The Smarter Cities initiative makes connectivity part of the transportation infrastructure. For car commuters, drive time is a period of lost productivity. For those who use mass transit, however, those hours can become part of the workday, enabling employees to flex their schedules, check into meetings from offsite, and communicate with colleagues. All they needRead More

A network of sensors is constantly gathering information about performance, vehicle health, and other metrics in today’s high-performance autos. Paul Webb, Global Product Manager for Autosport, TE Connectivity On the road and on the racetrack, just knowing how fast you’re traveling is no longer enough. Your car generates a lot of data while on theRead More

Connectivity and autonomy in next-generation autos is creating lots of data that will be sent to data centers, fostering a new market for connector makers. The explosion of electronics in vehicles continues to drive solid growth in the market for connectors. Typically, we think of these as harsh-environment connectors that can meet the rigorous demandsRead More

Trucking industry trends all point to a solid market for high-reliability connectors. Nearly every trend in commercial trucking is fueling increased demand for connectors. The move to hybrid and electric vehicles isn’t limited to automotive. Heavy, long-haul trucks are moving in this direction too, creating a need for high-power connectors. The expanding role of LEDsRead More

Falling prices on LEDs mean solid-state lighting is poised to displace bulbs, opening markets for connectors while altering wiring and electronic architectures. Automotive LEDs The automotive industry is ramping up its adoption of LED lighting. Falling prices, improving brightness, and integration with next-generation electric and safety systems are making this once-niche lighting option a mainstreamRead More

Smaller connector designs pushed by the cellphone world find a new home in portable and scaled-down gaming devices. Gaming Connectors Evolve For decades, young people have had their first exposure to connectors through gaming equipment. Although the vast array of electronics contained in these systems are hidden within the consoles and peripherals, perhaps no otherRead More

Consumers and businesses want to be able to repair the products they have invested in. Industry says no. If you are an engineer and your phone — or toaster, TV, or printer — is on the fritz, you’ve got two options: Tinker with it or toss it. But most people only have one option, andRead More

Pete Doyon, VP, Product Management, Schleuniger, Inc. NASA developed laser wire stripping in the 1970s as part of the Space Shuttle program. This technology made it possible to use smaller sized wires with thinner insulations without the risk of the damage that can be caused by traditional mechanical wire stripping methods. Laser wire stripping technologyRead More

Are companies investing enough in R&D? Or have we reached peak innovation? Technology companies like to talk about the amount of resources they apply to research and design. If you want to be a leader in today’s fast-growing market segments, you need to constantly upgrade existing products or introduce new ones. Research is the wellheadRead More

How did data centers do during the recent spate of disasters? Just fine, thanks to good planning. The cloud is a great repository for critical information, but in the event of a fire, hurricane, earthquake, or other disaster, that information is only as safe as the data center in which it’s stored. This summer, disastersRead More

By Alexander Weber, Global Product Manager, Belden Inc. Fact: Mission-critical applications require industrial networking components that meet the highest levels of industry standards to withstand harsh environmental conditions. Failure to meet this threshold is likely to result in higher levels of interference and longer periods of downtime. With this in mind, selecting products with industryRead More

SKEDD direct connection technology makes device design more flexible Pia Horstmann, Product Marketing for PCB Connection Technology, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, Blomberg, Germany James Dunbar, Product Marketing Manger for PCB Connection Technology, Phoenix Contact USA, Middletown, Pa., USA Intelligent automation structures, such as HVAC systems in building technology or compact controllers in industrialRead More