Airline Hydraulics Corporation announced the expansion of its authorized sales territory to include Western New York and New England. Local industrial automation users will see increased Phoenix Contact product availability, application support, and access to Airline’s eCommerce, airlinehyd.com, for easy online ordering. The expansion is part of the Airline’s commitment to providing productivity and safety […]
Connector Tips
Harwin to showcases industrial connectors at Embedded World
Advanced interconnect specialist Harwin will be using the upcoming Embedded World event (Nuremberg, March 14-16) to focus on its newly defined BBi product portfolio. These high density board-to-board connectors are intended for use in challenging industrial applications, providing assured long-term operation. The BBi portfolio includes components for drives and controls, edge-based computing hardware, automation systems, […]
What’s special about connectors in quantum computers?
Quantum computers are expected to solve some of the world’s most complex problems. Fabricating interconnects is one of the most complex problems when building quantum computers. Quantum computers need connectors that can withstand cryogenic temperatures, with non-magnetic construction, that operate at microwave frequencies with low losses to reduce heating and improve data transfer. High-density hermetically […]
Where are liquid cooled connectors and connectors for liquid cooling used in EVs?
Liquid cooled connectors are used for carrying high power levels like those found in extreme fast charging (XFC) EV chargers. Connectors for liquid cooling are more common and used for cooling EV battery packs, cooling XFC EV charging stations, and other thermally demanding applications. This FAQ will review the performance and use cases for liquid […]
Rotary slip ring connectors — what are they used for?
Rotary slip ring connectors are important components in various applications like multi-axis robots in industry 4.0, wind turbines for sustainable green energy, machine tools, medical systems, and more. This FAQ considers how slip ring connectors differ from commutators, and looks at how mercury-wetted, pancake, and wireless slip ring connectors work. Their capabilities and reviews applications […]
How can connector sustainability be improved?
Before it became fashionable, connector makers were at the forefront of sustainability. It started with replacing cadmium plating to meet RoHS requirements and soon expanded to using plastic regrinds and bio-based plastics instead of 100% new plastics for connector bodies. Connector makers have more recently embraced new, more sustainable materials for high-performance contacts. This FAQ […]
How are terahertz connectors different?
Terahertz (THz) systems represent one of the next frontiers in electronics. THz applications are expected to include automotive advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for autonomous vehicles, next-generation telephony like 5G and 6G, augmented and virtual reality (AR & VR) technologies for the metaverse, and more. There will be numerous challenges to overcome in the development […]
How high pin-count socket connectors are supporting new processor-chip applications
Datacenter server processor chips have proven valuable as pluggable and removable devices for the socket connectors mounted to a server’s main PCB board. However, the number of contacts per socket connector has dramatically risen over the last few years. New chips offer 3000 to 5000 or more contact pads per flip chip. Typically, the socket […]
How the terabit class of pluggable cables and connectors is advancing
The world of gigabits began some 25 years ago, with a progression of interface lanes and links — from 100G and 200G to 400G and then 800G using IO standard and proprietary connectors and cables. Believe it or not, gigabit lanes were first used in 1999. Today, we’re entering the terabit phase with interface links […]
How do the three types of shielded cables work?
The three basic types of shielding for electromagnetic interference (EMI) in cables include strands of braided copper and similar metals, spiral shields, and foil or tape shields. They can be used separately or in combination. This FAQ begins with a review of the three types of shielding, then considers how they are used in combinations […]