Category: Product

Application:
Remote control system for heavy industrial machinery – Diggers, Trucks, Ships etc.

Background:
Customer was looking to move away from bulky, less durable industrial connectors and reduce the number of PCBs in their system.

The Challenge:
High-Durability, small size and shock resistance were all key factors. Achieving this and keeping process costs low was critical to the project.

Harwin Solution:
M225 High-Durability connectors offered 100G shock protection. Contacts can be automatically crimped removing costly manual processes that are normally associated with this level of performance.

Application:
Lighting control unit for Jet fighter aircraft.

Background:
Unit dedicated to control interior lighting system on-board fighter aircraft.

The Challenge:
Densely packed unit resulted in very little space between boards. Components had to be low profile to allow assembly and avoid damage.

Harwin Solution:
Small size latched SMT connector for 90 degree orientation, with mating cable connector.

Clinical Ultrasound

Application
Ultrasound equipment platforms for ObGyn, Cardiac and Respiratory care.

Background:
Ultrasound investigations are the simplest method of non-invasive internal investigations, and the compact design of the equipment can be brought to the patient’s bedside.

The Challenge:
Key elements within medical equipment must be operational round the clock, and protected from Electromagnetic interference from any transmission source.

Harwin Solution:
By using the Harwin EMC Clip and Shield solution, the manufacturers of these units can make sure that critical PCB devices are shielded and operate correctly. Manufacturing time and cost is saved by eliminating secondary soldering operations of through-hole shield cans. Heat damage to critical circuits is avoided.

Application:
Cable assembly used for function monitoring.

Background:
The customer creates mechanical ventilators suitable for transportation and outdoor usage, as well as home and hospital environments. The cable assembly for the alarm system ensures that the ventilator is working as expected and carries alarm signals when there is an issue.

The Challenge:
The alarm system cable connection must be robust and durable. No interruption in signal giving false readings and alarms can be allowed. In addition, standard products are desirable to cope with the additional demand due to COVID-19 escalation.

Harwin Solution:
Datamate connectors provide the rugged connection need to ensure continued signal transmission. These cable connections are standard product manufactured in the UK with flexible scheduling for fast demand reactivity.

The VenU® BMHO69027002 is a high performance omnidirectional antenna designed for outdoor base station applications. It supports high capacity data throughput for 4G LTE Cellular, 3G and WiFi wireless networks in a compact housing. The antenna can be direct mounted via a built-in N female bulkhead termination that allows direct mounting to the radio equipment.

Features
• Rugged, UV-resistant, low-profile housing for outdoor applications
• Innovative vented design with aerated cap and base drain system
• N Female bulkhead for direct radio mount access

Contactless Body Temperature Measurement

Application:
Fever measurement using a thermal imager.

Background:
High body temperature is a good indicator of infection. Thermography is a fast, non-contact method suited for scanning large flows of people. Devices identify the inner corner of the eye and alarm if the temperature is higher than the standard range.

The Challenge:
Socket required for 0.5mm connection like the existing sub-miniature sockets, but with a raised shoulder for board-to device location.

Harwin Solution:
A variation on H3155 sub-miniature socket, with a shoulder located further down the socket body. This raises the location of the mating face to the height required for the design.

Mechanical Ventilator System

Application:
Compact portable unit for airway ventilation and oxygen therapy.

Background:
Designed and tested for a wide range of environments including hospitals, ambulances, aircraft, outdoors and in MRI scanners, the unit is capable of ventilation during emergency or controlled transportation of adults, children and infants.

The Challenge:
Internal connections between PCBs that withstand the more extreme conditions of handling and transportation of the unit in external operations. No interruption in function can be allowed. Increased and immediate demand requirements due to COVID-19 escalation.

Harwin Solution:
Datamate male and female connectors are ideally suited for the vibration and bump conditions that can prevail in usage and transportation, without any signal disruption. Standard components with flexible UK manufacturing allowed for fast demand reactivity.

The new Gecko-MT range combines the 1.25mm pitch Gecko signal connector system with mixed technology layouts, adding 10A power contacts to the range. The smallest and lightest mixed-layout connector available for high-performance applications, Gecko is the ideal choice when SWaP matters most.

Featuring cable-to-board, board-to-board and cable-to-cable options, the initial
launch includes pin-layouts of 1+8+1 or 2+8+2 contact configurations.

Stainless steel jackscrews are available in both standard or reverse-fix, ensuring secure connection, and lightweight metal hoods give additional cable protection and shielding.

ACAS Series

Low ESR

• Feature: Low ESR, Surface mounting, Reduced height, Wide temperatur
• Suitable for DC-DC converters, voltage regulators and decoupling applica
• Rate voltage: 2~25Vdc.
• Endurance: Endurance 2000hrs at 105℃
• RoHS Compliant

Adding robustness to industrial hardware by backpotting is a cost-effective way to protect connections and prolong the lifecycle of the application.

Complex and repetitive movements, such as the ones industrial robots and factory automation equipment continuously execute, expose connectors and cabling to numerous mechanical stresses over their operational life. There will be a certain level of holding force keeping contacts in the connector housing once assembled, but this is limited.

Consequently, adequate strain relief must be provided to mitigate the effects of twisting and torsion, etc. Backpotting is regularly used in heavy-duty designs (including robotics) for strain relief purposes. Here a potting compound (normally an epoxy resin) fills the area at the rear of the cable connector to bring extra robustness to the assembly.

Backpotting can be used on many different cable connectors, once the cable assembly has been completed. However, it is easier to backpot when there is a specific area with a retaining wall that will contain the liquid whilst it sets.

Here are 5 scenarios where a backpotting solution should be considered:

1.Firstly, is there a retaining wall on the rear of the connector? If so, no extra tooling will be required to retain the compound whilst it is in a liquid form. If there is no retaining wall, then can a hood or backshell be fitted? It might be possible to fit the hood, and then completely fill up the inside of the hood assembly with the backpotting compound. This will depend on the hood design, whether it has any holes or is a close fit to the connector, and if the potting might interfere with jackscrews or other mechanical elements.

2. If there is no wall, nor a hood, then it will be necessary to build a temporary wall around the rear of the connector, to retain the compound whilst it is setting. This can be achieved with something as straightforward as standard masking tape. Once the compound has solidified, the temporary wall can be removed and the resulting backpotting will be strong enough to not require further support.

3. Are all the contacts going to be wired up? If not, it will be necessary to populate every contact, or use a dummy contact arrangement for those not populated – otherwise the liquid compound will flow out through empty holes in the housing.

4. Consider the actual design of the crimp contacts, as some contacts will have a very open design with no means of keeping the liquid compound at the rear of the contact. These designs are more common with open crimps on basic PCB connectors and are thus not suitable for backpotting.

5. Cable contacts have a certain amount of float whilst being assembled, and there is a risk of contacts getting permanently fixed at an angle. This will make wear more acute in a particular spot and increase the required insertion force – potentially leading to early failure. Therefore, Once the backpotting has been applied, and it is in the process of setting, it is vital to keep the connector mated to another connector. This will ensure that the contacts are properly aligned within the housing when the compound hardens.

Download our step-by-step guide to backpotting here.