For the companies that make and supply them, testing automotive connectors is an important step in their design and production. Electronics make up over 35% of the cost of a modern car, with tens of thousands of electronic components inside each vehicle. If any of them fail to withstand the harsh environmental conditions of theRead More

Innovations, market trends, and costs influence aircraft design, but safety and security remain an unwavering commitment. Precision contacts play a crucial role in the connector design process. As the transportation industry rebounds from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, market trends, technology innovations, and cost factors are shaping the landscape of new aircraft design.Read More

Meet the Connector: MIL-DTL-83513 MIL-DTL-83515 specifies the requirements for micro-D connectors used in military applications. MIL-DTL-83513 is a detailed specification controlling dimensions, materials, performance, and testing of plastic and metal shell micro-D connectors. This specification applies to micro-D connectors used in military applications, although because of their ruggedness, micro-Ds are also found in many industrialRead More

Few harsh environments are as harsh as oil & gas wells. Connectors and cable assemblies must be tough enough to maintain reliable connections despite extreme high temperatures, severe shock and vibration, fluid corrosion, and more. Micro-Ds and other rugged interconnects play a huge role in today’s oil & gas industry. Since 1859, when Edwin DrakeRead More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights waterproof/sealed connectors from leading suppliers. Waterproof/Sealed connectors Quick Lock USB 3.0 connectors by Omnetics Connector Corporation are sealed inside a rugged, battlefield tested and proven IP67 housing to ensure users achieve the highest levels of reliability while meeting USB 3.0 high-speed digital expectations (up to 5.0 Gb/s). These connectors useRead More

RF interconnect solutions are critical in mobile 5G communications networks. New solutions help seamlessly power these essential communications networks when traditional networks are disrupted by disaster. 5G technologies deliver high data speeds, ultra-low latency, enhanced reliability, enormous network capacity, and increased availability. Mobile connectivity solutions make it possible to provide essential communications in disaster situationsRead More

Meet the Connector: Micro Circular The push to make mil/aero electronic equipment smaller and lighter for easier portability while maintaining its necessary ruggedness requires smaller, lighter, rugged connectors. Enter microminiature and nanominiature circular connectors. Micro or nano circular connectors feature smaller pin and jack diameters and the pins are spaced more narrowly. This reduces theRead More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights  38999s from leading suppliers. 38999 Providers Powell supplies Glenair Series 806 Mil-Aero Micro Miniature D38999 Connectors and Cable Assemblies. Series 806 offers significant size and weight savings while meeting key performance benchmarks for a broad range of applications such as commercial and military aerospace, industrial robotics, transportation systems, and more.Read More

Copper and fiber cabling runs through the grittiest environments and powers the most rugged electronic applications with the help of protective armor. Behold the armored cable! When rugged conditions are at hand, armoring is ready to protect the wires or fibers inside of a cable —and ultimately protect the entire system. This heroic feature isRead More

Many favorable attributes of fiber optic cables are readily acknowledged. However, a bias against using fiber optics in harsh environments remains. Fiber Optic Cables Fiber optic cables carry many times more data than is feasible over copper-based connectivity. This increased bandwidth is necessary for the highest definition video and other data intensive purposes, but theRead More

Meet the Connector: AOC assemblies Active optical cable (AOC) assemblies were developed to combine the benefits of copper and fiber optic cable assemblies. Copper cable assemblies are known for their ruggedness and reliability, particularly at the connector interface. Copper connectors have multiple points of contact which helps them withstand shock and vibration, and resist damageRead More

Connector material selection plays a critical role in ensuring that automotive connectors deliver reliability and performance over the lifespan of a vehicle. The rigors and extremes these systems are exposed to makes it important for designers to consider many factors to specify the right solution. Electronic architectures in emerging automotive designs demand long-life, rugged connectorsRead More