Last night, at the LEAP Awards dinner gala in Costa Mesa, Calif., 11 winners were announced for the first annual awards competition. In the category of Connectivity, Fischer Connectors’ Freedom LP360 connector garnered the highest award.

In selecting the LP360, judges noted: “A breakthrough signal and power connector with easy mating and easy cleaning that maximizes usability, efficiency and performance. This product changes the way of fast connection without looking. I think that this will change the way connectors and connectivity is done. A simple and great solution … very clever and useful product.”

The judges for the Connectivity category were: Plamen Doynov, Research Professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Kristin Morris, Lead Electrical Engineer, Pacific Diabetes Technologies; Bill Schweber, Engineer, Author, Editor, Jaffa Engineering; and Michael Torres, Chief Avionics Support Equipment Engineer, Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Div. Point Mugu.

As reported last month, the Fischer LP360 connector is the first product of the brand-new Plug & Use Fischer Freedom series launched in June 2018. It is a breakthrough signal and power connector with easy mating and easy cleaning that maximizes usability, efficiency and performance. No key code for 360° mating freedom optimizes cable management.

Membrane-sealed contacts ensure a fully cleanable plug and receptacle. Low profile allows for easy integration. It features:

• Mating: no key code allows for 360° mating “freedom”
• Locking: ball-locking mechanism with sealing and variable pre-defined force (patent pending)
• Materials: specially designed pins on the plug are IP68 sealed with a membrane (patent pending)

The new product line makes end users’ lives easier by reducing cognitive, weight and reliability burdens thanks to:

• Easy mating: Mating the Fischer LP360 becomes as intuitive as buttoning up a vest – without compromising on the high-performance reliability required in harsh environments.
• Easy cleaning: The new connector is fully cleanable (both plug and receptacle), and is easy to use and maintain with a faster set up and improved durability.
• Easy Integration: Thanks to its compact and low-profile design, the Fischer LP360 is easy to integrate into clothing with devices and subsystems; via the panel-mounted plug interface, cables can even be removed completely, and the connector can be directly integrated into the housing of devices like a camera, a sensor, a light, or GPS. In certain applications, the need for cable can be eliminated completely.

The other finalists were:

• Cicoil’s Micro IDC Ribbon Cable
• I-PEX Connectors’ MHF I LK Micro RF Coaxial Connector
• Silicon Labs’ Wireless Gecko SoC

Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists and winners!