Featured Articles
  • CASE STUDY: Development of a RoHS-Compliant Ultra-High-Strength Copper-Based Alloy

    Engineers have been trying for years to massively reduce the lead content in copper-based alloys to comply with RoHS. Learn how a new lead-reduced Emery Low Lead alloy tested in various industrial fields of application and manufacturing processes. Article contributed by Dr. Andreas Frehn, Materion Brush GmbH, Germany, and Mike Gedeon and John Nickell, bothRead More

  • Meet the Cable — NDT Cables

    NDT cable is a shielded coaxial or multiconductor cable assembly that connects ultrasonic, eddy current, and phased array probes to non-destructive testing (NDT) instruments, carrying high-voltage excitation pulses to the probe and returning low-level echo or impedance signals to the receiver. It is built to stay flexible and electrically quiet through constant handling, scanner motion,Read More

Technology

Single-Pair Ethernet Presents a United Front

The arrival of the single-pair Ethernet (SPE) interface marked a significant advancement in industrial connectivity. The new interface reduced wiring, power, and complexity while setting the stage for new technologies, including AI, to become part of factory, building management, automotive, and IoT systems. Now the two organizations that separately championed the interface have joined forces.Read More

Integrating Renewable Energy into HVAC Systems: Technical Advances and Real-world Applications

Integrating renewable energy into HVAC systems redefines the landscape of building climate control. Engineers are leveraging renewable technologies alongside advanced heat pumps, smart controls, and hybrid system architectures to achieve greater efficiencies. By Jim Beneke, vice president for Tria Technologies, an Avnet brand Integrating renewable energy into heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems redefinesRead More

A Faster Future with Linear Pluggable Optics

As data center infrastructures upgrade to transition to higher bandwidths, LPOs are emerging as a promising solution to enable faster, more energy-efficient, and cost-effective optical connectivity. A few days before the OFC 2025 optical networking conference, the LPO MSA (Linear Pluggable Optics Multi-Source Agreement) Group announced the completion of the 100 Gb/s per lane Linear Pluggable OpticsRead More

Is Boosting the Current the Solution to Faster EV Charging?

Rated boost current, in which short-term currents exceed the rated continuous current, reduces EV charging times. New innovations in contact technology make it a viable solution. By Joydip Sanyal, a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Smiths Interconnect Expanding and updating the EV charging infrastructure to deliver ultrafast CCS (combined charging system), particularly along highways and in majorRead More

OSFP-XD Pluggable Connectors are Finding a Home

OSFP-XD pluggables are targeting AI applications in data centers, high-performance computing (HPC), and select telecom networks. Connectors designed to transfer information in and out of a server, switch, or router have long been recognized as a potential data bottleneck. Processing chips often spend half their time waiting to receive information necessary to function, resulting inRead More

PCI Express 7.0 Specification Released

At twice the speed of PCIe 6.0, the new specification supports AI, machine learning, data centers, and high-speed and high-performance computing across numerous application areas. The PCI-SIG (Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group) has released the PCI Express 7.0 (PCIe 7.0) specification to members, marking a major advancement in high-speed interconnect performance. Designed to meetRead More

Antenna Evolution Leads Connectivity Advancements

Faster, smaller, and lighter interconnect technologies are transforming electronics. This evolution isn’t limited to connectors; antenna designs are changing rapidly and leading the way for future transformation. As electronic systems become increasingly compact and powerful, the need for faster, more reliable wireless communication is driving innovation in antenna technology. In tandem with advances in high-speedRead More

Designing 5G Installations With Innovative RF Interconnects

5G small cell deployments are booming — and redefining the requirements for coaxial cables and connectors. Global connection and data sharing depends on a high performance communication infrastructure that supports 5G and sets the stage for future 6G network connectivity. Next generation technologies, including increased streaming, automation, and AI depend on accelerating data speeds, ultra-lowRead More

Cable Backplanes Come of Age

Cable backplanes have been a longtime feature of high-performance computing, undergoing several evolutions to keep up with speed and bandwidth requirements. However, as next-generation AI computing systems take hold, the practical limits of copper have been reached, pushing connector suppliers to create products that include optical solutions. Traditional backplane and daughtercard design has been aRead More

Flexible Alternatives to Semi-Rigid Cable Assemblies

As system complexity increases and space constraints tighten, a more adaptable solution has become necessary — without compromising the critical electrical performance requirements that make semi-rigid cables the current standard. In the demanding environments of aerospace, defense, and telecommunications systems, reliability is not just desirable, it’s essential. For decades, semi-rigid coaxial cable assemblies have beenRead More

Robust and Reliable Connectors for Residential Energy Storage Systems

Residential energy storage systems (RESS) are one of the growing ways to realize this vision. Designed for use in homes, a RESS stores excess energy generated by renewable sources, such as solar panels, for use on demand when a residence needs it. The All Electric Society (AES) envisions a world where renewable electrical energy isRead More

Connecting the High-speed Data Networks of Autonomous Vehicles

As advanced driver-assistance systems redefine the driving experience, innovations including software-defined vehicles and high-performance computing are reshaping the automotive industry, with interconnects representing the critical link Most electronic systems deliver and optimize predefined functionality through closely coupled hardware and software elements. Therefore, the perceived natural order of things is for functionality to define the design.Read More

Analysis of the World’s Top 100 Electronic Connector Manufacturers
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