Winners of the LEAP Awards have been announced for the second annual awards competition. In the Connectivity category, Harting’s ix Industrial – Mini Ethernet Connector has taken the gold. This is the most recent award of many for this technology by the German-based company.

The RJ45 connector has been the standard Ethernet interface in IP20 environments for many years. However, as the demand for smaller devices and sensors increases, the RJ45’s size limits the potential for miniaturization. This is why Harting developed the ix Industrial mini RJ45 Ethernet connector, which is a smaller and more rugged connector than the standard RJ45. It also offers Cat. 6A performance for 1/10Gbit/s Ethernet at the control Level.

The socket size of the ix Industrial is 70% smaller than the standard RJ45 and enables device manufacturers to use the ix Industrial in much smaller devices, making it a “mini RJ45.” For device integration, a small yet robust socket with five THR shielding contacts is available for maximum stability on the PCB. The ix Industrial features stable latching through the use of two metal hooks, and together with the new socket ensures an absolutely secure and vibration-proof connection from the cable to the circuit board — for a minimum 5,000 mating cycles.

In regards to device wiring, users can take advantage of flexible, thin system cables with a tight bending radius. The ix Industrial can be assembled with the mating face on both ends or mixed, i.e. with the ix Industrial and the RJ45 connector on opposite ends. This enables a gradual adaptation of individual elements in the control level without the need to directly revise all systems.

The Harting ix Industrial interface is also standardized in accordance with IEC/PAS 61076-3-124.

ON Semiconductor took silver for its RSL10 Solar Cell Multi-Sensor platform, which is a comprehensive development platform that enables Bluetooth-connected IoT applications powered solely from a solar cell, without the need for batteries. The RSL10 Multi-Sensor platform provides a complete solution for connected sensors in Smart Buildings, Smart Homes, and Industry 4.0. Based on the industry’s lowest power Bluetooth Low Energy radio, manufacturers can now develop entirely battery-free edge nodes with continuous sensor technology. The platform features multiple environmental and motion sensors, and provides battery-free Bluetooth Low Energy transmission of sensor information for applications such as HVAC control, air quality monitoring and window & door sensors.

Finally, Silicon Labs took Bronze for its EFR32 series 2 Wireless Gecko Portfolio, which  is designed to make Internet of Things (IoT) products more powerful, secure and reliable. Built on the proven RF and multiprotocol capabilities of the Wireless Gecko platform, the new Series 2 IoT connectivity portfolio includes small-form-factor wireless SoCs featuring an Arm Cortex-M33 processor, a dedicated security core and an on-chip radio delivering 2.5 times the wireless range of competing solutions.

As the adoption and diversity of IoT devices continue to grow, developers seek flexible connectivity solutions that help them quickly bring differentiated products to market while reducing cost and design complexity. The Series 2 portfolio delivers on this need and improves multiple design elements including wireless performance, reliability, software reuse and enhanced security to speed IoT development, deployment and adoption of the IoT.

The first Series 2 products include EFR32MG21 SoCs supporting multiprotocol, Zigbee, Thread and Bluetooth mesh networking, and EFR32BG21 SoCs dedicated to Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth mesh connectivity. These SoCs provide application-optimized solutions for a wide range of line-powered IoT products including gateways, hubs, LED lights, voice assistants and smart electric meters.

Series 2 SoCs include best-in-class security features that enable developers to implement robust security in IoT products. A dedicated secure core delivers faster, more energy-efficient cryptography with differential power analysis countermeasures and a NIST-grade true random number generator. Secure Boot with Root of Trust and Secure Loader (RTSL) technology prevents malware injection and ensures authentic firmware execution. Secure Debug with lock/unlock allows authenticated access for enhanced failure analysis.