Your ISO quality audit is coming up. We talk to an auditor to find out what to expect at your next inspection. By Jean Thilmany To ease any anxiety that quality managers at connector companies might feel when the auditor is due for a visit, Kevin Russelburg, an ISO 9001:2015 lead auditor, pulls back theRead More

Full Material Declarations provide an effective strategy for environmental data reporting. By Roger L. Franz, Engineering System Analyst, TE Connectivity Since the European Directives, Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), were enacted in 2006–7, the number of regulated substances continues to grow. REACH adds new substances roughlyRead More

Five Things to Keep in Mind When Selecting Cable Protection for Automotive Applications George Sims, Director of Marketing, AerosUSA 1. Sealed or Open System One of the first things to consider when selecting cable protection for automotive applications is whether the cables can operate effectively and reliably with no to minimal protection or whether theyRead More

Autonomous vehicles will need as many as 30 sensors, creating volumes of data. In-vehicle infotainment systems will further increase demand for high-speed networks. Self-driving cars are already on the roads. GM, Ford, Tesla Motors, Toyota, Volvo, Nissan, and other automakers are testing driverless cars and say they plan to release autonomous models within the nextRead More

To satisfy evolving application demands, medical imaging interconnects are being designed to deliver higher-speed, higher-bandwidth performance in smaller, lighter, and more rugged form factors capable of higher mating cycles over longer lifetimes. Carl Bunke, ITT Cannon Field Applications Engineer Macro trends, such as an aging population, preventative care, and a shift to less invasive procedures,Read More

A how-to guide for selecting and successfully implementing high-speed connectors Michael Rock, Engineering Manager – Signal Integrity Products, AirBorn Inc. When designing applications that utilize high-speed interconnects, it’s vital to navigate around all potential speed bumps along the signal’s path. Factors including: stackups, tolerances, via design, trace widths, plating, and copper etching must be understoodRead More

Processor and SerDes speeds continue to bump up, putting pressure on input/output connectors mounted on the faceplate. Like investors running to the exit when the market tanks, the I/O panel can quickly become a serious bottleneck that limits communication and slows the system. Computers and their users hate to sit idle while waiting for requiredRead More

Opportunities are growing for connectors that can withstand radiation exposure. The term “harsh environment” takes on new meaning when we consider components made for applications that involve radiation exposure. While some of these components must also be able to withstand additional elements, such as ingress by water, chemicals, or particulates, the presence of radiation aloneRead More

Five Reasons to Consider Polycrystalline Ceramic Seals Instead of Glass Seals for Hermetic DC Connectors Rick Kalkowski, Marketing Administrator, PA&E, a Division of Hermetic Solutions Group Advancements in materials give designers new options. Even classic designs such as the venerable DC connector can be updated and improved by considering all available materials. Switching from glassRead More

When I/O connectors block airflow, a toolbox of solutions is required to keep today’s fast, dense, and hot systems cool. Lithium ion batteries are not the only source of excessive heat in electronic devices. A nasty combination of dense system packaging and increased power consumption tends to concentrate heat inside the box, causing component stressRead More

Very early computers were a mass of discrete point-to-point wires. The combination of physics and economics is bringing that interconnect architecture back full circle. Design engineers have been grappling for years with the challenge of propagating ever-increasing signal rates in printed circuit boards. As data rates pushed into RF regions, signal modeling transitioned from simpleRead More

Check out this week’s product roundup for information about some of the latest and greatest board-to-board product solutions on the market. Amphenol FCI’s BergStak® 0.8mm-pitch parallel board-to-board connector system provides flexible solutions designed for high-speed, high-density applications across the communications, data, industrial, instrumentation, and medical markets. Available with 16 PCB stack heights spanning 5 –Read More