I love most “Top 10” lists. This morning I came across an article in Rolling Stone that lists the highest paid musicians of 2021. The list surprised me because over half of the musicians were from previous generations, and they earned big money in 2021 because they sold the rights to their songs.
Here’s the list of the 10 Highest-Paid Musicians. Those with a double asterisk (**) earned most of the money by selling the rights to their songs:
1. Bruce Springsteen ($590 million) **
2. Jay-Z ($470 million)
3. Paul Simon ($260 million) **
4. Kanye West ($250 million)
5. Ryan Tedder ($200 million)
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers ($145 million) **
7. Lindsey Buckingham ($100 million) **
8. Mötley Crüe ($95 million) **
9. Blake Shelton ($83 million) **
10. Taylor Swift ($80 million)
In a sort-of-related, but not-too-related way, here’s a list of Samtec’s most popular connector products, by sales, in 2021. Most of these products are mated sets (terminals and sockets), because most designers need both ends of the connector system to make their design work.
First is SEAM, SEAF, our popular SEARAY™ line. SEARAY is a high density, high speed, 1.27 mm grid array system. It’s popular because the open pin field gives designers tons of pcb routing and grounding flexibility.
Second is FTSH, CLP. These are basic 1.27 mm pitch socket and terminal strips. They are a popular connector system because of the variety of options in the product line, including through-hole and SMT terminations, vertical and right angle designs, and a variety of plating options, among others.
Third is High-Speed Cable assemblies. This isn’t a specific product series, but it’s our ability to design and manufacture an almost limitless line of high-speed cable assemblies, with a wide (and I mean WIDE) variety of connectors, high-speed cables, and termination options.
Fourth is TSM, SSM. These are basic 2.54 mm SMT terminal and socket strips. They are popular because they come in all shapes, sizes, and with all kinds of options.
Samtec’s fifth most popular connector set is TFM, SFM. Our popular Tiger Eye™ contact system that is ideal for rugged, high-cycle, micro pitch applications. This is one of the first connector sets designed for SMT applications; it’s a quality product.
Sixth is TMM, TW, and CLT. They are basic 2.00 mm through-hole terminal and socket strips. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but this product line oozes design flexibility. You can design just about any stack height, number of positions, orientation, plating, or configuration imaginable.
The seventh most popular connector of 2021 is the ECUO, FireFly™ optical cable system. The industry-leading miniature footprint allows for greater density and closer proximity to the IC, which simplifies board layout and enhances signal integrity.
Eighth is QTH, QSH. These are Q Strip® products, high-speed mezzanine connectors in stack heights from 5 mm and up (5 mm is the most popular), with an integral ground plane for high speed and/or power applications.
Next is ERM8 and ERF8. The 8 stands for 0.80 mm pitch, and the ER stands for Edge Rate® interconnects, which are high-speed, rugged mezzanine connectors.
And rounding out the top 10 is TSW, SSW. These are 2.54 mm equivalents of TMM and CLT above (number 6).
If you can’t stop at 10, the next most popular connector products include HSEC8 (0.80 mm high speed edge card connector), FFSD (1.27 mm pitch IDC cable assembly), LSHM (0.50 mm pitch rugged, ultra-micro Razor Beam™ connector), and GCT, or glass core technology. Glass substrates offer high structural integrity, resistance to vibration and temperature, environmental ruggedness, and low electrical loss, making them ideal for next generation microelectronics demands.
Finally, in case you can’t get enough of end of year lists, you might want to read this: The Most Important Connector Blogs of 2021.
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