Hirose IT-P Series power pin connectors are designed for assembly alongside IT3 and IT5 Series high-speed mezzanine connectors. Hirose has strengthened its board-to-board power connector product offering with the development of the flexible and customizable IT-P Series. Featuring a three-piece structure with mating receptacle, interposer, and mounting receptacle, the IT-P Series provides a wide range of variableRead More

The semiconductor market maintains its momentum so far in 2014, which is good news given how closely trends in the connector market follow trends in the semiconductor market. Global semiconductor market performance in early 2014 has continued where 2013 left off  – with positive sales growth. As the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported at the beginning ofRead More

Custom connectors that utilize spring probe technology offer compliance, blind mating, and space savings. Gina Prieto of Smiths Connectors offers advice on how to specify spring probe connectors. Custom connectors utilizing spring probe technology offer a number of advantages over other contact types: compliance, blind mating, and space savings. Most often overlooked, however, is their designRead More

The “Connector Basics” series from APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants continues with an introductory look at typical connector failure modes and mechanisms. When we discuss connector failure, we need to refine the concept into two distinct components – failure modes and failure mechanisms. How do we define “failure”? Webster’s New World Dictionary lists a variety of terms, but for ourRead More

Semiconductors drive the electronics industry, and the connection between semiconductors and connectors spans more than three decades. The semiconductor industry has grown from roughly $10B in 1980 to $300B in 2013. Along the way it transitioned from analog to digital, ECL and Bipolar to CMOS, and has featured sizes from 100s of nm to as lowRead More

Converting an electrical signal to optic pulses has been a costly option that consumes too much PCB space and power. That’s changing now, as mid-board optical transceivers light up the datacom market. Demand for faster internal and external system interconnects has begun to push the limits of copper, especially in lengths of more than a fewRead More

Bel Fuse to acquire Emerson Network Power Connectivity Solutions for $98 million, its third major acquisition in the past 14 months. Bel Fuse Inc. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Emerson Network Power Connectivity Solutions (ECS) business of Emerson Inc. Bel will pay approximately $98 million in cash to acquireRead More

The real advantages of solid-state lighting are realized when lamp designers shake off limitations imposed by traditional lamps and take advantage of the low power, low heat, and low profiles of LED light sources, as LED arrays light the way. Alternatives to the incandescent lightbulb have come a long way over the past 10 years. DemandRead More

Connectors play a variety of roles in LED lighting systems. Here, Mill-Max looks at headers and sockets used in coplanar board mating, providing a complete guide on how to specify connectors for LED applications. Connectors play a variety of roles in LED lighting systems, depending on the application. In many cases, they provide the electricalRead More

So far, 2014’s facts and figures show the connector industry in a sweet spot: The first three months suggest the full year is going to result in high single-digit growth. There are three issues that can create turmoil in the connector industry and cause a serious drop in profitability when they are experienced: Decline in connector demandRead More

The results of Bishop & Associates’ annual distributor customer survey have been tallied and presented at EDS. Read on to find out which distributors are the best for service, breadth of product, delivery, and price. Bishop & Associates conducts an annual survey of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), contract manufacturers (CEMs), and cable assemblers (CAs) inRead More

LED connectors are not the “sexiest” of design components in a lighting fixture, but they can have a major impact on thermal path design, efficiency of production, and LED fixture certification time. Avnet’s Mark Mousseau shares design tips for better LED connector selection. Design decisions in the eco-system of an LED fixture are numerous and haveRead More