I went to see the new release of the Super Bros. Movie release. It was definitely so my kids could watch the new movie and not that I wanted to feel nostalgic and relive any of the games I played long ago!
The throwbacks and references buried throughout the entire movie touched on just about every Mario game ever made. It is worth a watch if you ever played any of those games.
When I signed up to put together a blog topic on power products that Samtec makes, my mind went to how we Power Up customers’ systems. If you would indulge me to make a few parallels to some of the Power Up’s in the games to some of our products, then please read on!
Super Mushroom
The Super Mushroom was the first example of a Power Up I remember coming across. Grab this mushroom, grow 2x your size, and you can headbutt a brick block and coins pop out. What Samtec product is a tried and true power connector that is rugged and helps you reach higher?
This would be any one of our TIGER EYE™ systems. Especially our SFM/TFM family. With their larger cross-section terminal pins carry a significant amount of power for their size. Their multiple points of contact set them up for success with our Extended Life testing.
Mini Mushroom
In the movie, this Power Up is kind of downplayed a bit. Especially when Mario gets it during a fight with Donkey Kong! Shrinking smaller when fighting a bigger opponent is not always the best move. Unless your goal is to get in small places and not be too noticeable.
This for Samtec is our mPOWER® family. Small enough to stack next to other high-speed options and powerful enough to carry 18A per blade. This family of products allows you to do a lot with a little. The surface mount solder joints also do not need the extra vias and through holes that prevent you from putting more components on the other side of your PCB.
Starman
The Starman or Super Star power is the all-around extreme Power Up. It can allow you to handle just about anything that comes your way. It really does not matter with this Power Up if you are on land, in water, up in the air, or in outer space. With the ability to handle higher speed with power to get through any applications this Power Up is one you never shy away from.
For this reason, I chose the SEARAY™ product family. This typically falls in our high-speed array product family. The ability to mix and match signaling options makes it just as good in the power family as well the high-speed family. There are plenty of blogs around this family if you would like to learn more. Don’t discount some of the high speed for not being enough in your designs.
Cat Mario
This is a newer Power Up in the Mario universe. This is also another scene from the movie that Donkey Kong initially laughs at because it is not the typical Power Up you would expect. A fuzzy catsuit jumping around and climbing walls. The combination of speed and power prove to be just what was needed.
Earlier this year Samtec announced the AcceleRate® mP family. This combines the newer generation of the open pin field (like the SEAray noted above) and the mPower connector in one! This family is the balance of signal integrity and power integrity in one package.
Fire Flower
Naw… just kidding… we don’t want fire anything anywhere near our power connectors!
I appreciate you joining me on my little journey of power connectors and some highlights of features and families that may be useful when designing your next platform that needs to mix high-speed signals next to power in unique environments.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or need support with your designs. Our experts are here for you!
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