Abstract
Bishop and Associates has just released a new eleven-chapter research report
analyzing Connector Standards in the Computer and Telecom Industries. This
report provides an analysis of major standards development organizations and a
select group of connector standards that impact the computing and
telecommunications markets. While standardization of individual connectors is
a continuing process, the inclusion of connectors in standards of much broader
scope, such as VITA), and IEEE is becoming increasingly important.
Standards have played a long and important role in the development of the
electronic industry. The creation of standards that address everything from
safety issues to intermateability of related equipment have enabled the
industry to offer reliable, equipment with assured compatibility produced by a
global array of suppliers. The establishment of standardized equipment
platforms has allowed the introduction of reference designs that can greatly
accelerate the new product development process.
Connectors that conform to a particular standard assure the designer and user
of intermateability, a key requirement in an industry that produces a wide
variety of interconnected equipment. Many standards address both electrical
and mechanical compatibility to a specified limit, at the system level.
Formal organizations such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers) and VITA (formerly VME International Trade Association) have a
long-established record of creating industry standards that have shaped the
emerging market. More recently, special interest groups (SIGs) and other
industry consortia have become particularly effective in promoting system
architectures, which include the interconnects. Organizations such as PCI
Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) focus on a particular class of
product. PICMG is an example of a particularly effective consortium of more
than 450 companies that collaboratively develop specifications that adapt PCI
protocol to emerging market requirements.
From the original equipment manufacturers' (OEM) perspective, designing a new
product around an established specification assures system compatibility and a
potentially reduced design cycle. Standards groups often sponsor "plugfests"
where equipment manufacturers can verify compliance to the specification.
Components defined in the specification, including connectors, are often
tooled by a wide variety of manufacturers, which assures multiple sources and
competitive prices. Designing a system around a standard platform also has its
drawbacks. In some cases, the standards development process has taken years to
finalize. By the time the standard is released, the technology may have become
obsolete making the manufacturer vulnerable to more advanced systems. Adopting
an architecture based on a standard also opens the potential for the
development of an aftermarket that offers compatible components such as
daughtercards. The OEM may lose control of this valuable long-term source of
revenue.
Connector manufacturers that choose to tool an industry-standard connector can
anticipate the rapid development of a large potential market. The costly
decision to tool a new connector is tempered by this confidence. The downside
is that a widely adopted standard quickly attracts a host of low-cost
manufacturers that are not burdened with the development costs of the
interface. Many standards organizations require that the originator of a
proposed connector license the ability to tool the product at a reasonable and
non-discriminatory (RAND) fee. Potentially valuable intellectual property is
made available to any competitor in the market. A standard connector can
quickly evolve to commodity product pricing, which reduces the profit margin.
Connectors that are designed around an industry standard are typically tooled
for high volume and produced in low-cost-of-labor regions of the world.
Additionally, there is risk associated with being on the front end of a new
standardized interface. If the final standard is not widely accepted in the
industry, the specified interface may quickly become obsolete. Sockets that
were developed to accept bubble memory devices proved to be a loss to
manufacturers that chose to develop and tool this unique interface.
Design of equipment utilizing industry standards continues to grow as price
and time-to-market pressures demand a more-efficient design process and the
use of cost-effective components.
There are a large number of organizations that are currently active in
introducing standards that include connectors. Beyond the formal
organizations such as IEEE, and VITA, consortiums and special interest groups
are generating new standards at a rapid pace. Recognizing the size of this
expanding universe of standards, this report will focus on a select group of
key organizations and standards as examples of the influence they are having
on the electronic connector market. Prior to that discussion, however, several
basic issues of standardization and the standardization process will be
reviewed.
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