M12 connectors are circular connectors with a 12-mm locking thread used for sensors, actuators, Fieldbus and industrial Ethernet, primarily in factory automation applications. Often with ratings ofIP65, IP68 and IP69K, they are ideal for washdown and corrosive environments. They are available with 3, 4, 5, 8 and 12 pins. While higher pin counts are not planned, […]
Basics
Behind TE Connectivity’s new Sliver internal cabled interconnects
Last month, TE Connectivity launched one of its thinnest assemblies for speeds of 25 Gbps (and even possibly 50 Gbps) with its new Sliver internal cabled interconnects. Offering a flexible design for making internal input/output (I/O) connections on the board, TE said this new technology simplifies design and helps lower overall costs by eliminating the […]
OSFP interconnect: what is it?
OSFP, Octal Small Formfactor Pluggable, is a very new module and interconnect system in development that is targeted to support 400-G optical data links inside datacenters, campuses and external metro long reach. The private consortium OSFP MSA group was founded by Google and is led by Arista Networks. This consortium already has more than 50 […]
What’s going on with COBO’s new inside-the-box module connectors?
The Consortium for On Board Optics, called COBO, is developing new inside-the-box standards for onboard optical interconnects first for inside high-speed datacenters. The primary driving elements of this type of packaging and connectivity is power/cooling costs savings and port count density versus the traditional pluggable module and AOC approaches. Their first application is being driven […]
Top 6 connector stories of the year
Interconnects, though often simple components, can be confusing to many engineers, who don’t study in-depth these critical components that help safely join machinery, cables and boards together. Not surprisingly, our readers turn to our “Connector Basics” section to find answers to some of their most common questions on how to select the right product for […]
What are nailhead pin interconnects?
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. I can’t describe how many times I sat across from an engineer describing his exotic approach to an interconnect challenge, only to show him that there is a much simpler, easier and cost effective approach to achieving the same result. It’s not the fault of the engineer, he […]
Molex and TE Connectivity announce Dual Source Alliance for high-speed I/O and backplane connectors
Two of the largest manufacturers of high-speed I/O and backplane manufacturers, Molex and TE Connectivity today announced that they have formed a Dual Source Alliance (DSA) agreement to each produce a new generation of high-speed input/output (I/O) and backplane connectors, and cable assemblies for data communications applications. Molex and TE will collaborate on the launch […]
How does height impact socket receptacle selection?
Many, many moons ago, as a young PCB designer, I remember my boss yelling at me to hurry up with my design. He kept barking “don’t worry about the connector, we’ll deal with it later, just put a ‘keep out’ area in that location and run the signals to dummy IO points.” There were so […]
What are the most common and cost-effective pin retention designs?
When selecting components for their applications, mechanical and electrical engineers, must understand some general guidelines for their PCB interconnect requirements. Below is a short list of nine of the most common and cost-effective pin retention designs and where they may be used. Press-Fit Barb — is specifically for non-plated through holes. This is the easiest and […]
What are the benefits of screw machine interconnects?
As Principal Engineer for a large connector manufacturer, each day I am challenged by electrical engineers and mechanical engineers to help bridge their leading edge technology from one module to another. I remember years ago, when the pin grid array went obsolete to the emerging QFP quad-flat pack, people said that “screw machine was a […]