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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The Need for Speed: Rugged Mobile Devices in the Military

One of the earliest adopters of rugged handheld computers was the US military, and today the military remains one of the largest users of these devices. Military personnel all over the world use wireless handheld computers to take inventory of supplies and equipment, record inspection and maintenance data, manage shipments, and support other military operations.

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Ethernet Networks Progress to 400 Gb/s

Recently, the IEEE 802.3 Higher Speed Ethernet Consensus Ad Hoc group decided to focus its efforts on the next data rate of 400 Gb/s. The evolution of Ethernet technology has been nothing short of remarkable: The next speed is in development before the current one has even reached the masses.

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Consumer Electronics in Transition

When the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show opened in Las Vegas last month, many were watching for the “next big thing,” not just from Apple but from many challengers. What does all this mean for the connector industry? John MacWilliams takes a closer look at the market’s opportunities.

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Who Ya Gonna Call for Heavy-Duty Industrial Connectors?

Heavy-duty connectors are used wherever there is a need for a secure, robust, simple, yet easily removable connection for signal or power between machinery and facilities. The connector housings are made of die-cast aluminum and offer excellent protection against dirt, moisture, and mechanical stress. Modular connectors make it possible to integrate signal, power supply, pneumatics, and data connections into a single connector. More