Featured Articles
  • USB-C Serves Industrial Design with Rugged Variants 

    The USB-C connector has quickly moved from consumer applications into harsh environments. With 20 Gb/s data rates and IP-rated sealed variants, this connector can handle industrial conditions and serve in controllers, robotics, and peripherals for the factory floor. A new class of rugged USB-Cs and cables elevates this ubiquitous interface. It’s been nearly two years sinceRead More

  • The Power of Having Options

    The input/output panel of AI equipment is a prime example of how evolving demands have spawned the introduction of alternative solutions that address bandwidth demand, signal density, field serviceability, energy efficiency, thermal management, and utilization of both copper and fiber optic options. Most people would agree that having multiple choices to solve a problem isRead More

Technology

Industry in Transition: The Pandemic Inspires Changes Across Technologies and Supply Chains

Distributors have a bird’s-eye view of the complex supply chains that serve the global electronics industry. When the COVID-19 crisis began in China, distributors were among the first to identify the vast impact the pandemic would have on the many markets that depend on the region’s manufacturing capabilities. We spoke with Allied Electronics & AutomationRead More

Four Key Technology Trends Affecting Medical Device and Connector Manufacturers

Medical device manufacturers depend on innovative connectivity products to keep ahead of changes to the regulatory environment, as well as ongoing demand for low-cost, disposable solutions, reusable medical devices, and high-resolution imaging products.  While the quality and reliability of electronic equipment is vital for every industry, it is most critical in the medical industry, whereRead More

Three Key Design Considerations for Wearable Medical Devices

Wearable medical devices are providing life-changing solutions for patient care and represent a major medical market trend. These medical technologies depend on specialized components and systems that are lightweight, low-profile, flexible, and comfortable. Market demand for wearable medical devices is continuing to grow across multiple medical market segments. Leading the charge are wearable, digitally connectedRead More

Four Key Areas Where Wearable Technologies are Pushing Innovation

Miniature interconnects combined with sensors and antennas give designers powerful new means of integrating Internet of Things into flexible new forms.  Tiny wearable technologies are becoming huge. The incredible miniaturization of electronic components, combined with the powerful Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities brought to these systems by miniature sensors and antennas, has resulted in a new wave of wearable technologies. Flexible, stretchable circuits and interconnects bring additional possibility toRead More

New Network Architectures: Cloud and Fog Computing on the Edge

As the global volume of internet data increases, relying on the cloud for computing resources poses challenges. Edge and fog computing architectures offer alternatives.  The concept of sharing information technology (IT) resources via a network of linked devices has experienced incredible growth since the early 2000s. Instead of investing in local computing and storage equipment,Read More

5G Infrastructure Depends on a New Generation of Antennas — and Old Ones

5G specifications are being implemented with the latest connectivity hardware, including advanced antenna systems, as well as ongoing investments in 4G infrastructure. The fifth generation of cellular network technology, 5G, continues its advance. In addition to providing massive service improvement, it will forever change hardware and connectivity trends from the cell station antenna through toRead More

Strategic Connector Selection Can Reduce Power Use and Energy Costs in Data Centers

Smart component selection can help create cooler, more efficient data center architectures that save money and resources. The vast amount of energy consumed by data centers is a growing business, security, and environmental risk. Pre-pandemic estimates suggested that data centers would consume 20% of the world’s energy by 2025, but that figure will surely requireRead More

Five Factors to Consider When Selecting Rugged Fiber Optic Connectivity Solutions

Rugged fiber optic connectors are available in a range of sizes, form factors, densities, termini, cabling options, and more. Evaluate your project goals and operating environment to narrow down the field. 1. Understand Your Target and the Technology Tradeoffs Needed to Hit It  As with any project involving electronics, the kinds of components selected dependRead More

2020 Data Connectivity eBook

In our new 2020 Data Connectivity eBook, more than 25 connector suppliers with proven experience developing and deploying high-speed, high-bandwidth, and high-signal-integrity components share their unique perspectives on the best products and practices for solving today’s challenges and supporting tomorrow’s scalability. Data is the lifeblood of our digital age. Few things were left undigitized atRead More

Waterproof Connectors Can Survive a Splash or the Sea

Demand for waterproof connectors is large and growing, driven by undersea exploration and data transmission, as well as by the demand for connectivity in harsh environments. Waterproof connectors are seeing exponential demand in applications that range from consumer devices to oil and gas exploration to outdoor and marine technologies that have high exposure to varyingRead More

M12 Connector Types, Uses & Applications

Rugged and durable M12 connectors have a long history, but connected industrial technologies have inspired new modifications, improvements, and utility. Although M12 connectors have been in widespread use for decades — long before the Internet of Industrial Things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0 was even a concept — they have recently become the preferred connector for IndustrialRead More

Hannover at Home: Connector Companies Showcase New Industrial Technologies

When COVID-19 shut down Hannover Messe, connector companies took advantage of digital platforms to introduce the industry to their latest industrial innovations. COVID-10 may have cancelled HANNOVER MESSE 2020, but the show goes on as companies with heavy-duty and harsh-environment connectors employ creative ways to get the word out. Industrial technologies are in a pivotal pointRead More

Analysis of the World’s Top 100 Electronic Connector Manufacturers
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