Reliability rules in connector and cable designs

OEMs continue to demand connectors and cables with higher reliability and ruggedness. To meet these requirements, interconnect manufacturers have focused on making their new designs withstand harsh environments, including those with high shock, vibration, and temperatures, while improving their reliability. Many of these robust designs are also smaller, offer more options, and are easier to install.

A recent 2025 Connecting with North America report, conducted by Harwin, finds that product reliability is a primary consideration for selecting connectors in automotive, industrial, aerospace, and telecom applications. Other top performance criteria include operating life and withstanding high-temperature and harsh environments.

OEMs, particularly in the military/aerospace industry, are looking for advanced rugged connectors. A report, “Defining and Advancing Rugged, Reliable Connectivity in Aerospace and Defense,” from AirBorn, a Molex company, reveals a need for interconnect innovations around durability, signal integrity, and long-term performance. Performance features include vibration, shock, and corrosion resistance; sealing and ingress protection; and meeting temperature extremes, along with maintaining consistent performance despite exposure to harsh environments and mechanical stress.

Here is a selection of connectors and cables introduced in 2025 that focus on reliability and ruggedness for applications that also call for longer life, higher operating temperatures, and, in some cases, miniaturization.

More options for high-reliability connectors

Making it easier for designers and engineers to select the right connector for their applications, connector and cable manufacturers are extending their product lines with new options.

Harwin, for example, recently extended its Kona series of high-reliability connectors with the addition of right-angled through-board connectors and accessories that include electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Extending the lineup by over 30%, the Kona Horizontal range includes nine new right-angled four-, three-, and two-pin single-in-line connectors for board or board-and-panel mounting, providing space savings in extreme environment applications, along with EMI shielding and housing rear caps for each connector. Single-pin right-angle cable female and 90° male connectors have also been added.

The high-reliability connectors operate over a temperature range of −65°C to 150°C. Other features include individually shrouded recess contacts, polarized connections to prevent incorrect mating, beryllium copper contacts with gold plating, and 60-A current rating per contact. The beryllium copper contacts with gold plating provide reliable and corrosion-resistant electrical connections.

Harwin’s Kona Series connectors (Source: Harwin)

As industrial environments require components to withstand higher levels of vibration while allowing increased data throughput in less space, Harwin also expanded its Kontrol lineup of connectors for industrial and embedded applications, adding through-hole retention to further enhance resilience and board-level reliability in harsh operational environments. The company added 72 products to the industrial connector family, extending the range by 48%.

Tests show through-hole retention offers up to twice the PCB retention force of surface-mount (SMT) retention options. The Through Hole Retention Kontrol series is rated for up to 500 matings and has a vibration tolerance of 20 G for up to 12 hours. They are available in nine pin variants, from 6+6 to 40+40 layouts, and both vertical and horizontal options for space-constrained environments.

The connectors are fully shrouded with recessed contacts to protect against damage and are polarized to allow assembly in one direction only to assist in blind mating. The connectors also feature location pegs to ensure correct board placement and to inhibit movement while soldering.

Earlier in the year, Harwin added 1.27-mm-pitch (0.05-inch) single-row connectors and double-ended cable assemblies to the Kontrol range, targeting industrial and electric-vehicle applications. The interconnects extend the dual-row Kontrol connector range with 49 products: 21 SMT connectors and 28 double-ended cable assemblies that include pin-count options of two, three, four, six, eight, 10, and 12.

The single-row products offer a current rating of 1.2 A per contact and 25-mΩ contact resistance. The connectors are qualified for up to 500 mating operations. The operating temperature is −55°C to 125°C for board-to-board and −20°C to 105°C for cable-to-board and cable-to-cable. They have been tested to withstand vibration forces of 20 G for up to 12 hours.

The SMT connectors are available in vertical (male only) or horizontal (male and female) mounting options, with full shrouding and recessed contacts to prevent damage to the pins. The connectors are polarized to prevent mis-mating and include a latched design for tool-free mating and unmating. SMT tabs improve the retention force that holds the connectors to the PCB. Location pegs assist with correct board placement and inhibit movement while soldering.

The Kontrol male and female double-ended cable assemblies include in-line connectors and UL-Specification 26 AWG ribbon cable, with 150-mm and 300-mm options. Like the SMT connectors, they feature full shrouding, latches, and polarization to protect contacts and improve secure and blind mating.

Harwin’s Kontrol connectors and cable assemblies (Source: Harwin)

Also expanding its product portfolio, L-com, an Infinite Electronics brand, has added a variety of Bulgin circular connectors, including circular power, data, and radio-frequency (RF) connectors as well as antennas. These connectors are designed for harsh environments, with IP66, IP68, and IP69K ratings to seal out dirt, dust, and water. They also feature secure locking mechanisms to prevent accidental disconnections. Applications include industrial automation, manufacturing, marine/wastewater, transportation, food processing, and medical.

The connectors include the 400 Series power and data connectors and antennas, 900 Series power connectors, 6000 Series power and data connectors, and Standard Series power and data connectors. The 400 Series offers multiple mounting styles with various pin configurations. The 900 Series power connectors offer high performance in harsh environments with flexible mounting options (inline, panel, or flange).

The 6000 Series is available in inline or panel-mount designs, featuring a secure push/pull coupling system with 30° twist locking. The line offers pin-count options for two to 22 contacts, handling up to 16 A and 277 V.

The Standard Series connectors are available in three mounting styles. They deliver 50 to 277 V and 1 to 12 A across eight pin configurations (two to 25 contacts), with Ethernet and USB Type A/B options.

L-com’s Bulgin circular connectors (Source: L-Com, an Infinite Electronics brand)

Offering more than 250 configurations and a range of customization options, a new line of ruggedized EMI-filtered interconnects and RF components is designed to improve signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility in mission-critical aerospace and defense applications. The lineup includes EMI-filtered D-sub Pi adapters and connectors as well as EMI filter plates, fixed RF coaxial attenuators, and RF coaxial terminations. This launch follows the recent acquisition of AirBorn, which has an extensive product portfolio for aerospace and defense applications.

The EMI-filtered D-sub Pi adapters and connectors mitigate EMI and enhance signal integrity. With an optimized Pi filter design, these products claim superior noise suppression, as well as higher capacitance and inductance values for better frequency attenuation. They also use high-quality conductive and shielding materials to increase electrical performance and mechanical durability for greater resilience to vibration, shock, extreme temperatures, lightning, and contaminants.

The EMI-filtered D-sub Pi adapters and connectors are available in more than 250 mechanical configurations and a range of custom options, including high-density and circular connectors in a variety of shell sizes, including 9, 15, 25, 37, and 50. The circular EMI filter connectors feature advanced EMI filtering and line-to-line isolation to ensure reliable signal integrity and consistent power delivery. They offer insulated and ground-line options in hermetically sealed and bayonet styles for greater resiliency in challenging conditions.

The new portfolio of ruggedized components can be used in a range of aerospace and defense applications. These include radar systems, airborne radios, night-vision sensors, flight controls, engine controls, navigation systems, tactical weapons, and military global positioning systems. They can also be used in other high-performance applications, including medical devices, telecommunications, and industrial automation.

Molex’s EMI-filtered connectors and RF components (Source: Molex LLC)

Higher signal integrity and stability

Molex also recently launched its MMCX Power over Coax (PoC) connectors and cables. They feature a patent-pending mating technique that ensures stable connections and electrical ground continuity. The full-locking mating mechanism fixes known challenges in traditional MMCX plug connectors that can cause signal interruptions and intermittent power levels, Molex said.

The MMCX PoC solution meets the need for miniaturization in space-constrained applications that need reliable RF connectors and continuous power delivery. The MMCX PoC is 30% smaller than traditional MMC connectors, enabling the replacement of the bulkier connectors.

The MMCX PoC right-angle and straight-plug cable assemblies are available now for the following cable types: RG178, Condumex RG174LL, RG316, and Dacar 462. Key applications include automotive liquid-crystal display mirrors, driver-monitoring systems, and industrial sensors. They are suited for critical sensors and video applications in aerospace and defense, agriculture, automotive, industrial automation, and telecommunications.

Molex’s MMCX PoC connectors and cables (Source: Molex LLC)

Samtec Inc. recently introduced low-loss flexible microwave cable assemblies, leveraging the company’s Nitrowave cable technology. These high-stability microwave cable assemblies target applications such as lab test environments, including test and measurement, high-speed digital testing, and ATE systems; and low-loss rugged environments such as aerospace, defense, and datacom.

Nitrowave cable technology offers high stability thanks to its novel construction and advancements in manufacturing process controls, with a dynamic performance layer improving the durability and stability of the cable by eliminating friction between shielding and augmenting strength, Samtec said. This results in more accurate, dependable performance throughout the service life of the cable, even when subjected to consistent movement and bending.

Nitrowave cables are available in target frequencies of 32 GHz, 43.5 GHz, 71 GHz, 95 GHz, and 110 GHz in the LL032, LL043, LL071, LL095, and LL110 product series and are available with a variety of connector end options and cable lengths for application-specific requirements.

Connector end options include 1.0 mm, 1.85 mm, 2.40 mm, 2.92 mm, and SMA. Catalog-standard assembly lengths are 305 mm (12 inches), 610 mm (24 inches), and 1,000 mm (39.37 inches), with custom lengths available. Optional phase matching of cable pairs to 1, 2, or 5 ps enables precise timing and optimal signal integrity of differential pair signaling, the company said.

Samtec’s Nitrowave cable (Source: Samtec Inc.)

Another new line of cable assemblies, targeting high RF performance, is the TCOM cable assemblies from Fairview Microwave, an Infinite Electronics brand. Designed for RF systems, they offer options tailored for either low-loss for optimal signal transmission or low-passive-intermodulation (PIM) configurations for reduced signal interference, depending on the connector type.

The TCOM cable assemblies feature two shields for enhanced signal integrity and minimized interference. Targeting demanding RF applications in telecommunications and military/aerospace, these cable assemblies offer guaranteed performance across a wide frequency range from DC to 10 GHz.

The low-PIM configuration is suited for optimizing RF performance in systems where minimal PIM is critical, while the low-loss configuration ensures efficient signal transmission with low attenuation, Fairview Microwave said.

Fairview Microwave’s TCOM cable assemblies (Source: Fairview Microwave, an Infinite Electronics brand)

Smaller and rugged

Automotive suppliers also require ever-shrinking connectors. Hirose Electric Co. Ltd. said it offers one of the industry’s smallest back-flip FPC connectors for automotive and other harsh-environment applications with the introduction of the FH79 back-flip connector series. These connectors offer a 40% reduction in width compared with standard, 0.5-mm-pitch connectors.

The high-density FH79 Series features a low profile of 1.2-mm and 0.3-mm pitch (0.6-mm mounting pitch). It uses a dual-contact system (top and bottom contacts) and a staggered contact array design to maximize space efficiency and reduce the connector footprint.

The back-flip design provides high contact reliability, which prevents the actuator from opening with upward FPC routing, Hirose said.

These connectors are heat-resistant up to 125°C, making it suited for harsh-environment applications, including automotive. The operating temperature range is −55°C to 125°C.

The FH79 Series FPC connector is currently available with 61 positions. Versions with 11, 21, 31, 41, and 51 positions are under development.

Hirose’s FH79 back-flip connector series (Source: Hirose Electric Co. Ltd.)

Hirose also introduced an automotive wire-to-board connector with a 2.0-mm pitch and a 0.5-mm terminal tab size, enabling the size reduction of automotive systems.

The KM32A Series meets the GMW3191 standard for low-voltage automotive applications and the ADM-F-0006 vibration test standard to ensure reliability and durability in harsh environments. It is available in single- and double-row versions with a horizontal, right-angle, or vertical receptacle and in positions ranging from 2 to 10 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10). Applications include automotive displays, ADAS sensors and cameras, batteries, lights, and switches.

The compact KM32A series features a unique contact spring structure for vibration resistance and a rugged center lock that prevents mis-mating, and it offers a tensile/pry strength of up to 75 N. The operating temperature range is −40°C to 125°C.

Hirose’s KM32A series (Source: Hirose Electric Co. Ltd.)

To meet growing demand for smaller and faster industrial Ethernet connectors, Kyocera AVX recently introduced the 6780-000 Series IP20 T1 industrial single-pair Ethernet (SPE) connectors and cable assemblies. These SPE connectors require 45% less board space than RJ45 connectors.

The 6780-000 Series T1 Industrial SPE connectors transmit Ethernet over a single pair of twisted copper wires while simultaneously providing power to terminal devices via Power over Data Line technology. Traditional RJ45 Ethernet connectors require two wire pairs for Fast Ethernet (100 Mbits/s) and four wire pairs for Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbits/s) and don’t provide a power supply, Kyocera AVX said, while the 6780-000 Series SPE connectors provide space and weight savings via reduced wiring requirements and small, lightweight form factors.

These connectors are also easy to install and maintain, and they reduce system complexity and costs by eliminating gateways, analog interfaces, bus systems, and other proprietary field-level systems, the company said. These features contribute to higher reliability and efficiency in applications such as advanced automation networks, sensor and actuator networks, control and monitoring cameras, smart grids, robotics, traffic control, transportation, and smart monitoring systems.

The series is available with four standard lengths of 22 AWG T1 Industrial SPE cables (1, 3, 5, and 10 meters). Custom lengths are available.