The “Connector Basics” series from APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants continues with a tutorial on how to specify and select a connector for a particular application. Generally speaking, electrical connectors are mechanical components that serve an electrical function. In addition to carrying electrical current at a specified voltage, connectors either enable interconnection of components during theRead More

Regenerative braking systems reclaim and store kinetic energy in a reusable manner. Conventional vehicle braking systems convert kinetic energy into heat via friction, wasting a great deal of energy potential. Regenerative braking systems reclaim and store this kinetic energy in a reusable manner. More and more modern electric drive vehicles, including locomotives, boast regenerative brakingRead More

Today’s inter-vehicle jumper systems must withstand a diverse array of electrical, mechanical, and climatic conditions. Today’s inter-vehicle jumper systems must be capable of withstanding a diverse array of conditions, so the system’s design must consider the flow of current and the resulting heating, vibration, bending, and torsion, as well as ambient temperature, ballast strikes, weathering,Read More

Aging populations, wireless devices, the ACA, and budget cuts put the global medical market in flux. Bishop tracks eight companies in the medical market sector. Growth in the medical market, as measured by these eight companies, has been relatively good in the last two years, with year-over-year growth of 8.0% in 2011 and 2.9% inRead More

Personal devices, access to content, data taxing infrastructure, advanced vehicle electronics, and hands-free technology are the things to know about the electronics industry right now. What are the most important drivers, developments, and things to know about the global electronics industry? Molex’s Brian Krause gave us an overview of what’s happening and what we shouldRead More

Erosion in the Connector Industry Talent Base The connector industry has experienced significant erosion of its talent base in recent decades. Because this has occurred bit by bit over a long period of time, it’s not immediately apparent how significantly the industry has been changed by the loss of knowledge and experience these people represent.Read More

Passive optical interconnects optimize datacom, mil/aero, and computer system designs. Passive optical components guide transmission of optical signals through optical networks. The concept of flexible optical circuits originated at Bell Laboratories in the late 1980s, and was called Optiflex. Today, interconnects are produced by nearly a dozen companies in a similar manner. Recent technological advancesRead More

The next 10 years of smart home technology will focus on developments that will apply to more than just living spaces. Technology is not always smart. Technology that consumers can understand, afford, and use properly is smart. Technology that saves power and is good for the environment is also smart. Too often, the technology thatRead More

Profitability Killers (Price Erosion + Rising Raw Material Costs) In Part 2 of the 10-year snapshot of the connector industry, Ron Bishop looks at price erosion and rising material costs. A sharp decline in demand will automatically produce a decline in profits. We experienced that in 2001, 2002, and 2009 when connector sales declined -18.9%,Read More

Demand Falling for Backplane-Based Systems Let’s face reality, folks: The demand for backplane-based systems is falling like a refrigerator down an elevator shaft (as is the demand for copper-based backplane connectors). There are several logical reasons for this precipitous decline, and a set of laws that explain why this is happening. But first, we haveRead More

10-Year Snapshot of the Connector Industry The phrase “significant change” doesn’t adequately describe what happened in the connector industry over the past 10 years. Specifically, between 2003 and 2013, the connector industry: Experienced roller coaster swings in connector demand, setting new industry records for declines and increases Suffered the worst price erosion in decades, followedRead More

Rise of the Industrial Robots When Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Chairman Terry Gou announced in 2011 that Foxconn, its wholly owned subsidiary, would install one million robots over the next three years in its factories to replace workers and do “simple” work, he probably did not actually intend to install that many industrial robotsRead More