Positronic News

Positronic Web Site Updates on Aug. 27

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Updates will be made to the Positronic web site on Aug. 27. The site could potentially experiences down time between 4:30 and 6:30 CST.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve our web site.

The PosiBand® Contact System

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:54:09 +0000

Closed entry female contacts are often used to enhance the performance and reliability of connectors. Closed entry contacts have an unbroken ring of solid material at the face of the contact. In many cases, a sleeve is placed over a standard "split tine" contact to achieve the closed entry feature. This design offers a degree of increased reliability, but the split tine design has inherent weaknesses.

Positronic's new PosiBand closed entry contact is a significant improvement over the legacy design and overcomes many of the weaknesses associated with the "split tine" and sleeve approach.

Visit the PosiBand home page for more details

Positronic Introduces the MDX Connector Series

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:34:24 +0000

The MDX is a high reliability D-Subminiature connector with size 20 fixed contacts and is available with 9, 15, 25, 37, and 50 contacts.

The MDX series utilizes the unique new PosiBand contact system. The PosiBand is a closed entry female contact system that provides lower average insertion force during mating, enhanced reliability and increased electrical performance over legacy designs.

MDX connectors use solid machined contacts. These connectors meet the performance requirements of IEC 60807-2, performance level one. Contact resistance is a low 0.005 ohms. Single contact current ratings are as high as 14 amperes, remarkable for D-Subminiature connectors. MDX series insulators are manufactured with glass-filled polyester, which offers stable performance in harsh environments.

Termination options include straight and right angle PCB solder, wire solder and press-in terminations. A wide variety of accessories is also available.

For detailed information concerning Positronic’s new MDX series connectors, or for any of a wide variety of standard, high density, or combination D-subminiature connectors, contact Positronic Industries at 800-641-4054, or email us.

Positronic Receives "Environmental Claims Validated Mark" for Low Contact Resistance

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:26:19 +0000

Energy has become an area of focus for governments, private industry, and citizens. Enhanced methods of producing energy from traditional sources, development of new energy sources and conservation of energy from all sources have become more crucial than ever before.

Across the world, a vast amount of energy is consumed by electronic equipment. As electrical current flows through conductors and connectors, unwanted heat is generated in proportion to the amount of electrical resistance encountered. Lowering resistance in connector contacts will reduce the amount of wasted energy. Additional energy will be saved as cooling systems will have less heat to draw out of the equipment.

In the past, the primary metric for power connectors has been contact current ratings. In the future, contact resistance may become equally important. Contact resistance is used by UL Environment as the metric to determine the relative efficiency of connector contacts. UL Environment offers independent third party assessment and verification of claims made by manufacturers, and issues an Environmental Claims Validated Mark (ECV), once assessments are made. (Visit www.ulenvironment.com for more information.)

Recently an ECV was presented to Positronic by UL Environment which will aid power connector users in evaluating contact efficiency as it relates to energy consumption. The ECV lists the average contact resistance for Positronic’s VPB series size 16 power contacts at less than one milliohm each. This low contact resistance is achieved by use of high conductivity contact materials. In addition, Positronic’s Large Surface Area (LSA) contact system is utilized as the interface between male and female power contacts in VPB series connectors.

The VPB series was designed for use as the Zone 1 power connector in AdvancedTCA (ATCA) telecommunication computing systems. Zone 1 connectors provide power from backplanes to front boards in ATCA chassis. The low contact resistance of Positronic’s VPB series provides energy savings opportunities in any application using this connector.

The following formula verifies the energy savings of a lower resistance contact at a given current: Power Consumption (Watts) = Current Flow2 (Amperes2) X Contact Resistance (Ohms)

Contact resistance has a one-to-one effect on power consumption. If the contact resistance is reduced by half, the power consumption is reduced by half.

Low resistance power contacts also provide benefits in systems sensitive to voltage drop. This is demonstrated in the following formula: Voltage drop across contact pairs = Current Flow (Amperes) X Contact Resistance (Ohms). Once again, contact resistance has a one-to-one effect. Reducing the contact resistance by half reduces voltage drop by half.

If we consider the vast numbers of power contacts in electronic equipment around the world, it is clear to see how lower contact resistance can play a role in meeting energy conservation goals. Positronic utilizes high conductivity contact materials and unique contact interfaces to provide low contact resistance in our power connector products. To learn more about these products, email us.

Positronic’s PosiBand® Contact Receives AS39029 Approval

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:46:57 +0000

Positronic’s new PosiBand contact system, introduced in summer 2009, is now qualified to SAE AS39029. This specification covers a wide range of high reliability crimp connector contacts for use in military and aerospace applications. The PosiBand system is suitable for any application requiring rugged, high reliability connectors, and is available with crimp and PCB mount terminations, including press-fit.

The PosiBand contact system is a unique closed entry female contact system which overcomes many of the weaknesses associated with the legacy "split tine" and sleeve approach. The PosiBand separates the mechanical and electrical function of the contact system. The base contact provides a true closed entry feature and enhanced electrical stability, while the PosiBand spring clip provides more stable mechanical function.

The PosiBand design creates a greater area of contact interface between male and female contacts in comparison to that of the ‘split tine’ design, and thus provides greater resistance to vibration and corrosion factors found in harsh environments. This greater area of contact interface is achieved without increased insertion force; in fact, the PosiBand system has a lower average insertion force compared to that of the legacy design.

PosiBand contact resistance is 3 milliohms for size 20 contacts and 4 milliohms for size 22 contacts. The current rating for size 20 contacts is 14 amps with 6 contacts energized. Size 22 contact current rating is 10 amps with 6 contacts energized. Both were tested per U.L. 1977.

In addition, PosiBand contacts do not require annealing of the crimp barrel. This eliminates the possibility of unintentionally annealing the mating end of the female contact, which can cause intermittent or open electrical circuits.

The PosiBand system is available in standard density, high density and combination D-Subminiature connectors, as well as subminiature rectangular connectors. PosiBand contacts are priced the same as the legacy design.

For more detailed information about the PosiBand contact system, view the PosiBand Contact Interface white paper, contact Positronic Industries at 800-641-4054, or email us.

The PosiBand Contact Interface