From railways to medical: the evolution of the Hypertac connector

How did a connector that was designed for railways become one of the most used designs for medical connections? 

The Hypertact contact, invented by Francois Bonhomme, helped overcome the shock and vibration common on moving trains, maintaining a stable electrical contact as the train raced along the tracks. 

Today, the Hypertac connector is part of the Smiths Connectors family. It mates a round-screw machine pin with a socket contact, featuring spiral gold wires inside a tube-shaped ferrule. 

Because the design was scalable for miniature applications, particularly in medical designs, it flourished there, as it offered stable, reliable mating forces. Learn more from Connector Tips contributing editor Dave Brearley about this strong connector design used in many life-saving devices.