Selecting Connectors for Harsh Environments
LADD Industries

In a perfect electrical connector world, every heavy duty connector would be compact, hermetically sealed, resistant to temperature and vibration, easy to use and inexpensive. A design engineer would only need to know how many cavities, and what wire gauge is needed. Unfortunately, this is not the case and there is no universal connector that fits every application.

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Stahlin Introduces New Extensions for J Series Enclosures
Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures has extended its J series products to include the J100806 and JW100806. The Stahlin J series product line was developed as an industrial enclosure for harsh, aggressive environments.

Originally developed as an electrical junction box for the oil refining and petrochem industries, the J series has evolved over the years into a versatile industrial enclosure with varied applications both indoors and out. Rugged design combined with tough, durable materials, for reliability in tough environments are key attributes of this series.

The J and JW 100806 comes in over 14 configurations available for one size. IT features an integrally molded mounting flange, a full length piano hinge and Stahlin 300 series stainless steel hardware. Additional features include molded-in back panel and DIN rail mounting inserts, memory retaining polyurethane cover gasket and support gussets for added strength on the mounting flange.

New Dual Protection Gaskets from Leader Tech
The complex task of protecting sensitive electronics from adverse environmental conditions as well as unwanted electromagnetic interference can often be achieved by integrating a high-performance, conductive gasket into the enclosure package.

Leader Tech’s military-grade TechSIL 5000 Conductive Elastomers provide engineers with a customizable gasketing solution that offers a shielding effectiveness of up to 110 dB across wide temperature variations and environmental conditions.
 
The gasketing material is manufactured using proprietary formulations of both silicone and fluorosilicone rubber that is embedded with highly conductive fillers including: silver plated copper, silver plated aluminum, silver plated glass and nickel coated graphite. Leader Tech offers seven standard profiles of TechSIL 5000 gaskets as well as unlimited variations of extruded, molded, sheet stock and die-cut finishes.

New 100 W AC/DC Power Supplies in a 2 inch By 4 inch Footprint
Power Sources Unlimited has released its new TOP-100 series ac/dc power supplies, which feature 100 Watts of output power using convection cooling in a 50.8 mm by 101.6 mm industry standard footprint.

By meeting global safety and EMC standards, the TOP-100 series qualifies for a variety of worldwide markets. Approved for Class l and Class ll applications, these switchers are suitable for industrial and ITE systems but also for consumer products.

Standard features include an efficiency of more than 90 percent, which eliminates the need for a dedicated power supply cooling fan, low-leakage current, over-voltage protection, compliance with EN 61000-3-2 and EMI filter meets EN 55022, level B.

Low-Cost, Low-Resistance Connector
The Silver Zebra elastomeric connector from Fujipoly is a low-cost solution for most electronic packages that utilize a component-to-board or board-to-board design. The Zebra connector offers a current carrying capacity up to 0.700 amps per square 0.040 inches and exhibits a contact resistance of less than 0.50 ohms.
 
This interconnect device creates redundant electrical contact through a unique product design that incorporates 240 alternating layers of silver-filled conductive elastomer and non-conductive silicone material per inch of connector.  This precise construction provides a centerline pitch between layers of 0.004 inches (0.10 mm) and allows for 0.015 inches (0.381 mm) pad spacing on the PCB. 

New UPS Increases Reliability of Industrial PCs
Phoenix Contact’s newest uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is designed for use with industrial PCs (IPCs). The TRIO-UPS automatically restarts an IPC in the event of an extended power outage. This eliminates the need for maintenance personnel to physically restart the IPC on the factory floor.

With the TRIO-UPS’s adjustable DC voltage output time function, the IPC can continue operating through short interruptions of mains power. The charge unit and 5 A power supply are housed in a single DIN rail-mountable package, saving space.

Syracuse Opens Green Data Center with Cabinets Powered by Server Technology’s PDUs
Syracuse University recently opened a new Data Center that is being described by IBM as the greenest yet. The 12,000 square foot facility offers a comprehensive approach to energy efficiency and incorporates a microturbine engine fueled by natural gas, absorption chillers, the reuse of waste heat in nearby buildings, DC power distribution to power the IBM z10 mainframe, high efficiency 415 V 3-Phase power to power the devices within the cabinets, and rear-door liquid cooling for each cabinet. This new data center will serve as a test bed for energy efficient data center design, back by technology from IBM and financial support for the state of New York and is expected to use 50 percent less energy than a typical data center.

Though none of the specific technologies used in the Syracuse facility are new, the use of 415 V 3-Phase AC power is relatively new to North American Data Centers and offers a number of advantages. For increased efficiency 415 V 3-Phase power has two main advantages. First, in incoming power does not have to converted all the way down to 120 V before being delivered to the cabinets saving cost and power losses during the conversions. Second, by allowing higher voltages to be delivered to the devices within the cabinet they operate at greater efficiencies. Typically there is at least a 3 to 5 percent overall efficiency gain using 415 V 3-Phase power over typical 208 V 3-Phase power along with a reduction in infrastructure and other costs.

Also for high density applications a 415 V 3-Phase 30 A power whip delivers the same amount of power (17.3 kW derated) as a North American 208 V 3-Phase 60 A power whip. But there are a number of advantages with distribution of 30 A power over 60 A power like smaller cables and less expensive plugs and connectors.

Argus and Alpha Merge
Two power solutions companies, Alpha Technologies Ltd. and Argus Technologies Ltd., will merge to become Alpha Technologies Ltd. (Alpha). For more than two decades, both companies have consistently developed and delivered power solutions to the telecom, traffic, security and industrial sectors around the globe.

“This merger will help us solve our customers’ unique powering challenges more effectively by leveraging a combined product portfolio in UPS, power conversion, protection, backup and generation technologies. Providing our customer with one company to call for all their powering needs makes us easier to do business with,” said Mark Schnarr, CEO and president, Alpha Technologies Ltd. “It will also enable us to operate more efficiently, improve competitiveness and sustain growth. We remain committed to our goal of becoming the power solutions partner of choice for our customers.”

The merger, once completed, will see the combined enterprise relocated into a 10,500 square meter facility. The new head office location will house all facets of the merged company including sales, customer service, operations, manufacturing, technical support and engineering.

IQS Testing Purchased by the Compliance Management Group
Degree Controls, Inc. (DegreeC) has sold its IQS Testing business unit to The Compliance Management Group (CMG). CMG is a testing and engineering services company with an extensive customer base. The addition of IQS with its additional capabilities staff will make the combined service offerings very attractive to customers who are looking for that one stop solution. 

“As a result of this acquisition, clients will have expanded capabilities and services at their disposal, said Eric Wilbur, president, CMG. “CMG has made its mark providing EMC and reliability testing in industries like ITE, automotive, defense, aerospace and Test & Measurement. The addition of the IQS labs brings NEBS, thermal management, air flow testing and product safety testing into the fold making the CMG team a more effective choice.”

Caliente Earns ISO Certification in Quality Management Systems
Caliente LLC has earned International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification 9001:2008 in quality management systems. The company, which specializes in engineered thermal systems including heater pads, PTC blower heaters, thermoelectric coolers and heat pipe heat exchangers as well as specialty printed circuits, began the ISO effort in February 2009 with the goal of instilling better disciplines and communications within Caliente.

“We went into the process with the mindset that it would drive value at Caliente, which would drive value to our customers,” said Mike Kelly, president, Caliente. “We didn’t do it just to have the mark. We did it to make ourselves better.”

Remote 2010 Conference and Expo Call for Papers Announced

The Remote 2010 Conference and Expo (October 19-20, 2010, Gaylord Texan • Dallas, TX.) has announced its Call for Papers. This is your chance to educate attendees on leading advancements in the monitoring and management of distributed equipment and facilities, remote assets, automated process & system controls and device networks. Don’t miss out!

Conference sessions will provide solutions and examples from actual installations, cutting-edge technology direction and application strategies from the companies and users driving the growth in SCADA, M2M, device networking, data communications, networking, system & site security, remote monitoring and automated control, and onsite powering of distributed equipment, networks, facilities and infrastructure systems.

Call for Papers Website
Special consideration will be given to case study style presentations and end-user presenters.

Download the January/Febuary Issue of Electronics Protection Magazine

• Efficiency is the New Mother of Invention:
  Combating Thermal Issues with Next-Generation Tools
  
• Selecting Connectors for Harsh Environments
• Going Beyond Traditional Cooling for Telecom Equipment with “Smart” Fan Controls and High Performance Specifications
• 2010 Electronic Protection Resource Guide
• New Products and Services
  
  Download this Issue Here!

February 2010

3-5, RETECH 2010, Washington DC. Contact www.retech2009.com

8-11, CMSE Conference, Los Angelos, Calif. Contact www.cti-us.com/cmsemain.htm

21-25, SEMI-THERM 26, Santa Clara, Calif. Contact www.semi-therm.org

March 2010

7-11, Data Center World, Nashville, TN. Contact www.datacenterworld.com

9-11, 6th International Conference and Exhibition on Device Packaging, Scottsdale, Az. Contact www.imaps.org/devicepackaging

10-12, IWCE 2010, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact www.iwceexpo.com

16-17, Onsite Power World Africa, Johannesberg, South Africa Contact www.terrapinn.com/2010

16-18, Electric West 2010, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact www.electricshow.com

CMSE Conference
February 8-11, 2010
Los Angelos, Calif.

The CMSE Conference promotes advances in electronic components for military and space electronics.Organized by engineers for engineers and engineering management, this is the premier conference where military and space electronics issues are discussed. This 14th Annual Conference addresses components engineering and reliability while also emphasizing new technology and design practices.

The CMSE 2010 Conference has many excellent presentations on the latest information and practices for achieving improved performance and reliability in military electronics. This is the only conference addressing electronic components for the military and space industry. 

On February 8 there will be 2 Seminars 
1) Components Engineering - 201 
2) Equipment and Procedures for Detecting Counterfeit Components

The 6 Conference Sessions will address these topics Feb. 9-10
OEM Experiences & Avoidance of Counterfeits
BGAs & Packaging Issues
New Reliability Practices
Trusted Suppliers
Rad-Hard & Tolerant Electronics
Component Applications & Reliability 

Exhibition on Feb. 9-10 

On February 11 two Tutorials are presented 
1) Worst Case Circuit Analysis to Identify Critical Components
2) ESD/EOS Design & Protection for Military Electronics

APEC 2010
February 21-25, 2010
Palm Springs, Calif.

As The Premier Event in Applied Power Electronics™, APEC focuses on the practical and applied aspects of the power electronics business. This is not just a designer's conference, APEC has something of interest for anyone involved in power electronics:

• Equipment OEMs that use power supplies and dc-dc converters in their equipment
• Designers of power supplies, dc-dc converters, motor drives, uninterruptable power supplies, inverters and any other power electronic circuits, equipments and systems
• Manufacturers and suppliers of components and assemblies used in power electronics
• Manufacturing, quality and test engineers involved with power electronics equipment
• Marketing, sales and anyone involved in the business of power electronics
• Compliance engineers testing and qualifying power electronics equipment or equipment that uses power electronics

IWCE 2010
March 8-12, 2010
Las Vegas, NV

IWCE is the pre-eminent integrated communications systems event for the working world. Having the ability to receive the right information has never been more important. If you are responsible for the dependability, reliability and interoperability of your organization’s communication system, then IWCE is your must attend event.  IWCE provides the applications and systems you need in order to communicate anytime, anywhere. Make connections with 360+ leading edge exhibitors and collaborate in an educational environment that delivers meaningful information that allows you to do a better job. 

From Land Mobile Radio…to Wireless Mobility…Voice…Video…Data…and everything in-between…Communications Technology is Changing…and so is IWCE.

Register by February 5, 2010 and SAVE!

2010 IPC APEX EXPO
April 6-8
Las Vegas, Nev.

There’s No Other Show Like It in the World!
2010 IPC APEX EXPO™ — the world’s premier technical conference & exhibition for board design and manufacture, electronics assembly and test held in exciting Las Vegas!

More than 120 technical conference papers and professional development workshops designed to keep you on top of emerging technologies and industry research.

More than 80 standards development committee meetings make it possible for you to participate in the development of the standards that influence all aspects of printed boards and electronics assembly and manufacturing. Top industry suppliers showcasing the latest equipment, chemicals, materials, software and services. Join your colleagues and an international audience of more than 10,000 for education, valuable networking, and critical industry standards development.

Learn more at www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org

The Technology World in One Location!
Top design engineers, system engineers and technical managers from multiple markets and industries will be converging in Dallas this fall, October 18-20, to attend six leading technical events that are being co-located for the first time ever. Make plans today to attend!

Battery Power 2010 • Thermal Management & Technology Symposium
REMOTE Site & Equipment Management 2010 • Energy Efficiency Expo 2010
Antenna Systems 2010 • Electrical Manufacturing & Coil Winding Expo