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

Return to Normal: DesignCon 2023

After two years of pandemic disruption, this year’s high-speed trade show rebounded with an impressive array of smaller, cooler, and faster than ever interconnects. The 28th edition of DesignCon convened at the Santa Clara Convention Center January 31 through February 2, marking the return to its traditional venue and time slot. Concerns that recent techRead More

Pluggable Optical Transceivers Continue to Evolve

System engineers must balance priorities of reach, thermal management, panel density, backward compatibility, power consumption, multiple sourcing, and cost when selecting optical transceivers. Pluggable I/O transceivers in standardized configurations have proven to be a cost-effective solution to the challenges of creating high-speed optical networks. They have emerged as a leading interface for current and next-generationRead More

Coherent Optics: Lighting the Path to High-Speed Data Communications

In the past, coherent optics have been cost-effective only in extremely long intercontinental and undersea links. Recent advances have made this solution more accessible to designers looking for ways to increase data transfer speeds, extend channel lengths, and grow system capacity. Designers of high-performance computing and telecommunications equipment, as well as internet service providers, areRead More

Industrial and Commercial Transportation Goes Electric

Megawatt charging is on track to boost power and reduce charging times to make electrifying all sorts of industrial and commercial transportation vehicles a viable option. Vehicle makers throughout the industrial and commercial transportation market are embracing e-mobility. Electric versions of semi-trucks, vehicles used in mining and agriculture, and regional transportation vehicles, including buses, ferries,Read More

Robust Fiber Optics are Flying High in Satellites and Low-Altitude eVTOL Aircraft 

Understanding how different flavors of fiber-optic technologies function in demanding aerospace applications can help designers select the most robust options. UAM (urban air mobility) and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft promise a greener, cleaner alternative to ground transport in cities. Constellations of LEO (low Earth orbit) satellites are launching a new era ofRead More

Hyperboloid Contact Technology is Still Going Strong

From transportation to MIL/Aero to medical and more, hyperboloid contacts continue to be vital in the evolving world of electronics. Francois Robert Bonhomme invented the hyperboloid contact in 1956 in response to the need for more reliable connectors used in railway applications. By that time, rail systems had lighting and ventilation, but due to theRead More

Maintaining Signal Integrity in the Era of SWaP

Minimizing size, weight, and power (SWaP) while maintaining performance and reliability is a major challenge for designers tasked with the development of modern-day electrical and computer equipment for the military market. The shift from analog to digital electronics has brought new and improved capabilities in smaller package sizes. What once required a computer, camera, faxRead More

New Military Ground Vehicle Report Examines the Modern Tank Market

Learn about interconnects for tanks and other military ground vehicles in Bishop & Associates’ new comprehensive market research report. Although the concept dates back to the ancient world, the military battle tank as we know it has been used since World War I, when Britain introduced the Mark I tracked armored fighting vehicle to aidRead More

Smart Manufacturing Turns 15

Automation, robotics, and a mix of human and machine decision-making combine to create factory floors that are efficient and safe, while also addressing energy, materials, decarbonization, and environmental sustainability. This is the essence of smart manufacturing. In his article, “The 15th Anniversary of Smart Manufacturing – Grassroots Leadership, Greater Good, Timing, and Perseverance,” Jim Davis,Read More

The Benefits of Edge Computing

Smart factories are optimizing production methods and output with the help of automation edge controllers and sensors that collect, network, and evaluate data. Networked, intelligent, self-controlling, self-optimizing, and resource-efficient production comprise the smart factory, the central scenario of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0. Manufacturers are facing increasing materials, labor, and energyRead More

Harsh Conditions Call for Hermetically Sealed Connectors

Moisture, debris, vibration, pressure, and fluctuating temperatures make industrial, transportation, military, and aerospace environments challenging for electronics. Hermetically sealed connectors keep sensitive electronic systems safe. Electronic connectors are constructed from plastic and metal parts that allow moisture, air, and gases to leak into the device. A hermetic connector blocks all gases from passing through pointsRead More

Advances in Optical Connectivity

The ever-increasing demand for greater bandwidth, data density, and reach using less energy has resulted in several new technologies that favor fiber optical channels. Engineers have long recognized the performance advantages of replacing electrical signals with pulses of light. Increased bandwidth capacity and reach, coupled with reduced cable bulk and immunity from external noise, areRead More

Analysis of the World’s Top 100 Electronic Connector Manufacturers
x