As personal medical devices follow the path of consumer electronics, product miniaturization has made it easy for patients to integrate these technologies into their lives. Medical machines for hospital settings are also scaling down and becoming available to more facilities. Micro and miniaturized interconnects play a key role in enabling these medical equipment trends. TheRead More

As automotive manufacturing advances, high-speed, press-fit, and other connector technologies evolve to meet current industry demands. Today’s cars are essentially high-end computers on wheels. A decade ago, vehicle electronics centered on basics like power windows, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), and satellite radio. Today’s cars contain a full suite of safety, comfort, and convenience features suchRead More

After a year off due to pandemic disruption, VITA’s open standards event returned to share the latest developments in embedded computing, high-performance interconnects, and standards that impact application development. Although 2022 marked the 40th anniversary of the VITA trade organization, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of its celebration and annual Embedded Tech TrendsRead More

Learn how to design systems that minimize signal integrity loss and interference and maximize performance. The bar is higher than ever for high-speed performance, and PCB components have the potential to be either a great asset or an Achilles’ heel, especially if signal integrity is not given the foremost consideration while testing the design. WhatRead More

Meet the Connector: PCIe Connectors Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCle), also called PCI Express, is a high-performance and high-bandwidth serial communication I/O interconnect bus standard. Interconnects that meet the PCIe standard include mezzanine and board-to-board connectors, over-the-board solutions, high-speed edge card sockets that support 1, 4, 8, and 16 PCIe links, and PCIe optical cableRead More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights compression connectors from leading suppliers. Compression Connectors for Datacom Applications Amphenol Communications Solutions offers compression-type surface mount connectors for hard disk drives (HDD). These customizable single-piece solutions facilitate read & write functions in traditional low-cost bulk-storage HDDs and helium HDDs. Their small footprint saves PCB real estate. The single pieceRead More

Meet the Connector: Wire-to-Board Connectors Wire-to-board connectors bring power and signal to a printed circuit board (PCB) by connecting a group of discrete wires to the board. There are no standard wire-to-board connectors; the various types are specific to the manufacturers who produce them. Wire-to-board connectors can be specified based on several features. These includeRead More

Connectors that once were market leaders now are too large for most consumer applications. The next level of refinement in design comes in the form of fine-pitch alternatives. The world of consumer electronic devices has expanded enormously in the last decade. With applications in the leisure market as well as personal healthcare and industry, handheldRead More

Heavy and complex cables present a problem in today’s efficient vehicle designs. As more operational functions move to the screen, automotive display standards help streamline connectivity solutions. Soon, nearly every new vehicle will include at least one screen. Cars built since May 1, 2018, for the North American market feature a mandatory backup camera systemRead More

Drones and other unmanned aircraft play a critical role in military operations. Five key attributes guide military and aerospace designers as they specify interconnects for these systems. The U.S. Army’s vision statement in its 2010–2035 roadmap for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) begins, “Army UAS employed across all tactical echelons supporting Army and Joint operations provideRead More

New-to-market connectivity products, including interconnects, wire, cable, and cable assemblies, sensors, antennas, materials, accessories, tools, and development kits. May 2022 New Connectivity Products II May 2022 New Connectivity Products > Interconnects, etc. TTI Inc. stocks the XW4M and XW4N Series from OMRON. OMRON XW4M and XW4N 3.5 mm pitch push-in pluggable terminal block PCB connectors have a unique connector engagement structure for easy insertion andRead More

Space constraints within small devices create challenges for component placement on the boards. Innovations in ZIF-style flex connectors offer designers a possible solution.   By Jeff Combs, Director of Sales, CE Segment at Hirose Electric USA  Hardware designs for IoT, consumer, modular, and other complex applications often leave limited space for the mating and assembly ofRead More