Immersion Cooling might still seem counter intuitive to most people. After all, we all grew up being told that Grandma doesn't like having the plugged in hairdryer thrown into the tub. Ok, on a serious note, for most people it is still a strange concept to place electronics in any liquid at all, and that is exactly how immersion cooling works. By using a liquid dielectric, we can pull far more heat out of our systems, lower the noise from cooling fans, and save space along the way. We … [Read more...]
What is Outgassing and How is it Tested?
Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products are making their way into industries that wouldn't have considered them previously. This is mainly due to the flexibility, speed of delivery, and cost savings that COTS products offer when compared to a full MIL-SPEC product. However, this doesn't mean that the Military / Aerospace, Space, Industrial, Transportation, Automotive, and Medical industries do not need to know the performance of a COTS product in their application. Knowing the outgassing … [Read more...]
What is Electrostatic Discharge?
Before we talk about electrostatic discharge (ESD), perhaps we should talk about where it comes from. You know what it is, and even young children know what causes it; static electricity. Rub a balloon on your head, and make your hair stand on end, put on socks and drag your feet across the carpet, or slide down a plastic slide on the playground. No matter how you make it, you know what static electricity is when you are "fully charged." The conditions that afford static electricity to … [Read more...]
A 70 GHz High-Performance Test Solution
J.R. Bonnefoy, Systems Engineer at Samtec, walks us through a live product demonstration of a 70 GHz, high-performance test point system. This demo, from DesignCon 2020, incorporates two new high-performance products. The demo is based on Samtec’s 56 Gbps PAM4 Product Demonstration Platform. It emulates real-world 56 Gbps PAM4 design challenges which pairs bleeding edge silicon and interconnect solutions using real-world, optimized design practices. This demonstration focuses … [Read more...]
Severe Environment Testing Finds a Home
If you follow our blog at all, then chances are likely that you have seen at least one of the blogs concerning a new test initiative called Severe Environment Testing (SET). As Mil / Aero, Space, Industrial, Transportation, and Automotive manufacturers continue to use Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) parts in their applications, Samtec has taken testing to another level to ensure these COTS parts can perform for those applications. SET Online Samtec has setup a page within our website … [Read more...]
Thermal Modeling for Systems
Long gone are the days of simply selling a part, pins in plastic if you will. Between environmental standards, qualification testing, UL ratings, and thermal models; customers have come to expect information about the products they purchase as well. Thermal modeling is one of the many capabilities that Samtec has added, and is utilized during the design process for its products as well as assisting its customers in the design of their systems. What Factors Affect Thermal … [Read more...]
The Effects Of Lubrication On Connector Processing
Decisions, Decisions ... I may be in the market for a new car in the near future. Unless you’ve got a strong preference (and most car buyers DO have a strong preference, IMO), choosing a vehicle is a series of trade-offs. Fuel efficiency vs. horsepower. Functionality vs. appearance. Safety vs. fun. Cost vs. a heated steering wheel and seats. Choosing the right connector set for many EOEM applications is also full of trade-offs, including pitch, termination type, plating, and contact … [Read more...]
Connector Thermal Cycle Qualification For Military and Avionic Environments
Collins Aerospace recently published a white paper entitled “Qualification Of High Density Connector Solutions For Military and Avionic Environments.” It discusses their qualification process of high density connectors for rugged military and avionics applications. This paper focuses on the thermal testing of solder joints because “printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies are made up of many different materials that have different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) … [Read more...]
How Wet is Too Wet?
If you have been a user of Facebook for longer than five years then chances are likely you have seen the "My phone got wet and doesn't work. Don't ask how!" post. Many companies / industries started to take notice, and in came IP67 and IP68 ratings on consumer goods. At Samtec, we typically don't have to worry about moisture or dust on our connectors (since most are passive devices), but the systems our connectors go into certainly do. This is why Samtec also conducts IP67 and IP68 … [Read more...]
A Deep Dive into Severe Environment Testing (Part II)
In the first part of this series on Severe Environment Testing (SET) we covered Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and Dielectric Withstanding Voltage (DWV) at an altitude of 70,000 ft. Continuing on the path of "how" we tested, we will be looking at the other tests that were introduced for SET; Mating / Unmating / Durability (100% Relative Humidity, 250 cycles), Temperature Cycling (500 cycles), and Mechanical Shock for LLCR and Event Detection. If you haven't read the first two blogs … [Read more...]