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

eVTOL is Ready to Rise Above Urban Congestion

A new urban mobility solution for today’s congested cities, eVTOL enables passengers to take to the skies, no pilot required. Electrified, autonomous, and responsive, eVTOL offers an airborne route into a new transportation future. A convergence of high-speed technologies, high-capacity batteries, and autonomous advancements have enabled the development of a new generation of electric verticalRead More

Automotive SerDes Taps Ethernet for High-Speed Communications

The first wave of devices based on the Automotive SerDes Alliance Motion Link Ethernet (ASA-MLE) draft specification are coming out now. These devices will become components of critical infrastructure for the next generation of intelligent Software Defined Vehicles. A new automotive SerDes technology standard is rapidly coming into view: the Automotive SerDes Alliance Motion Link Ethernet (ASA-MLE)Read More

Skip the Pins: Contactless Connectors Expand Design Flexibility

Delicate connector pins can be a point of failure. New contactless designs for industrial applications resist wear, damage, and ingress and transmit power and data across open air. A new wave of contactless connectors is delivering power and signal without pins or contacts. While this concept seems to defy the traditional definition of connectors, whichRead More

New Rail Connectors for Energy Distribution for Rail Vehicles

A new generation of rail connectors has been designed to handle the hazards of this heavy-duty transport mode. Simple and quick installation and easy maintenance are just as important to keeping things rolling. Rail connectors are undergoing an upgrade as rail networks around the world are expanding quickly to match the growing human population. WithRead More

News From Hannover Messe 2024

The industrial trade fair showcased new energy and manufacturing solutions with an emphasis on AI and connected technologies as the industrial market urgently tries to put the brakes on carbon emissions. Since 1947, the Hannover Messe trade fair has been one of the world’s biggest and most significant gatherings of industrial expertise and innovation. FromRead More

Optics Outpace Copper at OFC 2024

Bob Hult shares the phenomenal advances in high-speed optical communications showcased at OFC 2024, including interconnects for 200G per lane optical transmission, liquid cooling, co-packaged optics, PAM6, and other technologies that take us far beyond the reach of copper. The 2024 Optical Networking and Communication Conference and Exposition March 24-April 3 in San Diego nearlyRead More

ODVA Standards for Industrial Automation

ODVA standards help ensure interoperability, safety, and security in facilities that that are integrating advanced information and communication technologies into industrial automation. From materials sourcing to the production of goods to final-mile logistics,  multiple levels of connectivity are an essential part of the manufacturing world. Facilitating seamless communications between the many devices and systems usedRead More

3D Printing Offers Design Flexibility and Manufacturing Possibilities 

3D printing technology is reaching new levels of quality, giving electronics engineers a powerful prototyping and design tool. But is 3D printing ready for component manufacturing?   Can you 3D print a connector? Certainly. But is it any good—can you actually use it in a circuit? Increasingly, the answer is yes. Recent improvements in industrial gradeRead More

Human-Robot Collaboration Boosts Connector Company’s Success

Automation technologies are transforming the warehouse, logistics, and manufacturing worlds. Learn how one company integrated sensors, robots, and artificial intelligence into its manufacturing line to meet new production goals. The pressure is on: Connector suppliers are being asked to increase production, reduce prices, shift operations out of China, increase component functionality, shrink form factors, maintainRead More

Motion Control: Sensing Solutions Optimize Manufacturing Systems

Motion control systems harvest data to help create faster, more precise, and more resilient manufacturing processes. A host of sensors help unlock deep insights into factory operations. Motion control is the process by which the elements in a manufacturing process are set into a precise and controlled system of motion. These systems must meet theRead More

DesignCon 2024 in Review

Connector suppliers shared new high-speed solutions for IoT, signal processing, electric vehicles, energy storage, machine learning and AI, photonics, 5G, and other technologies at DesignCon 2024. Cloudy skies and drenching rain failed to dampen attendance and enthusiasm at this year’s edition of DesignCon, held in Santa Clara, California, January 28 to February 1. Broad topicsRead More

Chip Technology Struggles to Keep Pace with Moore’s Law

The technical challenges of designing and building devices that pack tremendous computing power into tiny packages are considerable. But new high density semiconductor technologies offer a path to keeping Moore’s Law alive. For nearly 60 years, Moore’s Law has set the pace of advancements in semiconductor chip density, but a combination of physics and economicsRead More

Analysis of the World’s Top 100 Electronic Connector Manufacturers
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