THE SAMTEC BLOG
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Here are the May 2026 Website Updates to Samtec.com
Last month, we rolled out a brand new products page experience, user experience updates to several key online tools, upgraded our project list feature, and released a new development kit. Here were the major updates to Samtec.com for May 2026. Brand New Products Page Experience In mid-May, we rolled out…
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The Science of Optical Interconnects, Part 1
Why Copper Is Running Out of Road The history of electronics is full of predictions that turned out to be wrong. One of my favorites dates back to the early days of structured networking. Around thirty years ago, I attended a training course on premises wiring. At the time, 100…
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Hardware Pioneers Max and the Changing Face of UK Electronics
The Hardware Pioneers Max exhibition is just a few weeks away. It started as a community meetup for engineers involved in the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected devices. Over the last decade, it has evolved into something much bigger. That evolution is reflected in this year’s move to ExCeL…
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June Tradeshows: IMS, Hardware Pioneers, New Tech, and More
RF and microwave (IMS), smart and connected devices (Hardware Pioneers), and the largest high-tech exhibition in Israel (New Tech) lead a busy month of Samtec conferences and exhibitions in June. Here’s the complete list. IMS June 9-11 | Boston | website Visit Samtec in booth #14036 to learn about our…
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Glass mmWave RF Interconnects
Glass Core Technology (GCT) is Samtec’s ability to design and manufacture quick‑turn, extremely small, advanced glass interconnects that support millimeter wave frequencies through D‑band (170 GHz) and higher. To achieve this we leverage state-of-the-art, 100% in-house, semiconductor-style processing techniques including patterning circuits onto glass and formation of our patented through-glass…
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Angled Launch, 1.85 mm Connectors for Test and Measurement
High‑frequency test setups demand more than a connector that simply meets a frequency rating. Mechanical reliability, predictable and repeatable performance, and ease of use are essential, especially as designs become more challenging at 67 GHz and beyond. Samtec’s 1.85 mm 30‑degree angled launch compression mount connector (185-AL Series) is engineered with these…
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Samtec and iWave Discuss High-Speed Capabilities of SGET oHFM in Upcoming Webinar
In the past few weeks, I have found myself attending several FPGA-themed technical events. Adam Taylor brought his fast-growing FPGA Horizons event to New England. AMD is in the middle of its Embedded Computing Summit series. FPGAs are everywhere, or so it just seems. FPGA-based designs offer many advantages. They…
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Anritsu Characterizes Samtec High-Speed Interconnects in Live Demo
Anritsu and Samtec teamed up at DesignCon 2026 and demonstrated how Anritsu’s scalable, production-ready signal integrity test equipment can characterize large numbers of Samtec high-speed interconnect paths. In this brief video, Krishna Krishore (Anritsu) and Matt Burns (Samtec) review the products and processes in the live demonstration. Anritsu Scalable Signal…
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Why Industry Standards Matter More Than Ever in High-Speed Design
Modern electronic systems are evolving at an extraordinary pace. Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, industrial automation, edge processing, and advanced embedded systems are all driving major increases in bandwidth, processing power, and overall system complexity. In this environment, industry standards have become more important than ever. Industry standards are no longer…
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Here are the April 2026 Website Updates to Samtec.com
In April, we released an update to our Reserve page, added additional content to our Robotics section, upgraded the CSS in a portion of our Picture Search, and made a gigantic update to our Series and Part Pages. Here are the major updates to Samtec.com for April 2026. Updated Samtec…
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New High-Density 130 GHz Test Point System
At DesignCon 26, Samtec presented live demonstrations of new products and technologies. Two that received considerable attention were a 448 Gbps Co-Packaged Copper Channel and a 130 GHz Test Platform (224/448 Gbps-capable). In the video above, Samtec’s Andrew Josephson gives a brief overview of the 130 GHz solution. We see…
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Decoding PCIe with Dolphin ICS
In the previous articles in this series, I explored how PCIe performance is increasingly defined by the physical channel. The next step is to look beyond the board itself. What happens when PCIe is extended across cables, enclosures, and complete systems? At that point, PCIe stops being just a board-level…
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Samtec Tradeshows in May, 2026
PCI-SIG Developers Conference May 6-7 | Santa Clara | website The PCI-SIG Developers Conferences is a free event for the 900+ member companies that develop and bring to market new products utilizing PCI Express® technology. It is an opportunity to learn directly from the industry’s PCIe® experts and participate in…
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New COM-HPC® 1.3 Specification Drives Performance Forward
I like fast cars. Each new car I buy seems to have more horsepower. More speed isn’t needed when driving to the grocery store, but it’s nice to have when passing the overburdened minivan in front of you. In a similar vein, the updated COM-HPC 1.3 specification from PICMG offers…
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India, ASP, and Why Custom Connectors Aren’t What You Think
The latest episode of the Samtec Transmission Line podcast was released last week, and in it, we spoke with the irrepressible Ash from Samtec India. India is a vital market for the global electronics industry. As Ash put it, it’s not the next big opportunity. It is the opportunity. A…
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Products | RF | Silicon-to-Silicon | Technical | Testing
New Material Characterization Method for Broadband Applications
Designing and evaluating interconnects requires broadband material characterization to determine dielectric properties. Traditional techniques used to characterize the complex permittivity and permeability of dielectrics, such as NRW and NIST, have some important limitations, such as the occurrence of air gaps and resonances in the results, which become even more challenging…
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New 224 Gbps PAM4 Backplane, Mid-Board Cable Solutions
DesignCon 2026 once again showcased systems, equipment, and components capable of powering the next-generation bandwidth required for artificial intelligence, co-packaged optics, hyperscale data centers, routers, switches, and high-performance computing (HPC), among other applications. And once again, Samtec was front and center with a variety of live product demonstrations of 448,…
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Samtec High-Performance Interconnects Empower AMD Versal VPK180-112 Eval Kit
This video shows a live product demonstration that’s a collaboration between Samtec and AMD. AMD’s Versal™ Premium VPK180 eval kit pushes 112G PAM4 performance at the full system level. Samtec interconnects are used throughout the system. Bassam Mansour, Sr. Technical Marketing Manager at AMD, and J.R. Bonnefoy, Systems Engineer at…
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Unmanned Small Vehicle Designs Get a Boost
Many of the most predominant small unmanned crafts, including unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), unmanned surface vehicle (USV; water), and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designs for military or commercial use, can benefit from simple, modular designs for vehicle control. Such a design methodology would enable diversification while still speeding time to…
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Here are the March 2026 Website Updates to Samtec.com
In March, we rolled out several key updates to the website, including a big upgrade to our login system, new accessibility features, improved access to ASP products in our environmental compliance tools, a new quoting process for guests, and more. Here are the major updates to Samtec.com for March 2026….
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Samtec and Keysight Implement 224/448 Gbps Test Platforms
DesignCon 2026 placed strong emphasis on the influence that evolving AI infrastructure has on hardware design. The event underscored a transition from component-centric design to AI-driven system-level optimization for data centers, high-speed interconnects, test and measurement, and packaging. To that end, both Samtec and Keysight presented new products and technologies…
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Powering the Next Phase of Growth: Samtec India’s New Office Launch
(By Reynold Paul, Samtec India) Every milestone begins with a vision, and for Samtec India, that vision has always been clear: to be closer to customers, empower engineers, and build stronger partnerships in a rapidly evolving electronics landscape. Today, that vision has taken shape with the opening of our new…
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Decoding PCIe: Choosing the Right Connector
Part 3 – Choosing the Right Interconnect Strategy In the first part of this series, I tried to understand why PCIe becomes more difficult as speeds increase. The conclusion was that as edge rates rise and margins shrink, the physical layer becomes harder to ignore. In the second part, I…
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Extending SMA Performance to 26.5 GHz
Samtec has expanded its SMA interconnect portfolio to include new SMA edge-mount board connectors capable of reliable performance through 26.5 GHz. Traditional SMA connectors are well known for operating to 18 GHz and have been widely used for decades. However, as RF and microwave systems continue to push into higher…
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Samtec Tradeshows in April, 2026
From India to Zurich to Worcester, Samtec is presenting at expositions and conferences around the world. Here’s a list of major events in April. Electronica India April 8-10 | Greater Noida | website Electronica India is one of South Asia’s leading trade fairs for electronics. Samtec will present its complete line…
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Innovations in Co-Packaged Interconnects for 224 Gbps PAM4 and Beyond
AI was the catalyst for many products and technologies demonstrated in exhibitor booths and discussed in technical reviews, tutorials, and presentations at DesignCon 2026. Samtec presented several live product demonstrations showcasing our 224 Gbps PAM4 interconnect solutions. These demonstrations incorporated our Si-Fly® HD cable solutions. Si-Fly HD CPX brings optics…
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Cable Assemblies Enable 224 Gbps PAM4 Testing
The quality of the signal looping between the PCB, test fixture, and test equipment often determines how accurately we can evaluate a device under test (DUT). As signal speeds increase, signal quality throughout the test setup becomes more important and challenging. While data speeds continue to trend upwards (there is…
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MTBF, MTTF and FIT for Connectors
Why the Question Makes Sense. And Why the Answer Is Not a Single Number. We are frequently asked to provide MTBF, MTTF or FIT data for our connectors. It is a reasonable request. Many system-level reliability models require those inputs, and procurement documents often include a box labeled “MTBF”. Engineers…
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448 Gbps Co-Packaged Copper Channel
At DesignCon 2026, there was a lot of talk about 448 Gbps and how next-gen systems will achieve this data rate. One of the first steps in developing these new systems is to provide test and measurement data to designers. Samtec developed a prototype cable system representing a chip-to-chip, intra-tray…
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New mPOWER Through‑Hole Board Connectors
mPOWER Through-Hole Board Termination Samtec’s mPOWER® connector system, known for high power density and design flexibility, is now available with through-hole board termination options (Series: UMPT, UMPT-RA, UMPS). Due to space constraints in high-density applications along with assembly efficiencies, micro interconnect systems—like mPOWER®— commonly terminate to a PCB using surface…
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Here are the February 2026 Website Updates to Samtec.com
January and February bring some of the biggest trade shows of the year for Samtec, which means a barrage of new product announcements, webpages, and capabilities. Several of these pages are in this update, as well as more UX updates to our on-site search functions. Here are the major updates…
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Decoding PCIe: Controlling the PCIe Channel
Decoding PCIe: A Mechanical Engineer’s View Part 2 In the first part of this series, I tried to understand why PCIe becomes more difficult as speeds increase. The conclusion was not especially dramatic. As edge rates rise and margins shrink, the physical layer becomes harder to ignore. In this instalment,…
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VNX+ Transforms Small Form Factor Embedded Landscape
The embedded computing industry has reached a major milestone with the ratification of the ANSI/VITA 90 (VNX+) family of standards. Announced on February 19, 2026, by VITA, this new standard represents a significant leap forward in compact, rugged, high‑performance embedded design. Samtec interconnects were selected for the VNX+ VITA 90…
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Samtec Tradeshows, March 2026
This is a busy month for Samtec tradeshows and conferences, with two of our largest shows of the year in March. We’re excited to exhibit at Embedded World to show our comprehensive line of interconnects for embedded applications. OFC showcases our next-generation silicon-to-silicon interconnect systems, including 224 and 448 Gbps…
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Try Our Newly Upgraded Environmental Compliance Certificate Download Tool
Recently, we rolled out a major update to our Environmental Compliance Download tool to support 19 different document types. Previous to this update, there were only three document types supported. We worked closely with our environmental compliance team to get access to the data source where these documents live, and…
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Samtec Expands India Reach
“Watch out for the curry!” That’s a warning I get from well-intentioned friends and family when I travel to India. Thanks, I guess. Personally, I love the local food from Ahmedabad in the north, to Bengaluru in the south, or the unique Portuguese influence in Goa on the Arabian Sea….
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Samtec Achieves CMMC Level 2 Certification
I discovered that Samtec was pursuing CMMC certification when I met with a member of our internal CMMC team, who explained the internal review process of our blogs. I knew little about the certification at the time, but I have since learned that it’s a rigorous, thorough program designed to…
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Decoding PCIe: A Mechanical Engineer’s View
PCIe is not an area where I would claim deep expertise. My background is mechanical, and most of my day-to-day work focuses on connectors, materials, and geometry rather than protocol specifications. However, PCIe is very important to Samtec. We are involved in shaping the interface itself, and many of our…
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Compliance | Culture | News
Samtec Solar Power: Going (and Saving) Green
Samtec’s Costa Rica facility recently completed its photovoltaic renewable energy project. After eight months of planning, setup and installation, another Samtec solar power system is now operational. The projected output of the system will account for roughly 28 percent of the high-speed cable manufacturing and electroplating plant’s total yearly…
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Here are the January 2026 Website Updates to Samtec.com
January is always a busy month for the web team. As the trade show season is in full force and as we release updates that were being worked on in Q4, this January was no different. We released several updates to the Industry Standards and Dev Kits section, expanded our…
