Electronic equipment and devices employed in extremely harsh environments require rugged, contamination-resistant connectors that can stand up to radiation, sterilization, and the toughest conditions on Earth. Equipment destined for use in environments with a high risk of exposure to radiation and biological hazards requires contamination-resistant connectors and other electronic components, which can be a challengeRead More

Industry-standard connectors don’t always get the job done. A very public failure of a proven connector spurred a team of designers to engineer a flexible and dependable new solution using pogo pins. Here’s how they did it. By Nobukazu Kato, ACES Electronics, and Sam Martin, ACES North America When a major OEM brand of mobileRead More

Contract manufacturers’ quotes and quality audit results don’t tell the whole story. Here’s what you need to evaluate to make a good decision. Hiring a contract manufacturer is similar to hiring a new employee: In both instances, candidates are evaluated based on skills and experience. However, evaluating a contract manufacturer made up of hundreds ofRead More

The growing demand for high-density electrical connectors in the medical market is being driven by an overwhelming trend towards smaller, lighter, and more ergonomically conscious medical devices. By John Holloway, Principal Engineer at ATL Technology high-density electrical connectors These demands can be met with an array of standard and custom solutions, but coming up with theRead More

Commonly used in military, defense, industrial, and other harsh-environment applications, M39029 contacts are available in a variety of options. As a result, not every M39029 contact is created equal. By Steve Smashey, President, and Mike Conte, General Manager, SOS Engineering, Inc. M39029 To manufacture a reliable, high-performance connector for harsh-environment applications, the design process shouldRead More

As automation and the Internet of Things transform industrial environments, demand is increasing for electronics with interfaces for signal, data, and power transmission, as well as shielding from harsh environmental conditions. Board-to-board connectors are an important component in the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0. By Markus Sonderer, Senior Director of Product Marketing and Development,Read More

The evolution of the telecommunications industry began with a simple wire that expanded to become today’s fully interconnected and increasingly wireless world. Throughout human history, we have strived to improve how we communicate with each other. From foot messengers and horses to email, text, and video chat, we have increased the speed at which informationRead More

Data demands are exceeding what legacy technology can handle. See why more train manufacturers and system integrators are moving towards rail-industry Ethernet. The rail industry’s accelerating demand for higher bandwidth requirements has outpaced what the existing Train Communication Network (TCN) standard for data communication can provide. Designed for real-time applications, the TCN standard is aRead More

Breakaway connectors can quickly disconnect to protect people and equipment, yet still provide the same pin and housing durability as their mechanically secured counterparts. By Steven Lassen, Product Applications Engineer, and Julie Carlson, Marketing Communications, LEMO Breakaway connector Breakaway connectors break the rules of device design that expect electronic connectors to make a secure attachment —Read More

Smart appliances create new challenges for device designers, who must integrate additional components and manage power, data transfer, size, and heat considerations in compact, unobtrusive packages that satisfy consumer demands. Consumers who value the improved control, energy efficiency, reliability, and convenience of smart home devices are driving the trend toward high-end connected appliances that canRead More

The connectors specified for military ground vehicles must optimize size, weight, and power and endure the rugged conditions typical in modern ground operations. Military vehicles for use on Earth’s surface range from small unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) that detect and remove bombs to the enormous 50-ton Medium-Heavy Equipment Transporter (MHET) that carries trams and amphibiousRead More

Today, a tractor is more than an engine-driven farm machine; it can be the hub of a farm’s IoT network and a farmer’s workspace with the help of rugged, smart connectors. Today’s sophisticated farm machinery is controlled electronically with the help of a new generation of smart connectors. With this equipment, farmers can enjoy aRead More