There’s lots of talk about the benefits of the Internet of Things, particularly in the industrial arena, but is there a down side? Arthur Visser asks the question: Are AI and IoT a threat to mankind?   If you have been following the news recently, you probably heard that Professor Stephen Hawking, one of theRead More

New silver alloys address the issues of durability and conductivity through a fundamental difference in crystalline structure. Dr. Bob takes a closer look at nanocrystalline silver contact platings.   Two papers* were published last year that introduced nanocrystalline silver alloy contact platings – one a silver-palladium alloy and the other silver-tungsten. Both papers cite theRead More

Elimination of solder from electronic circuit assembly has been suggested as one way to avoid solder’s many shortcomings. Here, Joe Fjelstad makes the case for solderless assembly.   Soldering is a key step in the manufacturing process of electronic assemblies and has been since the earliest days of the electronics industry. It is also one ofRead More

DesignCon celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, and Bob Hult was there to report on the newest developments in high-speed connector technology.   DesignCon 2015 celebrated its 20th anniversary as the premier showcase for high-speed chip, connector, and PCB board technology. More than 170 technical sessions organized in 14 conference tracks and three keynote addresses provided attendees with the latestRead More

Mobile electronics continue to evolve rapidly, and connector technology follows suit to stay relevant. Has the next big game changer already been introduced? Bishop & Associates’ Senior Vice President Dave Pheteplace examines KISS technology. Keyssa recently introduced its KISS connector technology, which allows mobile devices to quickly transfer large amounts of data by simply “kissing” oneRead 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

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

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

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

Converting an electrical signal to optic pulses has been a costly option that consumes too much PCB space and power. That’s changing now, as mid-board optical transceivers light up the datacom market. Demand for faster internal and external system interconnects has begun to push the limits of copper, especially in lengths of more than a fewRead More