In a meeting last week with a sales manger of a very well known connector manufacturer, I was told his prediction of the mains cable becoming obsolete in the next 10-15 years.

Furthermore, according to him, the whole interconnect industry is under threat as new technologies are making electronics smaller and the need for cables becoming a thing of the past.

That is quite a depressing thought especially if your job is to sell connectors! I personally don't agree with the first point as the ability to charge products without a cable requires a manufacturer to sell products that most people can't use because they don't have the means to power it. That's not really the point however; I understand what is being said. In the future at some point most products will probably not require cables as we know them today. For example, the mobile phone is fast becoming the do-it-all device that we all use and that is pretty much the point with regards to personal electronic devices.

So where does this leave us in the interconnection business? In my opinion the answer to this question is the same as it has always been for all industries that are mature. The textile manufacturers working from home that had to give way to the industrial might of the water-powered loom that eventually gave way to lower cost labour from overseas is exactly the same problem we face today.

Change and how we cope with it has and will always be our biggest challenge. When I first entered into the industry we were in the middle of a mass exodus of work being sent to the Far-East so I have only seen the industry in flux with many good companies being lost in the process.

There is a future for us and I believe a very good one. To take the example above of the textile industry we can turn the whole thing on its head. The idea of a bespoke garment being manufactured in the UK by an artisan and instantly we are thinking about high fashion and big prices. What a change.

This is where I see the future of our products turning away from mass production that is nice work if you can get it but the real future is in the specialist companies producing high quality parts using traditional methods. There will always be a demand for this, and a healthy one too. After all, you can't yet build a submarine or aeroplane without using cables.

Our challenge is to work out where we are different than the others and to focus of our individual strengths. It's always been the same in business and never more so than now. So I am not going to predict the end of our industry I am instead going to celebrate out ability to continue to produce high quality products to world class standards.

Something we get asked a lot is what we think of copy or generic connectors. In other words, connectors that are direct copies of branded connectors such as Molex, Tyco, JST and many more.

For many people looking to reduce costs generic connects often enable you to make savings anywhere between 30-50%.

Greater availability: the generic connectors generally do not have the same supply issues that mainstream manufacturers sometimes have so you are still able to maintain production.

Less susceptible to change: surprisingly enough, branded manufactures do like to introduce design changes to their products without letting you know, often cosmetic, sometimes physical. With generic connectors there is usually little or no design input so the design is very unlikely to change.

Some people like buying generics simply because they don't like paying what they consider to be over the top prices just for the label, just like in fashion.

Never wanting to show bias I do have to defend the branded connectors and while there are good reasons to buy generic the most powerful defence is design.

Part of the true cost of the connectors from brands is the R & D that goes into them. A great example of this is the 2.54MM pitch KK Connector from Molex. We call it industry standard. There are plenty of other 2.54MM pitch generic versions however, Molex was first.  All the costs for producing the newest innovation driving electronics smaller can only come from the premium price we pay for the branded connectors.

The choices are many, however. As usual, your expert cable assembly company will help you make the best decision for you. I personally believe that in this area as long as the generic connectors do not infringe on any IP or pertinent and is legal then the answer is what is best for you

In other words what is right for you is not necessarily right for someone else so get expert advice. After all, it's what we, the experts, are here for!

_ Back in 1952 when Cannon first introduced the D-Series connector to the market they could not have imagined that they are still being used as the connector of choice for many interconnect application.

 This simple yet ingenious design has stood the test of time simply because they are so useful for a married of connectivity solutions.

We all know the d-connector but how well do you know it? Leaving aside the different number of ways and densities there are many different types.  How many do you know?  Well here is a simple guide to what is available and to enable you to make better design choices in the future.

D-connectors (Mil Standard 24308) come in many different versions and I have chosen the top 5 you are moist likely to use.  

1:         Stamped & Formed Pin

The pins & sockets that are manufactured from a flat piece of metal (usually tinned brass) that is formed into the cylindrical shape of the contact.  This is the most common type of contact used in commercial connectors and typically has a 50 mating cycles.

2:         Machined Pin

Contacts are manufactured from a solid piece of metal (usually gold plated copper) that is machined into the shape of the contact.  This is a high quality contact designed for demanding applications.  These connectors carry in excess of 500 mating cycles.

3:         Crimp Contact

Crimp Contact D-Connectors are very popular in the high end harsh environment specifically in the military market.  Crimpling as apposed to soldering is generally seen as the termination method of choice for high end however, the arguments for and against are equally strong.

4:         IDC Connector

The IDC D-type is just about the easiest to terminate and has the added advantage of being quick to assemble making this a extremely popular choice for simple data transfer.  The main disadvantage is pin-outs are limited and cable choice is restricted to ribbon cable.

5:         Filtered Connector

Filtered connectors offer greater protection from EMI/RFI.   The connectors feature ceramic capacitor planar arrays and ferrite inductors to prevent interference and typically used in environments where clarity of signal is critical.  Connectors with filtering are by far the most expensive however, if interference is an option then filtering is a must.

I hope this information has been useful and will enable you to make better designs in the process.   When working with your approved cable assembly company be sure to ask them to offer their advice on which connector will be best for you.