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

This quick coil cord primer explains when to use coil cords and what to look for when you’re choosing products for your applications. Durability, low force-to-extend, excellent retractile memory, and high flex life are all important customer requirements for coil cords. From 12 AWG to very-fine-wire 38 AWG and tinsel, coiled cords are manufactured in single-Read 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

Our first in a series of articles about Evolving Levels of Interconnection As this is the first in a planned series of articles by APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants LLC, we thought it would be best to begin with the “Levels of Interconnection” (LOI), which is about as fundamental as it gets. It must be rememberedRead More

As this is the first in a planned series of articles by APEX Electrical Interconnection Consultants LLC, we thought it would be best to begin with the “Levels of Interconnection” (LOI), which is about as fundamental as it gets. It must be remembered that at every interconnection point, at every level, there is a potentialRead More

December 2013 – In 2014, the engineers and scientists of APEX Electrical Connector Consultants LLC will treat our readers to a series of articles on connector basics. We thought it would be fun to kick off the feature in this issue with a Q&A led by Bishop’s John MacWilliams.

November 2013 –  Despite a rise in the demand for electrical control panels, the manufacturing process remains labor intensive. Three companies worked together to create a solution that takes a 3D design environment to the next level.

Avnet Offers New Reference Designs and Tutorials for 7″ Zed Touch Display Kit Developing an interactive GUI or touchscreen application? Avnet Electronics Marketing announced new reference designs, tutorials, and training videos for the 7″ Zed Touch Display Kit. The designs are supported on either the MicroZed or Zedboard kits. To facilitate designs using the 7″Read More

October 2013 – Test probes used in production testing will eventually get dirty enough to cause contact problems. QA Technology offers steps that eliminate contact problems caused by dirty probes.

October 2013 – Because coaxial cable assemblies are so vital to such a wide range of systems, from rugged ground-based electronic systems to satellites orbiting in space, the selection process for those cables should not be treated lightly. Choosing the right coaxial cable assembly is easier when you know what to look for in a high-frequency or high-speed coaxial cable assembly.

October 2013 – CFMs have a multitude of benefits, so why aren’t employees using them? One of the biggest problems is the lack of understanding of the variables affecting the CFM’s ability to detect variations. Crimp quality detection is similar to baking a cake: There are a lot of ingredients and if one ingredient is missing or bad quality, you likely won’t achieve your desired result.

October 2013 – In a follow-up to Dr. Bob’s article on connector wear in the last issue, his colleague Max Peel discusses the challenges of vibration in both connector and end-system designs. In the case of vibration testing, EIA requirements generally include a visual for structural integrity and monitoring for a 1.0 microsecond interruption. Occasionally low-level contact resistance or contact resistance at rated current measurements are included. This is the area for review, and change is necessary but somewhat complex.