Affording backshells the same design process considerations as connector selection can help prevent delays, cost overruns, and premature failures in mission-critical mil/aero applications Rudy Ramos, Project Manager – Technical Content Marketing, Mouser Electronics Mil/Aero connectors are designed for a variety of mission-critical, harsh-environment applications, including commercial and military avionics, satellites, and weapons systems. Connector selectionRead More

Adnane Jaghmim, Tests and Measures Manager; Thibault Monet, Design Engineer; and Nataliya Mayaki, Brand Manager, Nicomatic Harsh-environment military and aerospace electronics applications require specialized interconnect solutions. The interconnect solutions for these applications not only have to withstand extreme environmental conditions, such as extreme operating temperatures, high vibration, high pressure, and exposure to water or dust, butRead More

Radiation-proof connectors allow robots to work in places where humans cannot safely tread. By Jean Thilmany The number of robots working at nuclear power plants — helping to shut down, clean up, and perform other duties that humans cannot, due to inaccessibility or the danger of radiation exposure — continues to grow. This rising demandRead More

The use of production breaks in aircraft minimizes weight, size, and power consumption. The primary purpose of production-break connectors is to facilitate the ease of installation for long, heavy, complex, multi-leg cable harness assemblies. Without the use of production breaks in the aircraft, it would be virtually impossible to build, repair, or upgrade today’s complexRead More

Five Things to Consider When Selecting a Connector Supplier for Automotive Applications Burt Fisher, Applications Engineer, Advanced Interconnections Corp. 1. The Company – What’s Under the Hood Automotive design engineers rely on their suppliers’ specialization and expertise to keep pace with the increasingly demanding interconnect requirements needed to support data-driven systems in connected vehicles. So,Read More

Can the same connector be used in both through-hole reflow and surface-mount device processes? Weidmuller looks at how pin length can make all the difference in meeting the requirements of IPC-A-610 E. Today’s PCB is a platform for electronic components that creates circuits varying from simple to highly sophisticated. Requirements such as the miniaturization of components,Read More

Dr. Bob reviews two recently published papers to draw conclusions on the possible use of nanocrystalline silver alloy contact finishes in electronic applications. In my previous article, in which I mentioned two recent papers* on the nanocrystalline silver alloys of silver-tungsten (AgW) and silver-palladium (AgPd) and their use as contact finishes, I highlighted the potential benefits these alloysRead More

Dr. Bob on Hertz Stress as a Connector Design Parameter I was looking for some information in my files a few weeks ago, when I came across a folder entitled “Hertz Stress.” My mind leapt back 20 years as I recalled discussions that the concept had raised at that time. Using Hertz stress as aRead More

To Fail or Not to Fail, That is the Question – Act II Dr. Bob reviewed the issue of failure criteria in the previous issue of ConnectorSupplier.com. He said that two different types of failures have to be addressed: catastrophic and systematic. He attached definition to both, noting that catastrophic failure results from quality issuesRead More

More on Supplementary Testing – Now, what else do I want to do? In the prior articles of this series, the test groups described were for the determination or susceptibility of connectors to basic failure mechanisms: Vibration/Shock—Fretting Corrosion Discontinuity or Nanosecond Events Mechanical Integrity Humidity/Thermal Cycling—Fretting Corrosion Wet Oxidation Process Degradation of Plastic Housing MixedRead More