When designing industrial and commercial transportation vehicles with high-voltage batteries and related systems, manufacturers and system integrators face an important question: Is a high voltage interlock, or HVIL, necessary at every high-voltage interface? Article Contributed By Daniel Domke, Senior Manager, Product Management, Industrial & Commercial Transportation, TE Connectivity For trucks, buses, construction equipment, and miningRead More

A South Florida railway operator wanted to update crossing signals along its system. With the help of a connector supplier, they found a solution that went even further, improving system reliability, longevity, functionality, and safety, while saving money. Article Contributed By Barry Nelson, WAGO Connected technologies are transforming the railroad industry. From electrification and high-speedRead More

Connectors are among the smallest components in a larger electrical system, but they hold significant responsibility to carry current repeatedly, maintain stable electrical performance, withstand harsh environments, and support safe operation over thousands of mating cycles. When that connector is specified correctly and manufactured to the appropriate quality standards, it can perform reliably for years.Read More

As reliable interfaces between PCBs, board-to-board connectors increasingly perform in harsh environments, where they fulfill mechanical functions as well as transmit signal and power connectivity. That makes it crucial to specify the right component for the conditions. Article contributed by Detlef E. Preissler, Senior Specialist, Product Marketing Board-to-Board Connectors, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG,Read More

Order rodentia poses one of the greatest and most random threats to electronics. Squirrels, mice, marmots, and other wildlife gnaw on cables, wires, and connectors, disconnecting power, disrupting service, grounding vehicles, and even causing fires. Solutions range from physical barriers like metal wire sleeving and cable conduit to a new generation of plastic materials thatRead More

The standardization of single-pair Ethernet removes the confusing array of connector types. The new universal connector standard significantly simplifies industrial IoT networking for digital AI services and smart factories. By Thomas Keller, Product Manager Industries, Rosenberger Single-pair Ethernet (SPE) has proven itself in the automotive, automation, and IoT industries. Increasing connectivity in software-defined vehicles requires secure, compact cabling in the confined spaceRead More

There’s a frustrating pattern familiar for anyone who has operated or worked on commercial trucks, agricultural machinery, or construction equipment: a fault appears, the vehicle goes into the shop, technicians run diagnostics and find nothing. The fault code is gone, and the connection looks fine. The vehicle goes back into service, and within days orRead More

Connector modularity lets engineers dynamically scale SWaP requirements to their needs while maximizing maintainability through field serviceability. Article Contributed By Clint Schlosser, Product Manager, Winchester Interconnect For the emerging small-satellite industry servicing LEO constellations as well as the UAS sector, development teams are often faced with two competing goals: designing to highly demanding performance specificationsRead More

Characterization and modeling of connector losses in internal connector interfaces. Article Contributed By Baptiste Bouix, Product Manager, Würth Elektronik When two or more PCBs need to be interconnected, designers must select the appropriate connectors for their application. However, choosing the wrong connector can compromise the entire design. Larger pitches like 0.8 mm and 1.0 mmRead More

Satellites must be designed to endure conditions from launch to the complex space environment. High-reliability connectors help these systems operate in various extreme conditions. Article Contributed By iConnexion Spacecraft electronics are held to a standard that few terrestrial systems ever face: years of unattended operation, no possibility of repair, and an environment that actively worksRead More

Connectors used in oilfields face temperatures that warp plastics, chemicals that eat seals, vibrations that shake contacts loose, and electrical interference that can turn vital data into noise. Distributors can help find rugged solutions. Article Contributed by TTI Inc., Jim McNeil, General Manager Walk into a design review for an oilfield project and you willRead More

Energy storage systems and uninterruptible power supplies have become integral parts of industrial environments. Vehicles and equipment that require power, such as autonomous mobile robots and AGVs, put the focus on power connectors. Article Contributed by JAE High-current connections in industrial equipment traditionally meant bolted busbars or screw-terminal blocks. However, these solutions required assembly time,Read More