What is the most extreme environment in which electronic components can operate?According to Electronic Component News’ Paul Pickering, it’s the planet Venus, where temperatures reach 500°C and the atmosphere contains clouds of sulfuric acid.Get more news about Harsh Environment Connector,you can vist our website!

While most applications won’t require you to prepare your connectors for space travel, there is an increasing demand for components that can withstand extreme or harsh environments.Temperatures are considered harsh when they reach the range of -55°C/-67°F to 150°C/302°F. Both very high and very low temperatures can harm electronics systems.

In addition, rain, water vapor, and water submersion, as well as dust and dirt in both indoor and outdoor environments, can all cause damage to components.Technology for downhole and deep-sea applications needs to function under extreme pressure. For example, the pressure inside a deep-sea well can surpass 20,000 psi.

“Rather than expose electronics to such conditions, downhole designs typically house their electronics in a pressure vessel,” writes Pickering. “The housing consists of alloys such as beryllium copper or Inconel, a nickel/chromium/iron combination, which are resistant to corrosion at high temperatures.”Most corrosion is caused by high humidity combining with salt fog, but some industrial chemicals can also cause corrosion, including various acids as well as bases such as ammonia.

“To protect against chemical intrusion and dust, electronic equipment uses sealed enclosures and connectors,” Pickering says. “At the board level, manufacturers apply a transparent conformal coating that's 25 – 250μm thick. Different materials are used depending on the application, including acrylic, polyurethane, silicone, or UV-cure hybrid materials.”Sometimes a harsh environment has nothing to do with environmental factors such as temperature or pressure. Some connectors are simply subjected to a great deal of wear and tear, either because they are dragged, dropped, or coupled and uncoupled several times a day. Any of these things can cause damage and affect the connector’s reliability.