August 2013 – Implantable devices serve a variety of functions, from vascular stents that preserve blood flow, to electrostimulation devices that regulate heart rhythms, to orthopedic devices that reinforce the spine or restore hips and knees. These tiny devices are the future for many medical procedures and connector designs are responding to the highly sophisticated requirements of such precise technology.
JEDEC finalized the DDR4 specification in September 2012. It is expected to hit server applications first, where its initial higher price can be justified, and then reach PCs later, as the prices drop.
The pin-and-socket interface is probably one of the oldest and most reliable contact designs, and it remains the contact of choice in many connectors today.
LED Light Governments, energy producers, and environmentalists around the world have been on a mission to kill the incandescent light bulb. A very small percentage of the energy these lamps consume is actually converted into visible light; the majority ends up generating wasteful heat. The emergence of more efficient alternatives means obsolescence appears to be inevitableRead More
May 7, 2013 – The Russian Federation should benefit from more regional trade once the country fully complies with WTO rules in 2018, as its industrial production growth has been in decline over the past three years and has even moved into negative territory in 2013.
Tech in Action: Electronic Advances Enable Advanced Prosthetic Control In his Connector Supplier article on government’s role in the electronics industry’s research and development initiatives, John MacWilliams notes the evolution and achievements of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which focuses on projects for defense sciences, information innovation, microsystems technology, strategic technology, tactical technology,Read More
06-18-13- Government involvement in industry has waxed and waned over the years, depending on the administration in Washington. Over the past 20 years or so, government policy has been consistent in some areas, such as NSF and federal lab funding, but inconsistent in others. While industry and government have often joined forces for research and development, the connector industry has not been as involved with these opportunities as other sectors of the electronics industry.
Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, are a disruptive technology that is shaking up the norms of system architecture. Traditional methods of introducing power and managing I/O are undergoing changes that have major implications for traditional connectors.
May 21, 2013 – The reality is there are no guarantees that the actual connector specified by the design engineer will make it through to the finished product. A design engineer may prefer a particular connector and include it in a design, but this doesn’t guarantee the specific component will end up in the final product. Depending upon cost and volume availability, as well as OEM preferences or relationships with particular suppliers, the design engineer’s influence over the parts selection can be severely curtailed in the manufacturing process.
Not Your Father’s Dorm: Smart Students and Their Smart House Juniper Research has valued the smart home market at $60B by 2017 When I started researching this article, I contacted a number of connector companies (10 to be exact) and asked to interview their experts on intelligent home applications. That was a mistake. Each andRead More
April 16, 2013 – What does the landslide of new tablet and smartphone introductions mean for the future of the PC? And how will it affect the connector industry? John MacWilliams looks at the tablet and PC market to find out if reports of the PC’s demise are greatly exaggerated.
April 2, 2013 – Dr. Bob returns with part two of our feature on porosity. He responds to his cohort, Max Peel — is this the moment they will agree on everything?
