While connectors are essential components of nearly every electronic application, they can be easily overlooked by design teams as they focus their initial prototyping efforts on the critical functionality provided by processors, controllers, and other semiconductors. What’s more, for many engineers, connector design and implementation is often outside, or at best adjacent, to their core […]
Featured Contributions
Addressing zonal architecture challenges in the automotive industry
The automotive industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation, driven by the rise of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and their pivotal role in shaping the future of mobility. Consumers now demand seamless personalization, digital integration, advanced automation, constant connectivity, and environmentally sustainable solutions in their vehicles. To meet these expectations and stay competitive, OEMs must rethink traditional […]
From extreme to mainstream: how industrial connectors are evolving to meet today’s harsh demands
The industrial and embedded systems world is undergoing a rapid transformation, placing unprecedented demands on system design and component selection. These systems, which once operated under relatively stable conditions, are now expected to function reliably in harsher environments, with tighter tolerances, and with far greater data loads due to the proliferation of industrial IoT systems. […]
The case for vehicle 48 V power systems
Moving from 12 to 48 V systems will reduce vehicle weight through thinner, lighter cables. Tradeoffs include more stringent safety requirements. As vehicles integrate advanced features such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, and electric turbocharging, the limitations of traditional 12 V systems become increasingly evident. To meet these and other power-hungry applications, […]
SMP3 vs. SMPS: why two standards?
The SPM3 and SMPS RF coax connectors are similar but slightly different. They are not entirely interchangeable, so we have two standards. If you research SMP3 and SMPS RF coax connectors, you might conclude that they are the same, completely interoperable, and interchangeable. They are indeed quite similar, with comparable performance specs and dimensions. Both […]
mmWaves bring interconnect challenges to 5G and 6G
Signals in the mmWave range require extra care and more expensive components than at sub-6 GHz frequencies. Data demands keep pushing for more bandwidth in wireless networks, and this trend will surely continue. AI, autonomous vehicles, AR/VR, and other technologies will see to that. The mmWave spectrum allocated for 5G can meet the bandwidth needs, […]
Ensuring integrity in high-performance interconnects with connector backshells
This article examines how modern backshell technologies contribute to high-performance interconnects’ electrical and mechanical integrity and some key factors to consider during the specification phase. Today’s aerospace, defense, and medical applications demand connectors that offer high-speed and compact interconnections, withstand vibrations and shocks, and maintain immunity against electromagnetic and RF interference (EMI/RFI). Achieving this requires […]
DCI pluggable connectors support evolving applications
IO interface groups are supported by AI developers, HPC, Enterprise, and other market segment leaders, driving connector/cabling solutions using higher speed rates, varying lane counts, and pin counts. Besides supporting the very high volume pluggable Hyperscale market segment, various pluggable connector systems support other new applications and network topologies that are driving the use of […]
How mmWaves affect cables, connectors, and PCB traces
Millimeter-wave signals used in 5G networks provide wide bandwidth and high data rates. Signal losses, both over the air and through interconnects, bring design challenges. by Ketan Thakkar, Cinch Connectivity Millimeter wave (mmWave) signals offer engineers countless application possibilities, including ranging, object detection, and mapping. Unfortunately, mmWaves bring numerous design challenges. Not only do mmWave […]
Smarter, safer, cheaper: How Ethernet will enable the car of the future
The implementation of Ethernet as a universal standard throughout the automotive industry can optimize vehicle performance by reducing the number of electronic control units (ECUs) and associated wiring, thus enabling a smarter, cheaper, and safer future car. It has become a common refrain among buyers of new cars to say, “It feels like I’m driving […]
