From live theater and recorded music to video wall backdrops, connectors and cables play an essential role in the entertainment industry. To make sure the show goes on, these components must be rugged as well as precise and evolve to meet the latest trends in media. Before Brant Mathiason worked in the connector industry, heRead More

Overmolded cable assemblies help ensure the integrity of mission-critical signal transmission in navigation, data, power, communication, and control systems. Learn how to specify this essential element of primary and secondary flight control designs. Article Contributed by Robert Grzib Signal integrity, which measures the quality of an electrical signal, is inarguably the most critical factor toRead More

The process of ensuring signal integrity is not a precise science. Even the tiniest nuance anywhere along a channel can cause reflections, crosstalk, or prohibited levels of emitted radiation. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, designers of high-speed digital circuits could quickly verify performance by building a physical “breadboard” prototype. EngineersRead More

Eye diagrams are an indispensable tool for optimizing digital communications systems and components. They enable engineers to diagnose issues, fine-tune performance, and ensure compliance with industry standards. Eye diagrams are a test used to analyze the fidelity of high-speed digital transmissions. By overlaying multiple instances of a signal’s waveform, the test provides a visual representationRead More

Connector companies are bringing new technology advances, including AI, to railways in the U.S. and abroad, making them safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective. Much of the current rail infrastructure in the U.S. is based on systems that have been in use for half a century or more, due to the industry’s notable hesitation toRead More

Magnetic and breakaway connectors are highly valued for their quick-connect and quick-release usability. In medical devices, they enhance safety, efficiency, and reliability in fast-paced environments. In medical equipment, the use of specialty connector types including push-pulls, keyed and coded interfaces, and magnetic connectors can make a difference in quality of care. There’s a direct connectionRead More

Adding EMI shielding to connectors prevents electromagnetic noise from becoming a problem. Signal speeds in all types of electronic devices have been getting faster and faster as devices from smartphones to medical equipment to automobiles process greater volumes of data. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a type of unwanted noise in an electrical net generated byRead More

Can signal integrity (SI) performance be improved by using a connector with a paddle card? In a test case, a paddle card with high SI performance is combined with a low connector height to achieve an ideal solution. Infrastructure telecommunications equipment, such as servers and switches, has become increasingly faster for enterprise computing environments. Therefore, signalRead More

New technologies make this latest protocol more efficient by addressing reliability, lower latency, greater throughput, battery life, and security. Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), released in 2019, is the latest wireless standard currently available. While it is faster than its predecessors, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), the main concern during its development was not actuallyRead More

As personal medical devices follow the path of consumer electronics, product miniaturization has made it easy for patients to integrate these technologies into their lives. Medical machines for hospital settings are also scaling down and becoming available to more facilities. Micro and miniaturized interconnects play a key role in enabling these medical equipment trends. TheRead More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights ZIF/LIF from leading suppliers. ZIF/LIF The 6824 Series from KYOCERA AVX of FPC/FFC connectors was developed for the internal connection of mobile equipment such as digital cameras, tablet PCs, smartphones, and game consoles. Despite their low-profile and space-saving features, FPC or PCB layouts have fewer restrictions due to dual-sided contacts.Read More

This week’s Product Roundup highlights AOC/DAC/ACC assemblies from leading suppliers. AOC/DAC/ACC Avnet supplies 3M’s Twin Axial PCIe Extender Assemblies for PCIe 4.0 applications. This family of cable assemblies includes X8 and X16 connectors utilizing 3M Low Loss Twin Axial Cable 85 ohm, 31 AWG, which is ideal for PCIe applications. With their extremely tight bendRead More