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Engineers know that precision, reliability, and performance are crucial when designing today’s electronics. Achieving these levels of accuracy and reliability can be challenging, though. Engineers must manage electromagnetic interference (EMI), preserve signal integrity, and protect against harsh environments. These difficulties are magnified when designing for industries like aerospace, telecommunications, medical, and industrial automation, where even minor signal disruptions can cause major failures. For example, telecommunications networks require uninterrupted, high-quality signal transmission, while aerospace systems need to operate under extreme temperature shifts, vibrations, and transient voltage spikes.

These challenges require a balance between performance and durability while still meeting industry standards. Engineers need components that meet those standards while also integrating many functions in compact, efficient designs. In this week’s New Tech Tuesday, we look at how new aerospace and defense products from Molex fit the needs of designers in these fields.

Meeting the Demands of Critical Applications

Molex addresses complex design challenges with specialized interconnects that give engineers the tools they need to achieve reliable signal performance, EMI protection, and consolidated designs in critical applications.

RF Coaxial Terminations

Molex aerospace and defense RF coaxial terminations (Figure 1) offer peak signal integrity and power transfer in high-frequency systems, supporting frequencies from DC to 40GHz. They handle power levels up to 50W and operate reliably across wide temperature ranges (-55°C to +125°C). These attenuators excel in military applications like radar systems, as well as in 4G/5G testing and automotive testing environments.

Figure 1: Molex RF coaxial terminations provide reliable signal integrity in aerospace and telecom applications. (Source: Molex)

EMI-Filtered High-Performance D-Sub Pi Adapters and Connectors

Molex EMI-filtered D-Sub Pi connectors (Figure 2) mitigate EMI and help simplify PCB designs. These high-performance adapters can help integrate power and signal filtering, reducing installation time and enhancing system performance.

Available in shell sizes from 9 to 50, these adapters are essential in military flight controls, UAV systems, telecommunications base stations, and industrial automation.

Figure 2: Molex EMI-filtered high-performance D-Sub Pi connectors enhance EMI protection and signal integrity in sensitive systems. (Source: Molex)

EMI Filter Plates

Designed for EMI protection, EMI filter plates are ideal for safeguarding critical components by isolating electronic signals between various system modules. They have a compact design to maximize PCB space while simplifying assembly operations.

With vertical and right-angle lead configurations in diameters of 0.64mm for 2.54mm centers or 0.51mm for 2.00mm centers, these plates (Figure 3) are suited for GPS devices, flight instruments, telecommunications, and medical diagnostics equipment.

Figure 3: Molex EMI filter plates provide robust EMI protection for aerospace and medical industries. (Source: Molex)

Fixed RF Coaxial Attenuators

Molex fixed RF coaxial attenuators (Figure 4) provide accurate signal power control across a broad frequency range of DC to 40GHz. They maintain consistent performance in test and measurement equipment and applications such as uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) flight controls, base stations, and industrial automation systems like gas monitors.

Figure 4: Molex fixed RF coaxial attenuators ensure precision signal control in aerospace and automotive systems. (Source: Molex)

Tuesday’s Takeaway

As many industries move toward more autonomous systems, 6G networks, and advanced devices, it becomes even more important to incorporate high-performance RF and EMI solutions. Molex provides components that set the stage for future innovation by allowing reliable signal performance and excellent EMI protection, even in the most demanding environments.

These aerospace and defense solutions from Molex—including filtered connectors, filter plates, RF terminations, and RF attenuators—provide space, weight, power, and cost savings while offering high reliability and performance in demanding environments, such as navigation, aircraft avionics, aircraft management systems, aircraft cabins, C4ISR, crewed and uncrewed vehicles, and defense applications.