New-Tech Europe Digital Magazine | Feb 2016

new products

connector-equipped cable, which uses plastic optical fiber technology, can achieve the transmission of full-spec 8K video via a single cable, with improved bandwidth and length. High-speed transmission over optical fiber connector can be achieved when the optical axes are completely aligned. However, when the equipment and the cable’s connection portions are detachable, it is difficult to precisely align optical axes at the connection, leading to poor connectivity and other defects. That has hampered the deployment of optical fiber cables in video transmission cables with detachable connectors. Working with KAI Photonics Co., Ltd., a venture from Japan’s Keio University, Panasonic developed connector-equipped cables that adopt “plastic optical fiber and its connection technology using ballpoint-pen type interconnect*2.” Further, by applying Panasonic’s technology for the multi-level modulation of broadband signals, a transmission bandwidth exceeding 100 Gbps was achieved with a single cable. Professor Yasuhiro Koike of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, commented: “I am delighted that Panasonic successfully developed a prototype cable for transmitting 8K images based on ‘plastic optical fiber and its connection technology using ballpoint-pen type interconnect,’ which was developed by Keio University. We would like to further cooperate with Panasonic to respond to the variety of needs for

interface. The product can support 10G-Base-T cable distances of 100 meters on CAT6A cable, or 30 meters on the same cable in low power mode. A power supply, two dual-channel 10G-Base-T toXAUI PHYs, Ethernet transformers, clocking, and an MDIO interface is contained within the connector unit itself. There is no MDIO communication necessary to utilize the converter connector, but access over this channel to the PHY units enables users to change configuration or optimize the given links, in addition to retrieving data for built-in-test requirements. Power and ground inputs attach to the unit via a small connector and cable assembly. The sub-system interface is a dual-bank Samtec HQDP ribbon and connector that includes four channels of XAUI and the MDIO interface. Other configurations are available including different shell rotations, alternate plating, power cable lengths, signal cable lengths, and others. In addition to supporting 10G-Base-T on the physical system side, the product also supports interoperability with IEEE standard devices operating at 10Base-T, 100- Base-Tx, and 1000Base-T. On the sub-system side, an SGMII MAC interface is also supported in addition to XAUI. Jared Sibrava, Amphenol Aerospace High Speed Solutions Business Unit Director, says, “This product is a great and welcome addition to our products that support 10GbE. In addition to supporting various 10GbE and 40GbE products in high and low density over fiber optic protocols,

we can now support system integrators who wish to utilize the 10GbE protocol, but do so over copper cables. IEEE 10GBase-T is growing in use and becoming more accepted by aerospace manufacturers. By providing this rugged product to the market, communication between system components and internal MACs and switches becomes much more trivial.” The product is stocked for prototype quantities by Mouser Electronics and is accompanied with test cables and test boards. This enables rapid integration into sub-systems.

Panasonic Develops Single Cable and Connector Solution for Transmission of Full-spec 8K Video Signals*1 Panasonic Corporation today announced that it has developed single cable and connector solution that enable the transmission of uncompressed full-spec 8K video signals*1. Currently, to transmit video signal via connector-equipped cables from an 8K signal source or other devices to an 8K display, 4K-equivalent images are transmitted using four HDMI cables, and then they are combined to show in 8K resolution by using image processing. Panasonic’s newly-developed

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