Inside Connection highlights the technologies, innovations, special services, and unique products from connector suppliers like Liberty Electronics.  Headquarters Location: Franklin, Penn., US About the Company Liberty Electronics was founded in Franklin, Penn., in 1985. At the time, the local economy was struggling following the closing or departure of several large employers. The community rallied behindRead More

As both the US and European allies continue to cut defense programs and spending, the mil/aero market’s slow growth continues.   Bishop & Associates tracks 11 companies in the military/aerospace (mil/aero) market sector. This market has shown anemic results over the last five quarters, as measured by these 11 companies’ revenues. In 2013, these companies grewRead More

Today, China is dominant in high-volume, low-mix manufacturing, yet there is a groundswell of activity to return manufacturing to North America and Europe. John MacWilliams asks: Is there an insourcing movement afoot?   The contract manufacturing movement started in the late ’80s. This outsourcing movement freed up OEM resources so they could concentrate on product design and marketing, andRead More

Erich Reichenbach of Reichenbach International Inc. offers tips on how to specify connectors for drones, which require versatile, lightweight, and reliable components that perform in demanding environments.   Connectors for drone applications must be small, lightweight, rugged, reliable, and versatile, as they are exposed to a variety of demanding environments. Here are some factors to consider when specifyingRead More

The Department of Defense needs to deliver greater network speed and capacity with stronger security, all while dealing with ever-leaner budgets. Telos Corporation explains why passive optical network solutions are the answer.   Passive Optical Network (PON) technology delivers voice, data, and video at terabit speeds with lower costs and greater security, as well as:Read More

TE MIL-STD-1553B PCB connectors offer a reliable mechanical and electrical data bus interface. TE Connectivity announced its MIL-STD-1553B PCB connectors for aerospace applications that offer high-speed connectivity and reliable performance in extreme conditions and environments. The new press-fit PCB connectors offer customers a robust electrical and mechanical connection between the connector and the PCB that isRead More

The Molex MediSpec Plastic Circular System is an economical, custom-off-the-shelf interconnect system with a 10,000-cycle durability rating. Molex Incorporated introduced the MediSpec Medical Plastic Circular (MPC) Interconnect System, an economical custom-off-the-shelf interconnect system that delivers high mating cycles and low mating forces, at a fraction of the cost of competing machined-contact systems. Combining premium performanceRead More

The need for high-speed connections has expanded from office environments to remote and sometimes outdoor implementations, including those for the military. Here, ODU looks at the rugged high-speed data connector requirements to consider for such applications.   We’re all familiar with the types of connectors required to transfer high-speed data in our everyday lives, whether weRead More

The latest connector technology fuels growth in embedded computing as system efficiency is a critical component for today’s embedded industry.   Regardless of the modern mobile application in question, whether it be fleet management of agricultural machines, passenger information in buses or video surveillance of trains, the trend is clear – system efficiency is aRead More

TE recently announced the intent to form a new MSA to create a standard for a new pluggable form factor that will deliver four duplex channels at 25Gb/s NRZ per channel.   The race to ever-faster I/O interfaces continues to heat up. Design engineers are looking for ways to avoid a data bottleneck at the I/O panelRead More

Bishop & Associates researched industry trends, connector technology, and business forecasts to compile connector technology roadmaps through 2025.   Bishop & Associates recently released a report on connector technology roadmaps through 2025 with forecasts generated from industry input that examine trend line projections of US manufacturing data from a wide range of industries plus other industry data andRead More

Ed Bock of APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants explains how to increase contact performance by pre-stressing to achieve greater strength and expanded dynamic range.   In examining the consequences of residual stress that develop in a contact beam subjected to stresses beyond the material’s elastic limit, we can see how residual stress may be beneficial, or if not properlyRead More