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Table of Contents Departments News All connector sectors showing growth According to the recent Bishop and Associates report, "Connector Industry Forecast," all end-use connector-related equipment sectors are recording growth and are forecast to improve further in 2004. Jury finds Hon Hai infringed FCI's patents Connector company FCI has achieved a substantial victory in its patent infringement suit involving FCI's ball-grid-array (BGA) connector technology brought in the U.S. against Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industries. Belden and CDT combine forces to create Belden CDT Belden and CDT announced recently that the boards of directors of the two companies have collectively approved and entered into an agreement providing for a "merger of equals." News Briefs Newsmakers: Industry leaders announce IBPAK multi-source specification for transceivers Ten industry-leading transceiver component companies have announced the public release of the IBPAK multi-source agreement specification. TIA FOLS elects new officers The Fiber Optics LAN Section (FOLS) of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has announced the election of officers for 2004. Editor's View Two jolly good shows bode well for connectors Events and conferences in our industry have been decidedly glum the past couple of years. Letters to the Editor At the Core article error In the January 2004 Connector Specifier article, "At the Core, how scratches, dust, and fingerprints affect optical connector performance," the reference to return loss is in error Products New Products What's New CONNECTORS CABLING & CONNECTOR support Focus On Manufacturing Equipment & Tools D-Subminiature Connectors Features HARSH REALITY: How to successfully deploy fiberoptics in harsh environments Optical-fiber connectors are not known for ruggedness. Successful implementation in harsh environments requires attention to design, packaging, installation, testing, and a detailed maintenance plan. Profit by design: Aiming for low-cost interconnect solutions High-performance, low-cost interconnect systems begin at the design stage by optimizing connector slots, reducing backplane layer count, avoiding high-performance board materials, and scaling existing designs. Injection-molding process saves connector costs A new plastics-processing technology enables efficient manufacturing of electronic connector, socket, and lead-frame components in computer, communications, and automotive applications.

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