Breakaway connectors can quickly disconnect to protect people and equipment, yet still provide the same pin and housing durability as their mechanically secured counterparts. By Steven Lassen, Product Applications Engineer, and Julie Carlson, Marketing Communications, LEMO Breakaway connector Breakaway connectors break the rules of device design that expect electronic connectors to make a secure attachment —Read More

Our 2019 How-to-Specify eBook contains a collection of best practices and product solutions contributed by industry-leading suppliers dedicated to designing, developing, and delivering connector and cabling technologies with the versatility, durability, innovation, and peak performance required to satisfy challenging application demands across various markets. Topics include connector characteristics, application-specific solutions ranging from consumer to medicalRead More

In critical mil/aero applications, a connector’s dependability begins where the pins and sockets meet: the contact system. By Robert Kleinschmidt, Senior Vice President, Air & Defense Business Unit, AirBorn, Inc. Many electronic systems in the military, defense, and aeronautics industries are designed to excel in some of the harshest environments imaginable. Deep-sea systems must endureRead More

Electrical connectors play a key role in advancing product capabilities and ensuring consistent, reliable performance in medical electrical and electronic equipment, especially in today’s IT- enabled and interoperable world. By Patrick Kinyanjui, Principal Engineer, Fischer Connectors, Inc. Connectors are an important element to consider when developing a risk assessment for a new or updated device.Read More

Our portable devices would not be possible without proven connector technologies that facilitate miniaturization and connectivity. By Stephen Capitelli, Manager of Product Engineering, Mill-Max Mfg. Corp. Today’s electronics designers are challenged to find the right balance between reliability, suitability, and cost as they specify the components needed to create successful and competitive products. The firstRead More

Aspects including: cost, environment, vibration, connector density, signal integrity, installation methods, and safety requirements should be key factors when specifying signal connections for industrial applications Loreen Katz, Product Marketing Manager – Industrial Field Connectivity, Phoenix Contact USA Where are signals found in industrial and semi-industrial settings? Everywhere. Devices such as sensors, actuators, switches, valves, andRead More

Five Things to Keep in Mind When Selecting Cable Protection for Automotive Applications George Sims, Director of Marketing, AerosUSA 1. Sealed or Open System One of the first things to consider when selecting cable protection for automotive applications is whether the cables can operate effectively and reliably with no to minimal protection or whether theyRead More

A how-to guide for selecting and successfully implementing high-speed connectors Michael Rock, Engineering Manager – Signal Integrity Products, AirBorn Inc. When designing applications that utilize high-speed interconnects, it’s vital to navigate around all potential speed bumps along the signal’s path. Factors including: stackups, tolerances, via design, trace widths, plating, and copper etching must be understoodRead 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

Designing handhelds, wearables, and tomorrow’s smaller medical devices comes with a unique set of design challenges. Engineers and designers are striving to drive size, weight, and cost from their devices, looking critically at every component, including medical device connectors.   Handhelds, wearables and more: Smaller medical devices mean smaller, multi-tasking connectors New technology in connectorRead More

Considering connectors at the start of the design process results in an optimized LED lighting design.   LED lighting is very different from traditional lighting systems. Modern LED assemblies offer vastly improved power efficiency and longevity, and they can be extremely compact. However, their electronics are much more complex to design than those of incandescent lightRead More

The SWaP initiative employed by the US military and NASA has helped connector manufacturers focus on improving smaller and lighter connectors, in particular for custom designs.   As we demand our circuits do more and in smaller packages, we still need reliable power and signal transfer. Today’s designers have a number of new tools andRead More