The greatest difficulty in deploying RF-over-fiber systems in military applications has been the lack of ruggedized fiber optic connectors capable of meeting the stringent return-loss requirements needed for quality signal transmissions.      Governments around the world are squeezing defense budgets to reduce spending. Defense departments are pushing systems manufacturers to provide increasingly capable andRead More

The OFC show will mirror a dynamic and growing industry say organizers of this year’s event.      [quote]“With escalating bandwidth needs each year and the constant change in data rates from 10G to 40G to 100G, if you don’t attend even just one year of OFC, you are actually missing out. You are missingRead More

DesignCon 2016 featured 33 interconnect manufacturers, all concentrating on ever-higher speeds and improved signal integrity.   DesignCon 2016 opened in the shadow of preparations for Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium, directly across the street from the Santa Clara Convention Center. With more than 160 exhibitors and 4,800 pre-registered attendees, the exposition and conference continuesRead More

Given consumer demand for mobile products that offer more services in real time, designers need to take advantage of the most effective technologies available – wireless and photonic.   They say oil and water don’t mix, and for the most part that is true. To some degree, the challenges associated with mixing wireless connectivity andRead More

If you weren’t lucky enough to attend DesignCon, here’s your guide to the major product announcements made at the show.   DesignCon 2016 is in the books, and the show did not disappoint when it came to showcasing the latest technology. TE Connectivity TE Connectivity showed a range of industry-leading data communications connectivity solutions, withRead More

The DesignCon show floor opens today, so we spoke with some of the exhibitors to find out what they expect will be the hot technologies in this year’s Expo Hall.   Did you enjoy your workshops and survive your bootcamps? Well, slip on your walking shoes because the DesignCon show floor opens today, and there is so muchRead More

40-gigabit applications over various media types are intended to reduce bottlenecks by providing improved speed within and between data centers.     The exponential growth of Internet and mobile device data traffic has had a huge impact on data center servers, high-performance computing clusters, and network storage equipment that serve and manage this traffic. 40-gigabit applicationsRead More

As enterprises begin to adopt passive optical LAN (POL) technology, they face a number of design and implementation challenges and choices.     When it comes to premises networks made of fiber, system integrators, installers, and customers are faced with choosing between pre-terminated plug-and-play fiber assemblies or terminating the fibers to length on site duringRead More

Today, redundancy is the de facto standard for any network cabling system, and there are a variety of ways to accomplish it.     Years ago it seemed as if disaster preparedness and redundant cabling systems were considered forward-thinking (and something of a luxury) for many network and data center owners and operators. Today, however,Read More

Learn more about the latest lightweight COTS options for mixed-layout connectors from Erich Reichenbach of Reichenbach International.     Connectors for the military should be small, lightweight, rugged, reliable, and versatile as they are exposed to various demanding applications and environments. Here are some suggestions for specifying military COTS connectors. Size, Weight, and Shape By conserving fuel, aRead More

Fiber optic cable may be the best way to achieve the effective monitoring and control necessary to ensure efficiency in offshore wind turbines.   One of the major challenges facing power generation from renewable energy sources is continuous and cost-effective operation. In the case of wind turbines, both offshore and onshore, this cost-effectiveness depends onRead More

The rapid growth of cloud computing requires data centers to scale up, but traditional copper presents limitations in distance, bandwidth, and efficiency.   The business of today’s data-driven world is being conducted in the Cloud. The rapid growth of cloud computing requires data centers to dramatically scale up in order to handle the oceans ofRead More