COTS connectors have an attractive price point and availability, but they may not hold up to harsh environment challenges. Rigorous testing helps engineers specify non-MIL-Spec connectors that can provide high reliability. By Brian Niehoff Electronic devices are proliferating in harsh operating environments across every industry. As a result, many OEMs require extensive testing on theRead More

For special installations like the Winter Olympics, as well as applications such as vehicles and devices that routinely operate in cold climates, electronics must be ruggedized against low temperatures. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics showcased human endurance in the most extreme cold conditions as athletes performed on ice, in snow, and in frigid air. TheRead More

Route or fleet vehicles operate near continuously under harsh environment conditions. As electrification expands in this market, it’s critical that connectors can endure the influence of high voltages as well as the rigors of the road. Commercial vehicles operate in uncontrolled environments, subject to heat, moisture, vibration, and dust. For fleet or route vehicles, suchRead More

Harsh operating conditions and challenging installation scenarios make it important to specify rugged, reliable, and application-specific interconnects for industrial equipment. Industrial Connectors The extreme temperatures and humidity often present in industrial settings place considerable strain on electronic components and can cause equipment to malfunction. Interconnects used in industrial equipment and systems are also subjected toRead More

Meet the Connector: M12 Circular Connectors M12 connectors are a metric circular connector with 12 mm locking threads used in industrial automation and other harsh environment applications where compact, rugged, and reliable power, signal, and data connections are needed. One of the most commonly specified connectors in the industrial market, the M12 is considered theRead More

New-to-market connectivity products, including interconnects, wire, cable, and cable assemblies, sensors, antennas, materials, accessories, tools, and development kits. February 2022 New Connectivity Products  February 2022 New Connectivity Products > Interconnects, etc. TE Connectivity is adding to its family of connectors with the DBAS 9 connector. DBAS 9 offers increased configuration options for design flexibility in harsh environmentRead More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights connectors for energy applications from leading suppliers. Application-Specific Connectors for Energy Applications LEMO’s N Series products offer a range of remote handling self-latching stainless steel connectors suitable for high radiation environments such as nuclear reprocessing cells or heavy duty industrial controls. Features include an enhanced alignment key system and visual connectionRead More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights high-speed mezzanine and stacking connectors from leading suppliers. High-Speed Mezzanine and Stacking Connectors The MA01 Series from JAE floating-board connectors feature a highly reliable two-point contact structure, achieving high-speed transmission that exceeds 8 Gb/s. With an operation temperature range of -40 ℃ to 125 ℃ the connector is suitable forRead More

These interposers are a great alternative to traditional pin-and-socket interconnects in harsh-environment board-to-board or board-to-flex circuit applications. For the vast majority of applications, the pin-and-socket interface remains the contact of choice. Pin-and-socket contacts can be found in just about every application imaginable. But there is another option that should be considered and, in some instances, may be the only option: solderless compression interposers.   Solderless Compression Interposers  Read More

What are ARINC 600 Rack and Panel Connectors? Meet the Connector: ARINC 600 Rack and Panel Connectors ARINC 600 connectors are a standardized rack and panel connector used primarily for avionics applications. This modular packaging standard provides mechanical, electrical, and environmental interfaces between line-replaceable units (LRUs) and racks or cabinets. The ARINC 600 connector takesRead More

Advances in miniaturized interconnects and optical cabling have launched a design revolution in the medical device field, from high-precision laser surgical tools to small and portable connected healthcare devices. Today’s modern medical therapeutic instruments are enabled by faster speeds, expanded bandwidths, fiber optics, RF microwave and mmWave, and miniaturization. These trends and technologies will helpRead More

What are Push-pull Connectors? Meet the Connector: Push-pull Connectors Push-pull connectors are circular connectors that have a spring-action cylindrical sleeve surrounding — or within — the integral connector housing that self-latches during mating. The connection is released through a squeeze-and-pull, rotate-and-pull, or other specific unlocking action that prevents accidental disconnection. Push-pull circular connectors are availableRead More