Connectivity Solutions Meet the Challenges of Miniaturization

Terminal devices such as sensors, edge controllers, and mobile devices continue to decrease in size, creating challenges in connectivity design.

Electronic devices continue to get smaller and smaller. Industrial applications require machines to take up less space to accommodate more of them. Automotive, transportation, and aerospace applications have size and weight limitations tied to cost and energy efficiency. Mobile phones have shrunk from the size of a shoebox to pocket size to meet consumer demand for convenience and portability, and televisions have gone from boxy furniture to sleek wall hangings. All these applications, however, still require reliable performance. Connectors are an integral part of ensuring the quality, functionality, and durability of equipment and devices.

“As industrial systems increasingly trend toward modularization and equipment miniaturization, connectivity solutions must evolve in parallel to support high-performance data and power transmission within confined spaces,” said Leon Hung, product manager at ATTEND. Advances in connector technology continue to accommodate this trend, even in the face of the connectivity challenges that miniaturization creates. Terminal devices such as sensors, edge controllers, and mobile devices continue to decrease in size and, Hung explained, connectivity design must provide the solutions for these common issues:

• Limited PCB and panel space. Devices must integrate more functionality within a smaller footprint, severely restricting connector size and quantity.
• Increased design complexity.When power and data require different connectors, internal wiring and installation complexity significantly increases, affecting production efficiency and maintenance costs.
• Weight and mobility considerations.In mobile devices such as AGVs (automated guided vehicles) or wearable terminals, reducing cable and connector volume effectively lowers overall weight, improving operational efficiency and battery life.
• Enhanced environmental durability requirements. Even as dimensions decrease, connectors must maintain industrial-grade protection capabilities against dust, water, and vibration to ensure reliable operation in harsh environments.

“Based on these requirements, customers generally seek connectivity solutions featuring high integration (shared power and data) and miniaturized form factors, while maintaining high-speed transmission and mechanical durability. These integrated solutions not only address space constraints but also simplify system architecture and enhance overall product reliability,” said Hung.

Two important connectivity developments have been single-pair Ethernet (SPE) and miniaturized circular connectors. “The combination of SPE and miniaturized connectors enables engineers to design intelligent industrial equipment with reduced dimensions and enhanced functionality without compromising reliability or performance,” Hung said.

SPE is one of the most significant technologies currently available to meet miniaturization requirements. Because SPE uses only a single twisted pair for Ethernet communication, cable diameter, weight, and overall wiring complexity is reduced, yet it supports data rates ranging from 10 Mb/s to 1 Gb/s. “Through Power over Data Line (PoDL), SPE can simultaneously transmit power and data over a single interface, substantially simplifying equipment architecture,” Hung said. The implementation of miniaturized circular connectors, particularly housing dimensions such as M8, which have now been incorporated into the IEC 63171-6 Industrial Ethernet standard, have also had an impact on the success of miniaturization, Hung added. “Despite their compact size, these connectors maintain IP67 protection, exceptional mechanical durability, and high-speed data transmission capabilities.”

ATTEND’s SPE M8 4PIN hybrid connector offers significant potential for various miniaturization applications, such as remote monitoring cameras. It can support simultaneous data and power transmission, making it ideal for use in warehouses, for outdoor surveillance, or other long-distance deployment scenarios. In modern agriculture, this connector can provide critical support for integrating automated farm machinery with cloud systems. It is suitable for autonomous agricultural equipment equipped with high-precision GPS navigation, enabling stable data and power transmission to facilitate real-time environmental analysis and automated decision-making. A compact design and IP67 protection rating ensure its reliability under harsh outdoor conditions, while its high-speed data transmission capability supports real-time connectivity between machinery and the cloud, enhancing the analysis of soil, climate, and crop health data, as well as machine-to-machine (M2M) collaboration, ultimately optimizing farming strategies and minimizing resource waste.

ATTEND’s 229B Series T1 Industrial SPE connectors represent cutting-edge single-pair Ethernet (SPE) technology, engineered to meet the rigorous demands of modern industrial applications. These high-performance connectors utilize advanced SPE architecture, offering a compact, lightweight, and cost-effective Ethernet transmission solution with enhanced security features.

Ever-smaller components create several system-level challenges.

• Mechanical durability. Smaller connectors are more susceptible to damage from vibration, misalignment, and repeated mating/unmating operations.
• Signal integrity.Transmitting power and data through the same compact interface increases the risk of EMI and signal degradation.
• Assembly precision.Miniaturized connectors demand tighter manufacturing tolerances and more robust strain relief mechanisms to ensure reliable field performance.

To overcome these challenges, modern connector designs incorporate high-precision locking mechanisms to ensure secure mating under mechanical stress; shielded contact structures to minimize electromagnetic interference and maintain signal stability; and high mating cycle durability, validated through rigorous industrial testing to support long-term reliability. “These engineering strategies enable compact connectors to deliver high performance and resilience in even the most space-constrained industrial designs,” said Hung.

While devices and the connectors that make them work will eventually reach a limit of how small they can get, the expectations of what they can do will likely continue to increase. Following where technology takes us will continue to be an interesting journey.

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