The latest automotive technology is sensor-based, but to make self-driving vehicles a reality, technology convergence is necessary. This article, based on research by KPMG, sheds light on what may be next in automotive connectors and other technology. This article is excerpted from a white paper published by KPMG. Can we build a safe, self-driving vehicle?Read More

FCI’s low-profile 1.2mm pitch wire-to-board connector expands and strengthens its compact connector portfolio. FCI introduced a low-profile, 1.2mm pitch wire-to-board connector. With a mated height of only 2.50mm, this new product line offers a selection of three to six pin counts, making them suitable for many applications. These additions will augment FCI’s existing catalog of compactRead More

Fischer’s revolutionary FiberOptic hybrid connector offers two fiber channels and two electrical contacts in one small package. Fischer Connectors extends its Fischer FiberOptic Series with a revolutionary hybrid connector. After the successful launch of the Fischer FiberOptic Series with two (FO2) and four (FO4) fibers at the end of 2012, Fischer Connectors now offers aRead More

At recent trade shows, interconnect suppliers spotlighted fiber optic innovations, as the connector industry forges ahead in optical technology. Just this month, Molex, TE, and US Conec all introduced new optical products that provide faster data rates, more versatility, and unlimited potential. Molex Technologies Support MXC Fiber Optic Interface Molex announced that its VersaBeam supports the new MXCRead More

As goes the semiconductor market, so go interconnects. The Semiconductor Industry Association shares the five things to know about global semiconductor sales now. 1. Global semiconductor sales reached a record high in 2013. Worldwide semiconductor sales for 2013 reached $305.6 billion, the industry’s highest-ever annual total and an increase of 4.8% from the 2012 totalRead More

Using multi-contact coax connectors and VITA standards can preserve space on the front panel and facilitate insertion/removal of cards for installation, repair, and upgrades. A growing trend in electronic packaging for military and aerospace applications is the availability of multi-contact coaxial interconnects. A key driver is the desire to provide RF disconnect capability at the backplane/daughtercardRead More

The VITA specifications enable the embedded computer industry to support military, avionic, space, instrumentation, semiconductor processing, medical imaging, and industrial control applications. The way industry standards are often viewed by the engineering community has been the source of jokes for many years: How many engineers does it take to change a light bulb? None, they simplyRead More

Bob Hult reports on the connector technology highlights from DesignCon, especially the race to 100+Gb/s. The DesignCon 2014 conference and expo once again demonstrated the event’s value as the premier showcase for high-speed chip, connector, and PCB board technology. Featuring a full schedule of well-attended technical sessions over four days, a sense of excitement andRead More

Technology advances in the last decade transformed the automotive, commercial, and consumer device landscape. Enabled by advances in silicon IC technology, markets and applications converged around WiFi, LTE, Bluetooth, flash memory, multicore processors, and standardized high-speed I/O interfaces. The transition from the Internet of connected people to the Internet of connected things opened up entirelyRead More

High availability and the reliability of rolling stock comprise the basic requirements for modern rail freight. HARTING is researching solutions for condition-based maintenance strategies. The long history of sustained, strong growth in global trade correlates to a continued increase in the flow of goods in the future. Despite political advocacy and a broad range ofRead More

With no medical industry standards for cable, the industry adopts voluntary specifications to ensure patient safety. The medical device industry tolerates a much smaller margin of error than most other industries. Medical devices are highly precise and sensitive instruments. As such, medical interconnect cable, and more significantly, the material used in such apparatuses, must beRead More

Consider these design parameters for custom coil cords to ensure a successful application. To work well, each coiled cable design requires a special bulk cord design. Computerized design methods ensure attention to the fine details so your product works properly. Performance limits for coiled cables are controlled by the width of the coil and the elasticityRead More