Rugged Connector Manages Escalating Data Streams Under Most Adverse Environments

Tyco Electronics has unleashed the future of backplane connectors with the advanced FORTIS ZD high-speed backplane connector, designed for military and commercial aerospace applications.

As demands on systems for real-time intelligence intensifies, the importance of high performance interconnection becomes critical. Tyco Electronics set out to design a new connector system that supports increasing bandwidth requirements in a ruggedized format to withstand the increased shock and vibration requirements of emerging military applications.

“The goal was to achieve a system that combined the seemingly contradictory features of multi-gigabit speeds and extreme ruggedness,” said Kevin Rock, president, Aerospace, Defense & Marine, Tyco Electronics. “Our development engineering team has produced an outstanding product that more than met the challenges set to them – providing a strong path for the next generation of electronic systems in harsh environments.”

Tyco Electronics engineers provided ruggedization improvements in the high-speed backplane connector designs by marrying an electrically sophisticated, high-speed contact leadframe with a robust, industry-proven separable contact interface. A metal shell offers an even higher degree of robustness, both in the mating interface and the outer shell of the connector.

By combining the best features of commercial high-speed backplane connectors with proven MIL-SPEC contacts, the new high performance FORTIS ZD connector allows data rates of 10 Gbs+ and is designed to enable improved communications, unmatched situational awareness, and technologically superior command/control and training.