The new iNEMI-MIT consortium on silicon photonics demonstrates that optical computing is serious business. Fiber optics have had a long, uphill battle in our industry, with millions invested and dot-com busts, but now FO appears in launchpad mode in the near future. The newly formed Photonic Systems Manufacturing Consortium (PSMC) is funded through The National InstituteRead More

TE Connectivity has shown that a data transmission rate of 100Mb/s can be achieved with standard automotive connectors. There are signs that car manufacturers will opt for Ethernet data bus technology in the future. Its advantages include tremendous topology flexibility and high data transmission speed. Furthermore, Ethernet is a strong contender for the seamless integration ofRead More

The IWCS International Cable Connectivity Symposium is upon us, so we asked outgoing CEO and director John Barteld to share the top five things the IWCS has done in the past 10 years. The International Wire and Cable Symposium (IWCS) has had an interesting time over the past 10 years. At the close of 2004,Read More

The Photonic Systems Manufacturing Consortium enlists participation in a 10-year roadmap for the development and manufacturing capabilities needed to produce low-cost, high-volume, integrated photonic systems. The Photonic Systems Manufacturing Consortium (PSMC), a collaboration of the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) and the MIT Microphotonics Center, is enlisting the participation of key industry stakeholders in its development ofRead More

Significant changes are sweeping across the aviation landscape, forcing designers to take a more sobering look at protective measures against lightning strikes as the construction materials used in modern aircraft continue to advance. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that, in a heartbeat, lightning can be fatal. And while we all share a healthy respect for,Read More

Take a closer look at the effects contactless connectivity technology has had on the industry in this Q&A with TE Connectivity. Q: What market needs drove the development of contactless technology? A: The need for reliable connections in situations where traditional connectivity reaches its limits due to space restrictions, vibrations, dust, and dirt. In oil and gas, forRead More

In a surprise move aimed at trumping Motorola’s announcement next week of its Moto 360, LG announced it’s launching the first round smart watch, the LG G Watch R. Following the June release of one of the first-to-market wearable devices powered by Android Wear, LG Electronics (LG) is quickly expanding its wearable product offerings withRead More

IPC has released the PCB industry results for July 2014, showing that the North American PCB business is seeing a normal seasonal slowdown. IPC announced the July findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales and orders were weaker in July, but the book-to-bill ratio held steady at parity. TotalRead More

Bishop & Associates’ Bob Hult offers a plea to engineers, praising all they’ve achieved but requesting a bit of restraint. I recently attended the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, where some of the most sophisticated high-tech equipment and manufacturing processes were on display. I am in awe at our ability to track swarms of space debris asRead More

Network data communications has evolved rapidly from “high-speed” gigabit Ethernet LANs to the integration of cloud-based information technology and data streams demanding terabytes of data. Engineers at TE Connectivity discuss how fiber optic advances push the bandwidth envelope in datacom and drive the next level of capabilities. Network data communications has evolved rapidly from “high-speed” gigabitRead More

The semiconductor market maintains its momentum so far in 2014, which is good news given how closely trends in the connector market follow trends in the semiconductor market. Global semiconductor market performance in early 2014 has continued where 2013 left off  – with positive sales growth. As the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported at the beginning ofRead More

Semiconductors drive the electronics industry, and the connection between semiconductors and connectors spans more than three decades. The semiconductor industry has grown from roughly $10B in 1980 to $300B in 2013. Along the way it transitioned from analog to digital, ECL and Bipolar to CMOS, and has featured sizes from 100s of nm to as lowRead More