Q&A. Halo LEDs for Connecting and Mating

Switzerland-headquartered LEMO won the i-NOVO Design Award 2016 at Hannover Messe for its IAC – Intelligent Active Connector range

Marketing Manager Serge Buechli talked to Directindustry e-magazine about the new smart all-in-one LED and connector line.

DirectIndustry e-magazine: What prompted you to design with this range?

Serge Buechli: The design was inspired by customers enquiring about preventing mismating connectors. At LEMO, in the past, we have used various coloured bend reliefs that are assembled to the connector to identify which is which. The halo LED gives an additional indication as the colour appears only after mating, informing the user if the cable set up is correctly or not.

Some of our customers were already using such a setup with LEDs on their enclosure, to inform users what and when to connect. This new solution allows the designer to source all-in-one LEDs and connectors, also making the design of the enclosure simpler. It is an ideal solution for critical applications, for example in high end equipment or healthcare equipment.

DirectIndustry e-magazine: How does it fit in with your other ranges?

Serge Buechli: The LEMO halo LED connector is a metallic circular connector, it is based on the existing B series connector and is fully compatible with existing connectors of the B series range. This means that many existing connectors of the LEMO range with various contact configurations can be used with the halo LED connector.