Fiber Optic Cables _ The Types And Benefits - Miracle Electronics

The data transmission industry is in full swing with all sorts of data being transferred from one point to another for various applications to run. Cable assemblies are one important element of this industry, which are required to send a signal from one device to another. The copper wire within these assemblies is mainly responsible for transmitting data through electrical signals or pulses. But, with advancements in technology, this copper wire is being slowly replaced with fiber optic cables.

What are fiber optic cables?

Fiber optic cables use a completely different method to transmit data, as compared to copper wires. With these cables, the data is sent using light pulses that travel through the fibers of the cable, which are made up particularly of plastic or glass, so that light can penetrate them. The light signals transmitted are then shot through the cable, hitting the cable walls. Because light travels very fast, the fiber optic cables have a much higher speed than the traditional copper wire.

Types of fiber optic cables

There are various types of fiber optic cables available, the choice depending upon the end connector and application in which they are to be used. The three main types of fiber optic cables include single-mode fiber cables, multi-mode fiber cables, and plastic optical fiber cables. Let us look at each one of them in detail.

Single mode fiber cables These cables are those that have only one strand of glass fiber running through them, with a thickness ranging from 8.3 to 10 microns in diameter. These cables can transmit data in only one direction. In spite of this, these cables have a higher bandwidth, and thus cost more.

Multi mode fibers These cables have multiple strands of glass fibers running through them, with larger diameters that range from 50 to 100 microns. Because of the multiple strands within, these cables can follow a linear and a non-linear path. The thickness can bring to these cables a higher bandwidth, but restricts the length. Longer cables result in a distorted signal.

Plastic optical fiber cables As the name itself suggests, these cables have plastic fibers instead of glass fibers, making it a cheaper option for short-distance applications. However, plastic optic fibers can lose their signal over long distances.

Connectors used in fiber optic cables

The connectors used at the ends of the cable assemblies are equally important to make sure that the cable is secured and connected properly to the application. Let’s now also take a look at the various kinds of connectors used.

Fixed connectors – These connectors are fixed on an application via a screw and threaded end housing, serving the purpose of securing the cable assembly to the application with movement.

Lucent connectors – These connectors contain small ferrules and a push-pull latching mechanism, being most popularly used with single mode fibers. Subscriber connectors – These connectors have ceramic ferrules, and are used for push-pull applications with dual mode fibers.

Straight tip connectors – These connectors contain a unique design where a half-twist bayonet locking mechanism is used. They come equipped with a longer ferrule, primarily used with multi mode fiber assemblies.

Whatever your cable assembly requirements, you can get in touch with Miracle Electronics, the most versatile cable assembly manufacturer in India. Here, you’ll get all kinds of cable assemblies, along with a variety of connectors to suit your application.

Cable Faults - The Best Troubleshooting Tips - Miracle Electronics

How far can you go without electricity? Doesn’t seem like for more than a few minutes, does it? You can't live without your fans and air conditioners; and if your mobile battery is down, you can't stand the power cut-off for even a minute. It’s almost like you life is leaving you, now that you are so very dependent on your electronics, and have such less capacity to fight the heat. Imagine if you have to stay off electricity for hours together, or maybe an entire day!

This can easily happen in the case of a cable fault. If a cable fault is not identified, you won't be able to fix the problem, no matter how long it takes. It is thus important to understand a cable and its possible faults well. Locating the fault area can help fix the issue quicker, thus bringing your electricity, electrical appliances, and electronic appliances back to life. Understanding this, we have brought forward to you some of the best troubleshooting tips for cabling faults.

Visual inspection

Visual inspection can help identify any external damage. Any damaged cable should be replaced. If not, there could be problems in the connector, as this is where most of the issues originate from.

Damaged cable replacement

As soon as a faulty cable wire is detected, it is wise to throw it away. Install a new cord set in its place. One of the quickest ways is to route a new spare cable, or swap cables to make the machine get back to work faster.

In the case of multiple cables

If several cables are joined together, and the specific reason of the fault cannot be diagnosed, it is better to replace the entire cable system, so as to not waste time.

Connector issues

If the fault is one that is linked to the connector, it could be difficult to detect. This is when having an extra set of cables can be of great help.

Cable extenders

Cable extenders and repeaters are different technologies aimed at addressing longer USB cable runs. Improperly installed, inadequately powered, defective extenders can cause significant problems. A signal delay may mean problem in the cable extenders. You must thus use multiple active USB repeaters or a single active USB extender. At the same time, avoid cascading multiple active USB extenders.

Other issues

Other issues that may not be with the cable could mean issues with the wall plates or adapters. Wall plates may bring the possibility of poor or loose connections; so you need to check all the front and back of the wall plate to ensure that they are screwed in well. Adapters may also be an issue if the right ones are not selected. There are a variety of formats and sizes of adapters available. If the wrong one is used, it may result in jostling or snapping off of the adapters.

As we can see, cables are one of the most challenging elements of any system. Using cables for your application other than those supplied by the manufacturer can ass yet another level of complexity. This is why it is always suggested that you have your cables particularly customized for your precise application by an experienced and expert cable assembly manufacturer in India, one like Miracle Electronics. Using such specifically designed cables and assemblies from reputed manufacturers will have your cables last longer, and your applications function better for longer too.

Mistakes To Avoid When Designing A Flexible PCB - Miracle Electronics

When designing flexible PCBs, a lot of extra attention needs to be paid to every detail in the design and manufacturing process. Overlooking some basic stuff may cause design failure, and thus lots of loss and damage. There are a lot of common mistakes that are committed while designing and manufacturing a flexible PCB. Let’s take a look at some of them, and learn from them what we are not supposed to do.

Mistake 1 – Incorrect conductor arrangement

Unlike solid PCBs, flexible PCBs can twist and bend. This is why if there is any incorrect conductor arrangement, it may lead to hazardous consequences, especially during board flexing. One way to minimize the stress is to make sure that the conductors pass through curved areas. This will help during flexing.

Mistake 2 – Wrong setup of bends

Flexible PCBs are mainly made as they are required to bend at some point or another during usage. To make the PCBs capable of handling the bend, it is important to check two main factors – the bendability of the council, and the number of times the board will be turning. For a flexible PCB to work perfectly, it is very important to consider these two factors and set the right bending area in the initial stages itself, so that the right parts can be manufactured that can fit perfectly for the flexible circuit board. Also, the minimum and maximum bendable limits should be ascertained beforehand. 

Mistake 3 – Inappropriate bridging sections

The curved areas and gaps within a flexible board are critical design elements. It is important to have perfect understanding of the right bridging sections to place the slots. Generally, the bridges should be designed around the narrowest regions so that there can be extra room for the slots, and better edges can be achieved, making it easy to fit the deserved curved PCBs.

Mistake 4 – Incorrect wire routing

Constructing the wire routing on the path of a flexible circuit board can be quite tricky, and is extremely important too as it is the base of placing the active elements on the board. It is important to avoid any kinds of beans and minimize the ability of copper circuits to thin. If not, there’ll be discontinuities experienced when the course is bent or stretched.

Mistake 5 – Thoughtless hole placements

When using the through-hole method of circuit designing, it is important to carefully plan the placement of holes. The holes must never be near the bend areas. They must be at a very safe distance from areas that bend or flex.

Mistake 6 – Wrong layer and component placements in multilayered boards

In the case of building multilayered boards, it is important to place the layers absolutely correctly. One mistake can jeopardize the entire functionality of the board. Thus, enough time should be taken to make accurate placements. Also, the conductors should never be stacked one over the other, as this will only result in a thicker circuit board, which can impact electromagnetic interference to a great extent.

To avoid these and many other such disastrous mistakes, it is important that you hire a professional PCB manufacturer for the job, who has enough experience of designing both rigid and flexible PCBs. Miracle Electronics is one such manufacturer who not only specializes in PCBs, but also many other such electronic components, which is why it has earned a reputation as the best PCB and cable assembly manufacturer in India.

Challenges In Medical Equipment Manufacturing Amidst The Pandemic - Miracle Electronics

Medical equipment electronics always require stringent measures to be taken while manufacturing them, as we always want to make sure that there is no chance of failure during any kind of critical procedures. The components used in such electronics also should be able to be easily traced back to their origin in case any problems are discovered, so as to find where the fault lies, and ensure that care is taken on manufacturing those particular components to avoid any issues in future components.

Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic that has struck so hard on us, there is even more pressure to hasten medical equipment development. There is also the need to satisfy the testing, documentation, and regulatory requirements of manufacturing medical electronics. Amidst all of this, let us take a look at some of the challenges that PCB manufacturers are facing to get the products to the market sooner. We want to see this because a PCB is one very crucial component of almost every electronic device today.

Why is precision important in medical equipment development?

Manufacturing of medical equipment is a tightly controlled process to ensure that the products built are of the highest quality. The best quality can be achieved by keeping a few goals in mind, some of which include –

• The product may have to work in the most critical applications, which is why it must have a more robust design than any other consumer product.
• The product should be designed as per applicable industry standards like ISO, by a manufacturer that holds applicable licenses to build medical devices.
• The product has to be safe to operate in even the most unexpected conditions, without any worry of shock or failure in any environment.

The challenges faced by the manufacturing industry due to the pandemic

Adding to all of the standard requirements above, medical equipment have an all new sense of urgency today with the threat of the worldwide spread COVID-19 pandemic. Certain medical equipment that are required for testing and treating the virus are facing even more challenges.

• The pandemic had brought a shut down on majority of manufacturing facilities since the past two months, slowly reopening across certain states since the past few days. All this hassle, and the way manufacturers are yet coping up on their lost time, has affected lead times for medical equipment and their components.
• Another issue was that of shipment. With all flights and trains cancelled, there was huge damage done to the lead time of getting timely shipments of devices and components.

What solutions can be helpful?

With so much of crisis around, and so many stringent measures required, what can be the solution? When you want quick response to your medical equipment requirements, there is no one that can help better than local PCB manufacturers amidst the lockdowns and restrictions. Here’s how.

• To cover up for all the loss made, many manufacturers have implemented dedicated shifts to make sure that the work gets done quicker, while ensuring safety of their staff.
• Every manufacturer has their own network of suppliers and distributors to satisfy their immediate requirements. Identifying such a local manufacturer can have them respond quickly to your urgent medical equipment assembly requests.
• Local manufacturers may help with not only PCB assemblies, but also box builds and cable assemblies so that you have to go nowhere else in these times of challenges. This can help respond quickly to requests of specialized fixtures for unique assemblies.

So, get in touch with a local manufacturer for your electronic device requirements, and we’re sure you’ll find a quick response. If you are in Bangalore, you can get in touch with Miracle Electronics  to take advantage of the best-in-class PCB assembly services from India  that can help you get your medical devices built as quickly as possible amidst these difficult times, without compromising on the quality of components. The engineering staff, the manufacturing teams, and the supply chain network here work together to achieve optimal manufacturing results to built products that are ready to be used in response to the current crises.

Designing Flexible Printed Circuit Boards - Miracle Electronics

Flexible printed circuit boards  are PCBs that are flexible, and are made of insulating polymer film that provides an electronic interconnection. While there are many ways to achieve a good circuit design, even some smallest mistakes can cause a design failure. It is thus better to be aware of such mistakes, and learn from them so that any potential errors can be avoided.

The bend

The bending capabilities of the board will be decided upon by two factors – the number of times the board will be turning, and the bendability of the council. For proper functioning of a flexible PCB, it is important that the bending area is set right in the initial stages itself. Thus, understanding the required bendability early on in the design is important to help manufacture the right parts that can fit well into the board. The minimum and maximum bendable limits should be known in regards to the bend radius and the bending tolerance.

Conductor arrangement

Because flexible circuit boards can twist and bend, any incorrect conductor arrangements can lead to hazardous consequences. You need to thus be very cautious while designing conductor arrangement. Also, you must make sure that the conductors pass through curved areas, in order to minimize the stress on them during flexing.

Stacking of conductors

Stacking conductors onto a board can result in a thicker circuit that may lead to an “I beam” effect, which is observed when the line pairs are staggered, to minimize the impact from electromagnetic reduction. You must thus avoid stacking conductors when designing a flexible PCB.

Slots and gaps

You need to create the right bridging sections to place the slots. Every gap and curved area in a flexible PCB is critical. Preparing for a manageable arrangement with the right bridging sections can avoid any bottlenecks in the design, by helping to achieve better edges and making it easy to fit the deserved curved PCB.

Quality of cover material

The quality of material you choose for the cover of the circuit boards will also determine, on a huge scale, the overall performance and life of the board. You must thus choose only the most suitable material, never compromising on the quality.

Layer placements for multi-layer boards

When using multi-layer flexible circuit boards, you must take care of the layer placement. As these boards are used in high circuit density applications, one mistake can hamper the entire functionality of the board. You thus need to make accurate placements by avoiding circuit parts on the solder side of the circuit board.

Through-hole mounting method

When using the through-hole mounting method, you must make sure that the holes are well within a safe distance from areas that bend or flex, to avoid any possible risks. Also, pay attention to the surface finish on both sides of the board, as they need to be of the same quality, for the best performance. Another good suggestion is that you must avoid using holes near the bend areas.

With these 7 design elements kept in mind, you can design a quality PCB having the best performance. However, there are many other minute details that need to be worked on. This is why it is recommended that you have your PCBs designed and manufactured by professionals who have enough experience to know what they are doing, with every minute detail of the board taken care of in regards to the application they need to be installed in. Miracle Electronics  is one such PCB assembly manufacturer in India  you can rely upon to have the most perfect PCB designed, with attention paid to every detail like the circuit traces, hole sizes, landing patterns, and more.

Factors To Consider While Manufacturing A Switch Gear - Miracle Electronics

Electric power has become a basic necessity for each one of us today; and for electric power circuits to operate well, it is important that they are operated by the right switch gear controls, which can switch and protect individual components of the equipment. Composed of electrical disconnect switches, fuses, and circuit breakers to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment, switch gears are used to de-energize equipment so hat work can be performed with zero faults down the line.

These equipment are thus directly linked to the reliability of the electric supply; and must be thus manufactured very cautiously. So, when you are looking to manufacture such important components for your application, it is crucial that you consider several factors so as to develop and implement these components properly.

The size of the switch gear

The first and foremost consideration is the size of your switch gear. What size of switch gear will be apt for your application? Especially, when maintenance is concerned, you need to have an appropriate switch gear, if you need to move it in and out of the enclosure at the base for repairs and upkeep.

The environmental factors it will encounter

Where are you planning to install your switch gear? What is the application? Where will your product be used or installed? What kind of environmental factors will the switch gear encounter? For example, if the environmental conditions are of extreme temperatures or humidity, you need to design your switch gear such that they can effectively perform under those circumstances.

The operation requirements

You also need to consider the general control action of the switch gear. Are there any special requirements you need your switch gear to perform? Whatever your requirements, you need to present the information to the manufacturer right at the beginning of the development phase. Depending upon all that you require from your switch gear, the design plans will be worked out; and based on the finalized plan, the manufacturing will be carried out. Hence, every tiny information should be communicated and clarified before moving into the manufacturing phase to ensure that every specification of the switch gear will complement your equipment operation requirements.

Typically, switch gear are located on both high and low voltage sides of large power transformers. The switch gear on the low voltage side of transformers may be located in a building, with medium voltage circuit breakers for distribution circuits, along with control, protection, and metering equipment. For industrial applications, transformers and switch gear are combined into one housing, known as a unitized substation. So, for any queries on switch gear and transformers, and their components, or to place an order, you can always get in touch with Miracle Electronics, the best transformer manufacturer in India , where you can communicate all your information with skilled technicians, and have only the best electronic components manufactured for you. You can have almost every kind of electronics manufacturing services offered here, right from product and system designing to manufacturing the best quality products.

Receiving A Transformer And Installing It Correctly - Miracle Electronics

A transformer’s performance and success depends highly upon how it is designed and how it is installed. The design should be prepared well in advance keeping every aspect in mind by experts; the best quality materials should be used; and every care should be taken to install the transformer properly. Every transformer comes with a manufacturer’s guide that thoroughly describes the installation and testing procedure, and it is crucial to follow these guidelines to ensure safety to both the equipment and the personnel.

Acceptance testing

Before the transformer is shipped to you, it is important that you contact the transformer manufacturer in India to know about the acceptance tests that need to be followed. Every test comes with a specific objective that describes the transformer’s applicability for various uses.

Packaging inspection

Once you have received your transformer, the very first step is to check the packaging first, before even taking it out of the truck or any other vehicle that it is delivered to you in. If the packaging itself is damaged, you must return it immediately, or speak to the manufacturer as to what should be done about it.

Unloading and handling the transformer

Every transformer has a different weight, size, and mechanical configuration; and these aspects decide upon how the transformer should be handled – how it should be removed from the vehicle, how it should be lifted, and how it should be moved. Make sure your unloading people are well aware of all these things, and are capable of handling the transformer with care.

Deciding upon the location of installation

Before you plan on opening up your package and installing your transformer, it is essential that you choose a proper location that is apt for the installation, one that fulfills all the safety codes without affecting the normal movement of the equipment, material, or personnel. The location you choose must keep the transformer prevented as much as possible from harsh environmental factors like rain, wind, and heat; and also exposure to any kind of damage from trucks, cranes, or moving equipment.

Inspecting the transformer

Now that you have unloaded your parcel, and have also decided upon the location where your transformer should be installed, you are all set to go. But, hold on! Before you blindly install the transformer, it is absolutely crucial that you inspect your transformer thoroughly. Any flaws, defects, or errors in the transformer can be repaired or replaced there and then by speaking to the manufacturer. Once you install the transformer, this option may have lesser chances. However, if you have partnered with Miracle Electronics, there would be zero worries about any damages or errors, as they are the most reputed and experienced transformer manufacturer in India, who has been successfully manufacturing and delivering a variety of transformers to clients across the globe.

Installing the transformer

So, everything’s right, and you’re all set to install the transformer. It is absolutely important to carefully abide by the guidelines mentioned on the nameplate or on the connection diagram. Other than this, be very careful while considering the grounding of your transformer, as it is extremely important to eliminate the static charges that may accumulate. You must also safeguard the transformer windings so that it does not accidently get in touch with the core or enclosure. Also, after installing the transformer, do a final inspection to check for every assembling and connection.