For more than a century, the UL mark has helped inspire confidence in a product’s safety and quality. For UL, facilitating the standards development process, developing standards and certifying to those standards helps ensure that quality starts at the component level. UL is a premier global independent safety science company that has championed progress forRead More

The VITA 76.0 connector ensures exceptional signal integrity for high-speed interconnects over maximum cable length on size-, weight-, and power (SWaP)-constrained ground, airborne, and naval platforms. By Mike Southworth, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions, and Ken Braund, Meritec In 2015, VITA adopted the VITA 76.0 standard, “High Performance Cable – Ruggedized 10 Gbaud Bulkhead Connector for CuRead More

US-based aircraft have a new equipment mandate to improve surveillance and communications. The deadline is fast approaching, but operators have numerous options to get compliant. New ADS-B Standards Nearly a decade ago, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) set in place a timeline to transition from radar to next-generation, surveillance-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) to manage theRead More

Observers have claimed Fibre Channel, which powers Storage Area Networks (SANs), has been in decline for years, replaced by newer, faster standards. But innovations in storage network software and infrastructure may help keep demand for Fibre Channel and its dedicated connectors and cables alive. By Neil Shurtz Computing applications are continuing to grow in complexity.Read More

The Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO) has released the industry’s first on-board optics specification. What does this mean for you? In April 2018, the Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO) released its first specification for optics that reside on the motherboard. COBO has specified modules capable of 400G and 800G rates. The designs will also supportRead More

Your ISO quality audit is coming up. We talk to an auditor to find out what to expect at your next inspection. By Jean Thilmany To ease any anxiety that quality managers at connector companies might feel when the auditor is due for a visit, Kevin Russelburg, an ISO 9001:2015 lead auditor, pulls back theRead More

Full Material Declarations provide an effective strategy for environmental data reporting. By Roger L. Franz, Engineering System Analyst, TE Connectivity Since the European Directives, Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), were enacted in 2006–7, the number of regulated substances continues to grow. REACH adds new substances roughlyRead More

Beyond preserving resources, green business practices can pay off in cost savings and stronger sales. By Caroline Hayes In manufacturing, there’s lean and then there’s green. Lean manufacturing is a set of principles designed to reduce waste in manufacturing. The aim of lean is to achieve higher throughput rates with minimum inventory. Driving out wasteRead More

The cabling system promises to streamline rack interconnect systems. Companies that design components for Ethernet systems will want to take a look at the RCx Multi-Source Agreement (MSA), a new intra-rack connection technology aimed at Ethernet applications. RCx MSA, an industry working group with members from Amphenol, Broadcom, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and JAE Electronics,Read More

The two most widely used standards in the electronics industry, IPC-J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610, have been updated. How will this impact your work? IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® has released the G revisions of IPC-J-STD-001, Requirements of Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies, and IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies. These documents refer to the two most widelyRead More

A multitude of requirements compel manufacturers to default to worldwide commonality. EU regulations, such as RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals), the US Dodd-Frank Law (involving Conflict Minerals), and California’s Proposition 65 (currently listing over 800 chemicals that must be flagged), affect composition, processing, costs, and supplyRead More

Consumers and businesses want to be able to repair the products they have invested in. Industry says no. If you are an engineer and your phone — or toaster, TV, or printer — is on the fritz, you’ve got two options: Tinker with it or toss it. But most people only have one option, andRead More