Cable and Circuit Connectors

• Conductive Compounds Reduce Static Noise In Electronics Connectors

Static dissipative connectors reduce electrical signal noise

In the world of electronics, digital devices seem to have taken over the industry during the past decade, creating the impression that analog devices are somehow obsolete. However, there are still significant advantages to keeping analog interconnection products around, especially for equipment in medical and industrial markets.

Connectors Unlimited, a producer of interconnect solutions for the electrical and electronics industry, hasn’t halted innovation in their analog product line; instead, they have added a unique shielding solution for cable and circuit connectors. When they needed static control to improve their analog connectors, they turned to RTP Company for assistance in selecting suitable static dissipative and conductive materials.

“The fundamental reason for using RTP Company’s conductive plastics in our analog connectors is to minimize noise interference in the electronic signal, which is primarily caused by static charge,” explained Marty Ignasiak, President of Connectors Unlimited. “By effectively reducing static charges, we’re able to significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio in our connectors and thus upgrade overall performance of devices.”

When selecting a supplier of conductive plastic compounds, Connectors Unlimited engineers kept three critical requirements in mind: thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and structural rigidity. Maintaining dimensional stability of the analog circuits during manufacturing was a huge concern for their engineers, noted Ignasiak.

Company engineers ended up choosing several different RTP Company conductive compounds that provide varying levels of static protection to circuit connectors. Base resins for the compounds are RTP 300 Series polycarbonate, and RTP 3400 Series liquid crystal polymer. To maintain rigidity during assembly that may include soldering processes, glass and carbon fiber reinforcement are utilized along with flame retardant packages to meet UL94 flammability requirements. The LCP materials are an invaluable option when components must undergo electronic or solvent cleaning.

“RTP Company materials we chose have the best combination of properties: they maintain excellent stiffness, while at the same time provide an array of static reduction levels, ranging from slightly static dissipating to fully conductive,” said Ignasiak. “These materials are the only ones we tested that really, truly worked.”

Founded in 1997, Connectors Unlimited of Painesville, OH, specializes in solving unique OEM challenges by providing high quality interconnect solutions for the electrical and electronics industries. For more information, visit www.connectorsunlimited.com.