, although “Iron Man Suit” is the nickname usedRead More

Building on the success of smartphones and other mobile consumer devices, medical device manufacturers continue to improve on portable and wearable monitoring devices. What does this mean for interconnect designs?   Designed to be worn on the body or attached to clothing, wearable electronic devices, also known as wearables, integrate biosensors that detect physiological markers. HealthcareRead More

Connectivity will be key to expanding the world of wearables in the future.   The world of technology is going through another transformation. We went from mainframes to desktop PCs in about two decades; from desktops to laptop PCs in one; and from laptops to smartphones and tablets in less than that. Another revolution isRead More

How does the connector industry view itself? According to the Connector Confidence Index, not always well.   Bishop & Associates polls connector industry executives monthly to see how they view the industry’s performance, both current and future. The executives are asked to rate the performance by four regions that are key to the industry: North America,Read More

Today’s requirements for input/output connectors demand smaller size and faster data transmission. Hirose advises designers on how to specify high-transmission I/O connectors by looking at a multitude of requirements and trade-offs.   An I/O connector is an interconnect that joins a circuit from inside to the outside of electronic equipment. I/O interconnects are used to connect data,Read More