Electronics Manufacturing: Is That the System You Designed?

The reality is there are no guarantees that the actual connector specified by the design engineer will make it through to the finished product. A design engineer may prefer a particular connector and include it in a design, but this doesn’t guarantee the specific component will end up in the final product.

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Renewable Energy – An Industry in Turmoil

We have been besieged by stories of misfortune and turmoil in the solar and wind industry, caused by overcapacity, regulatory issues, US sequestration, bankruptcies, and the lure of other cheap energy solutions. While this news has been unsettling, it also indicates a healthy shakeout is coming to the renewable energy industry.

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Evolving Electronics to Meet Energy Industry Demands

High pressure and temperatures, along with increasing electronic system density and longer exposure to vibration, place extraordinary demands on the electronic components and subsystems in oil and gas industry applications. In a sector where tool and rig downtime can make the difference in operator economic viability, design for reliability is a critical selection consideration for electronic components and subassemblies.

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Not Your Father's Dorm: Smart Students and Their Smart House

A successful future for the smart home market requires cross-industry cooperation and collaboration. Luckily, most of our readers are currently involved (perhaps unknowingly) in developing applications and technology that will eventually bring smart home solutions to the mass market. At Duke University, students are building both the technology and the working relationships necessary to make smart home technology a reality on their campus and beyond.

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Enterprise and Mobile Drive the Telecom Market

While the carrier network, enterprise network, mobile and wireless, and cable equipment infrastructure sectors all showed slight declines in 2012, the enterprise sector increased in revenue by more than 4%, in spite of continued challenging macro-economic conditions. In 2013, Bishop & Associates is optimistic about the slowly rebounding telecommunications market.

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Porosity: The (w)Hole Story

Dr. Bob returns with part two of our feature on porosity. He responds to his cohort, Max Peel -  is this the moment they will agree on everything?

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Cable Backplanes: Roadmap to the Future

The laws of physics begin to intervene as data rates increase, and signal integrity deteriorates when frequencies reach into the multi-gigabit range. The degree of high-speed signal distortion becomes significantly greater as channel lengths become longer. Reducing the physical distance between daughtercards becomes a priority.

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Intelligent Transport Systems: The Smart Roadside

ITS strategies that contain electronic surveillance, communications, and traffic analysis and control technologies bring benefits to system users and managers. See how these initiatives will affect the connector industry.

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"We Have a Pulse!" An Update on the Medical Connector Market

While the United States remains the largest medical device market, medical company sales outside the country are slowly edging out domestic sales. US and European markets will no doubt retain their top-tier status in 2013, but medical device sectors across Asia appear primed for significant development this year. Jenny Bieksha puts the numbers under her microscope to diagnose the market’s potential.

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Medical Device Design: Challenges of Miniaturization and Harsh Rural-Clinic Environments

The usual design challenges for medical equipment — making them smaller, lighter, and more affordable while meeting safety and performance specifications — are compounded as the medical community moves its practice beyond traditional sterile exam rooms. Although the on-board systems in railway transportation applications represent high-volume, complex interconnect opportunities, it is important to address the basic building block of the ERMTS system, which begins with trackside collection of data.

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OFC/NFOEC Showcased Leading Connector Suppliersl

As in the past two years, 40/100G datacom and telecom connectors and cable assemblies were shown at the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) and National Fiber-Optic Engineers Conference (NFOEC), but this year, there were even more exciting new optical interconnects on display.

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European Train Control Systems Gone Global

Although the on-board systems in railway transportation applications represent high-volume, complex interconnect opportunities, it is important to address the basic building block of the ERMTS system, which begins with trackside collection of data.

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In Amongst the Chipheads: Connector Supplier Goes to DesignCon

The conference and expo’s 17th outing focused on system designs from the board on up. Bob Hult set out in the sea of Chipheads to find out what connector suppliers (and customers) are talking about right now and learn what’s next.

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Not Old, Just Older: Legacy Connectors in Current Designs

The connector industry may be focused on “the next big thing,” but its customers still rely on legacy connectors that were developed 10, 20, even 40 years ago. These connectors offer proven performance at commodity prices and won’t be pulled from product portfolios anytime soon. Connector Supplier will be highlighting those products throughout 2013, and to kick off the coverage, Raymond Yuen, Portfolio Director – Commercial at FCI Electronics, tracks the invention and development of standard connector designs that are still selling strong today.

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Who Ya Gonna Call for Automotive Connectors?

The trend in the automotive industry is clear: Vehicle electronics content is increasing rapidly, resulting in a need for robust, reliable, standardized, and affordable interconnects. Intelligent bus systems are replacing simple cable connections; intelligent distribution boxes are replacing simple ignitions. ABS systems, airbags, and satellite navigation are becoming standard equipment. Integrated information systems, computerized motor control management, and optoelectronic displays, along with other active safety systems, such as forward collision avoidance, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection, enhance safety, performance, and comfort. More