Page 41 - 2021 Connectivity Components: Everything but the Connectors eBook

At the same time, flexible cable connectors can offer extremely high connection density combined with small pitch sizes. To meet the ever-increasing demand for smaller, more reliable connections, Molex has developed a range of low-profile/high-density interconnects with pitches from 0.2 mm to 2 mm and a dual-contact design that increases connection reliability.
While some wireless sensors can deliver battery lives of up to 20 years, for many IoT applications, particularly in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), powering devices through cables can remove the burden of replacing batteries. Being hard-wired also enables designers to incorporate higher-power processors and peripherals into their schemes. Where power and data need to be combined, 2 mm connectors are a standard option. Samtec’s pitch sockets, headers, terminals, and board stackers, for example, are available in low-profile, elevated, and high-density designs to connect multiple boards together. Among the various options are vertical and right-angle/horizontal orientations as well as through-hole, surface mount, press-fit, and pass-through terminations.
If an IoT design engineer is looking for a more compact form factor than the more conventional 2 mm connectors, TE offers 1.5 mm AMP CT connectors that are miniature wire-to-board interconnect solutions, while Samtec offers 1.27 mm pitch board stacking socket and terminal strips. These rugged, low-cost products combine low profile with high-density and are available in various orientations and contact styles.
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As mentioned earlier, some IoT devices must be resistant to water or dust ingress. This requirement can be met with products such as HARTING’s lightweight Han industrial connector families. These products can transmit both power and data, and are ideal for linking heating or cooling units, fans, control terminals, lighting systems, drives, and vibration conveyors. In outdoor installations, Han connectors offer protection against the ingress of dust and liquids up to IP65.