To meet the prerequisites of commercial aviation with customers like Airbus, Boeing and Dassault, interconnect solutions need to provide full system integration with engine control systems, radar facilities, power distribution networks, in-flight entertainment, wing and engine ice protection mechanisms as well as landing gear and braking control systems.
In this context, weight, space and cost are core considerations when designing avionic boxes but additional new technology drivers such as high signal speed, modular PCBs and increased power requirements are also changing the approach to traditional LRU rack and panel design.
There is a growing need for the use of EMI shielded and ruggedized PCBs that are slotted into avionic racks. Avionic card technology has progressed considerably with the trends in miniaturization and ruggedization of electronics.
The solution is to move towards replacement of more traditional LRU casings with ruggedized shielded cassettes or modular programmable cards, thus saving valuable space, reducing weight and minimizing cost.
However, these cassettes still need EMI/RFI protection and possibly transient protection depending on where they are situated within the aircraft. One approach is to have an integrated interconnect design which involves machining the connector and the EMI shielded cassette box lid together as one piece and integrating the filter and suppression components.Learn more from Electronics Weekly.
Integrated Design Changes Military Connectors
