Connectors

Abstract

Kirk and Fred discuss the reliability of electrical connectors

Key Points

Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss the many ways that electrical connectors can lead to system failures.

Topics include:

• The connector manufacturer may design a connector that is slightly modified from a standard reference design, which worked for many applications, but they cannot know the details of how it may be affected by your products’ end-use environments, such as higher thermal or vibration conditions in your system.
• Many connector issues are due to fretting corrosion caused by removing a typically thin gold-plated surface, which can be instantly cured when the connector is re-seated, making it very difficult to isolate. This phenomenon was a typical reliability issue with PC's DIMM memory modules when testing in an 85 °C and 85% relative humidity environmental chamber.
• High-speed digital systems connectors can have a significant impact on the quality of the signal integrity and lead to high Bit Error Rates (BER) if they're poorly designed or manufactured.
• There are so many parameters that the system designer may not be aware of when specifying a cable or connectors. How much does the cable/connector manufacturer know, or can know, about the specifics of how the cable works in your system and the details of system EMI, temperature, and tolerance to parametric variations?

Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.

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Show Notes

Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach”. It is in the public domain, so please distribute freely. Attempting to predict reliability is a misleading and costly approach to use for developing a reliable system.

You can now purchase the most recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4-hour sessions) Webinar, “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar, a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz.

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