Technology has evolved at an unprecedented rate, leading to an era of convenience that was previously unimaginable. This rapid progression would not be possible without one tiny piece of technology: connector pins.
Connector pins are essential to a wide variety of technologies and industries. They are necessary for transferring data, transmitting signals, and powering electrical devices.
Here is a comprehensive guide of the various applications connector pins have and the impact they have had on technology.
Connector Pins and the Evolution of Technology
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On display at Bead Industries, this swaging machine is over a hundred years old. |
From being able to withstand severe vibrations t0 widely fluctuating temperatures, the increasing expectations for electrical connectors have grown more complex and specific. To keep up with these demands, technology has evolved in every aspect, even in the smallest parts.
This is especially true of the electrical connector pin, which has become essential to facilitating a connector's power, signal, and electro-mechanical applications. Originally, these connector pins conducted signals through soldered contacts but today, processes that enable manufacturers to easily remove and modify connectors and the part as needed are preferred.
Pin insertion—manual, semi-automatic, and automatic—is also customizable. How you insert a pin will play a part in your manufacturing process. This consideration is especially important when identifying the best possible option for a part's production.
To create a pin that could both be placed automatically and be modified if needed, Bead Electronics leveraged a cold-forming process called swaging to create connector pins. High-speed, reliable, and inexpensive, swaging creates pins with consistent lengths, customizable features, and precise cut-offs. Pins can be created according to a wide variety of specific measurements, including the following:
- Pin size and shape
- Base metal and plating
- Mounting
- Retention
- Angle
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One of the swaging machines used by Bead today to create our connector pins. |
Modern Applications and Technology Trends
Through the swaging process, connector pins are customized in a quick, cost-effective manner. This allows for them to easily be designed to perform effectively in a variety of conditions. Because of their customizability, they can meet the specific requirements of multiple fields.
Automotive
Connector pins are able to perform well in high-vibration environments. For this reason, they are suitable to make controls and sensors for automobiles and heavy equipment.
These automotive sensors are essential for a variety of safety applications, including:
- Automotive electronic stability control systems
- Motion detection capabilities
- Radars for autonomous driving
One such application is the light radar. These radars are short-distance yet precise, lowering the collision rates within autonomous driving.
Aerospace
Custom connector pins perform well in harsh conditions, providing several aerospace applications. One such application is light sensors on airplanes. These sensors ensure the LED lights installed in planes:
- Match the overall configuration
- Are the correct color temperature
- Have more color stability
Without these sensors, the lights in airplanes tend to develop color differences, such as streaks. This causes the color to not be uniform, impacting the mood and comfort of passengers.
Connector pins are also essential for self-dimming windows, which allows the tint of windows to be adjusted with the touch of a button. Passengers can individually control their window tint, or the cabin crew can adjust the tint with a master control. This allows the crew to improve porthole visibility during the launch and landing of the plane by decreasing the tint. Crew members can also increase the tint to improve the passengers' ability to sleep, which is especially useful in flights that cross over multiple time zones.
Other applications of connector pins are upgraded headphone jack inputs. Upgraded inputs can fit more types and brands of headphone jacks. Pins can also be used for USB plug outlets to provide passengers with in-seat charging.
Industrial
No matter what industry you work in, having reliable communication technology is essential. Our connector pins have undergone the DFM process to be as high-quality and cost-effective as possible.
Contact pins are used in telecom hardware worldwide to provide consistently dependable communication software. Connector pins are also necessary for technologies like RFID readers to work. RFID readers allow for quicker and more efficient inventory checks, among other things.
Nowhere have we seen a greater evolution of technology than from the humble light switch or the basic thermostat turned into smart home capabilities and emergency service integration.
Lighting
Custom lighting solutions can also be facilitated through specially designed pins. Looking at the frontlines, where UV technology provides lifesaving services, these specialty applications guarantee air and water purification. This new and evolving marketplace reinforces the need for customization.
Medical
Connector pins are essential for multiple medical devices. Through connector pins, the solenoid valves inside ventilators are electromagnetically operated and controlled by a CPU. This allows the valves to be faster and more precise for effective patient care. These solenoid valves ensure the air inside ventilators has the correct concentration of gases. They are also necessary to moderate the ventilator's oxygen flow rate.
Solenoid valves are also used in several other medical devices, including:
- Dialysis machines
- Portable oxygen delivery systems
- Anesthesia devices
Connector pins are also an important part of the sensor capabilities of diagnostic and wearable devices. These devices require reliability while also maintaining a small size.
Military
In a military setting, space, weight, and power are prioritized. Not only that, but every part must undergo rigorous testing to ensure it works conceptually and in practice. Once designed, the consistency and repeatability to spec are paramount.
Furthermore, every component has to be able to withstand harsh conditions and the demand for lighter and stronger parts is growing. Finding options to reduce weight while increasing efficiency inspires many to start at the beginning, looking at the smallest components first to see how they can be further modified for optimization.
Benefit from High-Quality, Cost-Effective Connector Pins Today
Connector pins are a small yet essential part of many different technologies. These technologies can be applied to a variety of fields for a multitude of purposes. With Bead Electronics, customizing contact pins to meet your needs is a quick, easy, and cost-effective process. Our pins are consistently high-quality, and our process is scrap-free and high-production.
