A series of good connections led me into the connector industry. As I look back on four decades in electronics, I look back at what makes it a great career: the people.  My life in electronics began in marketing at a Midwestern phone company. A good connection led me next to a jack-of-all-trades role at a growing local electronics distributor where I worked in shipping, accounting, and sales, and eventually became the manager. We built NorthernRead More

Ron Bishop of Bishop & Associates shares connector sales numbers and insights into the factors that led to an extraordinary year. Bishop & Associates has closely monitored the connector industry since 1985. Led by founder Ron Bishop, the market research firm has tracked and reported on the expansion of interconnect products, the emergence of transformativeRead More

Every lidar application requires connectivity. Choosing the right connectors starts with understanding the environment that the technology will operate in. Lidar technology has grown into a highly competitive and rapidly evolving industry. Its use in vehicle applications has enabled systems like ADAS, autonomous transportation systems, and  diverse applications ranging from traffic management and pedestrian monitoringRead More

As transportation technologies evolve, the connectors that have served the industry well for decades are being joined by a new generation of small, lightweight, versatile, and powerful interconnects.  Many connectors for vehicles that designers and manufacturers rely on have been on the market for decades. Modern cars, light trucks, and motorcycles include legacy connectors throughoutRead More

Online configuration tools are changing the way we specify connectors. 3D modules help designers create the right product for their application. Board-to-board connectors are designed to connect two PCBs with precisely controlled spacing in between. For example, when customizing a pin header, numerous parameters must be considered, such as number of pins, pin length, andRead More

Connected, smart robots are doing, learning, and even teaching more tasks and processes than ever, with less programming than ever, thanks to AI. At a time when one must lament the dearth of human intelligence being applied to some of the most existential challenges humans have ever faced, artificial intelligence is beginning to have anRead More

As consumers transition to ordering more goods online, shippers are exploring alternatives to human labor. Autonomous delivery robots use sensors systems connected with high-density rectangular connectors to navigate complex environments and carry out delivery tasks. By NorComp Autonomous delivery robots are becoming a new part of life. Delivering everyday packages as well as critical foodRead More

Cobots require high levels of functional safety, high load-bearing capacity with increased arm speed, and a lightweight design. Specialized connector solutions make it so. The industrial robotics space is changing fast. The latest generation of robots is taking on more complex tasks than ever before — and increasingly working alongside humans. Collaborative robots, or cobots,Read More

Rectangular connectors offer significant size and weight reductions, effective EMI protection, and meet military and aerospace qualifications. They offer valuable cost and performance benefits compared to traditional circular connectors.  Connectivity solutions for military and aerospace projects often need to be optimized for size, weight, and power (SWaP) to satisfy the stringent physical and performance requirementsRead More

The SMP connector came on the scene as a smaller alternative to SMA connectors. Now a new generation of LMP connectors are available for high-reliability, high-vibration, and high-power applications. By Times Microwave Systems The RF industry has been using sub-miniature push-on connectors (SMPs) for decades. Originally marketed by Gilbert (now part of Corning) in the lateRead More

In the two years since the pandemic began, the connector industry has been hit by production and supply chain challenges, as well as expanded orders for interconnects as demand rose for electronic products in every market. The result: connector backlogs. Supply chain challenges have been a symptom of the pandemic since China extended its ChineseRead More

From rabbit ears to streaming sticks and smart TVs, the technologies that bring us broadcast programming expand our access to everything all of the time. This is the 12th and last installment of the Technology Trends series by Bob Hult, a series of articles that review leading technology trends that have had a significant impact onRead More