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Smiths Interconnect Blog

Keep up to date on the latest updates and industry insights with Smiths Interconnect

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70 Results

  • How Rail electrification can contribute to emissions reduction
    10 Jan

    How Rail electrification can contribute to emissions reduction

    • By Joydip Sanyal and Chiara Pieri
    • January 10, 2022

    The great impetus given by the COP26 summit has raised the world's awareness of climate change and made it a global priority. It is today well-known that to halt the consequences of climate change we need to limit global warming to 1.5°C (34.7°F) above pre-industrial levels. As a result, all aspects of our lives are under scrutiny.

  • One World Web Coverage
    02 Feb

    The Internet of Space and radiation resistant transceivers

    • February 02, 2021

    The explosion of worldwide communications over the past 25 years has led to the pervasive use of mobile and land communications equipment with an abundance of platforms, applications, and devices all driving the growth of many of the largest businesses in the world. There is no doubt that this trend will continue through the Internet of Things (IoT), and the arrival of the 5G technology along with improvements to the underlying network infrastructure. However, the next, ‘Small Step’ for man in terms of ubiquitous communications will be the ‘Giant Leap’ into the Internet of Space.

  • WCLSP Testing
    14 Dec

    Accelerating Device Bring-Up and Production Ramp for WLCSP 5G Mobile IC’s

    • By Rick Marshall
    • December 14, 2020

    As mobile phone electronics continue to shrink, WLCSP has become the de-facto packaging solution for IC’s going into today’s flagship handsets. Manufacturers need solutions to rapidly debug their new silicon, and quickly ramp it to HVM while achieving aggressive DPPB quality levels.

  • Space Missions
    03 Jun

    Expanding the Frontier

    • By Roberta Rebora
    • June 03, 2020

    As Space Missions evolve, so do Smiths Interconnect’s light and compact connectivity solutions.

  • rail mobility
    22 Jan

    The evolution of rail mobility and where the performance of components is critical.

    • By Chiara Pieri
    • January 22, 2020

    The request for faster, safer and more comfortable services has grown proportionally in the rail industry over the recent years and the last two decades have seen exponential growth in the use of technology towards the evolution of very sophisticated transport system where the performance of components is more and more critical.

  • Optical interconnect for high-speed, high- bandwidth 10GigE and 40GigE cameras used in machine vision.
    27 Jun

    Taking the Fast Bridge between Neural Networks

    • By Lynnette Reese,
    • June 27, 2019

    Neural networks have been around since the 1950s. The advent of fast, massively parallel processors like the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) have made neural network applications like object recognition feasible. Neural networks are one means used to create Artificial Intelligence (AI). The latest iPhones now have an AI chip, primarily to offload face recognition tasks.1 Voice translation tasks would also benefit from an AI chip. Google provides voice translation as long as there is access to a cloud. The ability to translate directly from a phone without requiring Internet access to Google engines would be advantageous, and it’s possible that the iPhone is headed in that direction.

  • 3U and 6U OpenVPX carrier cards for XMC , PMC and AcroPack I/O mezzanine modules (courtesy Acromag)
    16 Jun

    VPX Technology Development Trends

    • By John Koon
    • June 16, 2019

    Security is a critical challenge for a wide range of embedded systems applications. System integrators must optimize operational capability, maximize competition for systems development, ensure interoperability, and maintain commonality to reduce life-cycle cost.

  • BGA electrical interface
    03 Jun

    Understanding the Test Criteria of Optical Fiber Transceivers Used in Space

    • By Jocelyn “Justin” Lauzon,
    • June 03, 2019

    In space, high performance components must be able to deliver reliably in the punishing environment. It is optical transceivers that drive transmissions, converting signals to and from a copper-resident format. Fiber optics communications provide high bandwidth and low latency signaling. Signal transmissions through fiber optic cables (FOCs) provide immunity to EM/RFI interference, crosstalk, and voltage level surges. Fiber optics’ accuracy and reliability exceeds traditional cabling. Covering 1,000 feet requires four pounds of FOC versus 39 pounds of copper wiring, and fiber optics also consume less energy than copper. To convert electrical signals from circuitries with copper output to fiber optics, optical fiber transceivers are usually required.

  • LightCONEX_43
    01 Nov

    Overcome Challenges in Embedded Optical Interconnects Design

    • By Gerald Persaud and David Rolston
    • November 01, 2018

    The above article has outlined the advantages and challenges of using fiber optical interconnects. To use fiber optic cables, the electrical signals need to be converted to light signals using fiber optic transceivers. While there are many challenges to embedded fiber optics design, the benefits are substantial. The guidelines and design check list provided will help developers select the best solutions for their needs.

  • Space Flare
    23 Sep

    Optical Interconnect Design Challenges in Space

    • By Guillaume Blanchette, David Rolston
    • September 23, 2018

    Aeronautical applications face many design challenges that are unique to their intended environment. The best practices for optical interconnect design for space applications include the use of radiation-resistant technology to defend against space radiation, the use of components and devices that are designed to operate in harsh environments, and meeting size, weight, and power (SWaP) and long-term reliability requirements. Finally, it is recommended to follow open standards like VPX and to look for solutions that comply with MIL and quality standards.