TTI Acquires U.K. Connector Distributor Flightspares
February 2010—TTI Inc. has acquired United Kingdom-based Flightspares Electronics Ltd., a specialty distributor of interconnect products for the railway and military/aerospace market segments. Flightspares is recognized as a major distributor for Tyco Electronics in the U.K. and Ireland.

Gene Conahan, European president for TTI, said, “This acquisition strengthens our approach to growing our connector business, especially with Tyco Electronics, and the added capabilities with Flightspares, especially with their specialized technical expertise, will open new customer opportunities for TTI. We have terrific growth opportunities in connectors, and the talent of Flightspares’ personnel will strengthen our ability to become a leader in the interconnect market.”

“We are delighted to become a part of the growing TTI family. We both share the philosophy of being focused, specialized distributors, and this partnership will not only give us expanded opportunities to grow with TTI, but it will also be a positive move forward for our employees,” said Paul Green, managing director, Flightspares.

This purchase marks the third acquisition by TTI since being purchased by Berkshire Hathaway in 2007.

For more information, visit www.ttiinc.com.

Digi-Key Corporation Announces Application for iPhone
 February 2010—Digi-Key Corporation has released a new Digi-Key application for iPhone that will make it easier than ever to do business with the company.

This free application, available to iPhone and iPod touch users in the App Store on iTunes, is the passkey to Digi-Key’s large inventory of in-stock electronic components. This new application is designed to help design engineers and purchasers search for parts, create shopping carts, place orders, access their My Digi-Key accounts, get product specifications, view product photos, learn about new products and new technologies at Digi-Key, and more.

Tony Harris, vice president of e-Commerce at Digi-Key, said, “Making our customers’ jobs easier by providing them with not only an unprecedented selection of in-stock electronic components, but also the information they need to make sound purchasing decisions continues to be our goal. Giving them access to Digi-Key in this mobile format is just one more way of doing that.”

For more information, visit www.digikey.com.

PEI-Geneis Assembles Multi-Pin Hazardous-Area Connectors in 48 hours
February 2010—International assembling distributor PEI-Genesis has expanded the range of products it stocks from manufacturer Amphenol Industrial Operations to include the Amphe-EX series of ATEX-approved multi-pin hazardous-area connectors. PEI-Genesis is able to assemble, test, and ship the Amphe-EX connectors in less than 48 hours from receipt of order.

Specifically designed for use in harsh environments, such as oil and gas exploration, petrochemical plants, and fuel storage sites, Amphe-EX is an extremely versatile miniature connector that accepts copper, coaxial, or fiber-optic contacts. The connectors can be specified with RJ45 or USB inserts for applications such as data acquisition, process control, communications systems, and embedded computers.

Capable of withstanding the most extreme environments, the Amphe-EX connectors feature machined aluminium components plated with a hard anodic coating for superior resistance to heat, corrosion, and scratching. They utilize a double-lead threaded coupling and are IP68-rated to provide maximum protection against the ingress of dust and fluids.

Available connector styles include in-line receptacles, panel-mount receptacles, and straight plugs, in seven shell sizes ranging from 9 to 21. The connectors can be specified with crimp contacts in five sizes, from 22D to 10, and a wide variety of insert patterns.

All Amphe-EX connectors are ATEX, AEX, and IEC-certified for Zone 1-rated applications and flameproof compliant to EN60079-0 and EN60079-1.

For more information, visit www.peigenesis.co.uk.

Digi-Key Stocks Tyco Electronics’ New .312” Series FASTON Receptacles
 February 2010—Digi-Key Corporation now has stock on the following Tyco Electronics’ ergonomically designed .312” series FASTON receptacle connectors:

  • 1969186-1 (Digi-Key #A100200-ND) Female Receptacle, 1-position, Black

  • 1969186-2 (Digi-Key #A100201-ND) Female Receptacle, 1-position, Natural

The .312” series FASTON single-position receptacle housing is designed to protect the .312” series FASTON receptacles. The receptacles mate with .312” series quick-connect tabs in commercial and industrial components. The connector may be purchased in two material (V0 or V2) and color options to fulfill application requirements. The connectors accept premier or premier low insertion force receptacles.

Typical applications for the .312” series of FASTON receptacles include residential laundry, HVAC heating elements, vehicle lighting, off-highway, and lawn and garden equipment. The ergonomic design allows for a contoured pushing surface for mating and enables engineers to properly position and adjust for loading and mating. The protected internal terminal locking feature provides secure retention and includes an anti-reverse component to reduce the possibility of improper terminal assembly.

For more information, visit www.digikey.com.

New IPC Standard Helps Define How Clean Is Clean
 February 2010—How clean is clean when it comes to printed circuit boards and assemblies? While John Perry, IPC technical project manager, can enumerate a litany of complex variables that come into play with that question, a new cleaning standard, IPC-5704, Cleanliness Requirements for Unpopulated Printed Boards, defines the requirements for the cleanliness of unpopulated single, double-sided, and multilayer printed boards.

A vital complement to the June 2007 release of IPC-5702, which describes factors to consider when determining what tests to run for assessing the impact/risk of residues on long-term life (e.g., end-use environment, design/service life, and technology involved), IPC-5704 provides the hard specifications and requirements for maximum limits of ionic contamination using ion chromatography testing. In addition, IPC-5704 delivers industry guidance on cleanliness testing for product acceptance and process control, verifying that all equipment and chemistries are stable.

“The cleanliness of a printed board can directly impact the effectiveness or quality of an assembled printed board,” explains Perry. “Residues increase the risk of field failures or can electrically impede a printed board’s function, so having acceptance criteria for various levels of testing, as well as direction on how many samples should be tested, is extremely important.”

The new cleanliness standard references the new test procedure that should be used in conjunction with IPC-5704 to measure the level of anionic and cationic residues on the surface of unpopulated (bare) printed boards by ion chromatography.

For more information on IPC-5704, visit www.ipc.org/ipc-5704 or contact Perry at JohnPerry@ipc.org

OpenVPXT System Specification Ratified by VITA Standards Organization
 February 2010—The VITA Standards Organization (VSO) working group responsible for the VITA 65 OpenVPXT System Specification has ratified the specification. The specification now meets the final criteria, enabling balloting to proceed for ANSI ratification.

The VITA 65 working group received the original body of work from the OpenVPX Industry Working Group in October of 2009. At the January VSO meeting, the required number of approvals was achieved, officially recognizing the specification as ratified by the VSO.

VPX is a broadly defined technology utilizing the latest in a variety of switch fabric technologies in 3U and 6U format modules. OpenVPX is the architecture framework that defines system-level VPX interoperability for multivendor, multimodule, and integrated system environments. The OpenVPX framework delineates clear interoperability points necessary for integrating module-to-module, module-to-backplane, and chassis. OpenVPX recommends but does not specify development systems to assist in VPX system evaluation, prototyping, and development. OpenVPX will evolve and incorporate new fabric, connector, and system technology as new standards are defined.

“This is a major step forward in the process of reaching our final goal,” said Hybricon’s Neil Peterson, chairman of the VPX Marketing Alliance. “VSO ratification means that we now have a solid specification that can enable designs of compliant products to move forward, and we anticipate ongoing product releases of OpenVPX compliant products from our member companies.”

The working group will now submit the specification to a larger body of interested parties for balloting as part of the process to gain ANSI ratification. This process is expected to take two to three months, after which the specification will be available to designers.

Companies that develop VPX products may contact VITA to join the VPX Marketing Alliance. For more information, visit www.vita.com/vpx.

Würth Elektronik Connectors are UL-Certifiied
February 2010—Würth Elektronik connector range has now been certified to bear the UL® mark by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. Connectors, such as pin headers, box headers, ZIF connectors, terminal blocks, USBs, RJ45s, D-subs, etc., now appear as UL-listed components under the following files: 

“These certifications validate that the products meet strict engineering standards and are an important step for the global development of our connector products,” said Romain Jugy, connector product manager, Würth Elektronik.

All catalog products are in stock, and samples are free. For more information, visit www.we-online.com.
 

 
 

 
 

Bishop & Associates, Inc. © 2010