Meet the Connector: TCA Connectors TCA connectors, or thermal compression anisotropic (TCA) connectors, are technically not connectors, but rather a termination technique. This seldom-used process was devised in the 1970s for use in electronics and telecommunications applications. TCA connectors use a liquid strip or solid pad of conductive material to create a solid-state bond. TheRead More

Meet the Connector: Automotive Terminals Automotive terminals are used for connecting fuses, battery terminals, and vehicle sensors. They are found in cars, trucks, motorcycles, motorhomes, off-road and construction vehicles, and electric vehicles. Today’s automobiles contain about a mile of wire and thousands of electrical connections. These connections power and control the vehicle and its accessories,Read More

Meet the Connector: MICE Connectors MICE connectors are a category of ruggedized connectors designed for harsh industrial environments that require robust and reliable connections. MICE is an acronym for Mechanical, Ingress, Climatic, and Electromagnetic protection. The concept of MICE gained traction in the late 20th century as industries began to ask for more durable andRead More

Meet the Connector: Memory Modules Memory modules provide temporary data storage for computers and servers. They give laptops or other devices the ability to access and retrieve information quickly for processing tasks. Also known as RAM sticks, memory modules are essentially PCBs mounted with integrated circuits for random access memory. Memory modules are easy toRead More

Meet the Cable: Multimode Cable Multimode cable is a type of fiber optic cable designed to carry multiple light modes or paths simultaneously, enabling high-bandwidth data transmission over relatively short distances, commonly used in data centers and local area networks. Optical fibers were first developed in the 1950s and 1960s by researchers such as CharlesRead More

Meet the Connector: 4.3-10, 2.2-5, 1.5-3.5 Connectors The size of the connectors has often determined the footprint of antennas and base stations. As demand for miniaturization increased, the 4.3-10 connector system was designed to be smaller, while maintaining excellent electrical performance and lowering passive intermodulation (PIM). 2.2-5 and 1.5-3.5 followed as even smaller versions forRead More

Meet the Connector: Heat sinks Heat sinks provide thermal management in electronic or mechanical devices for components that can’t sufficiently dissipate heat to moderate temperature. For example, they are used to cool central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs) in computers, with power transistors and other high-power semiconductor devices, and for optoelectronics suchRead More

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 available in numerous sizes, voltages,Read More

Meet the Connector: Loopback Cables A loopback cable is a diagnostic tool for testing the functionality of a physical port in networking systems. They are used to assess and resolve any issues with a network interface or network interface card (NIC) without linking to an external device. The loopback cable simulates a network connection. ItRead More

Meet the Connector: EN3645 and EN3646 Connectors EN3645 and EN3646 connectors are named for European technical standards (EN). They are similar to MIL-DTL-38999 Series III and MIL-DTL-26482, respectively. They have additional requirements, specifically in terms of performance under lightning strikes and resistance to fluids. Scoop-proof EN3645 connectors were created for broad use in a wideRead More

Meet the Connector: QLS Connectors QLS connectors are a type of circular cable connector jointly designed by IMS Connector Systems and Telegärtner to offer a quick-locking alternative for the threaded SMA connector. It is designed for quick and easy mating and unmating without the need for tools. This can be particularly useful in scenarios whereRead More

Meet the Connector: NMD (Network Measurement Division) Connectors NMD (Network Measurement Division) connectors are used specifically in network measurement equipment and setups. The name for these precision connectors was coined by Agilent Technologies, the Hewlett Packard business unit that produced the Agilent 8510A and 8720A analyzers and was spun off in 1999. These connectors areRead More