Fischer Connectors, the global connectivity solution provider of high-performance circular connector and cable assemblies, continues to push the boundaries of technological innovation in rugged miniaturisation, high-speed data transmission, sealing, and wearability.

Committed to making its customers’ lives easier, on 11 June Fischer Connectors is launching a breakthrough plug & use connectivity technology with its new product line: the Fischer FreedomTM Series and its first product: the Fischer LP360TM.

The Fischer FreedomTM Series revolutionises wearable connectivity, as it meets design engineers’ urgent needs for designing and connecting portable and body-worn applications quickly and easily, thanks to three breakthrough technology innovations:

• Mating – no key code allows for 3600 mating ‘freedom’

• Locking – ball-locking mechanism with sealing and variable pre-defined force (patent pending)

• Materials – specially designed pins on the plug are IP68 sealed with a membrane (patent pending)

Thanks to these innovations, the Fischer FreedomTM Series facilitates integration, maximises usability and optimises cable management for a wide variety of applications within markets such as defence, security, medical, industrial and civil engineering – to name just a few.

“Our core mission at Fischer Connectors is to make our customers’ lives easier with a collaborative approach and tailored connectivity solutions, says Jonathan Brossard, Fischer Connectors Group’s CEO.”

“The creation of the Fischer FreedomTM Series is evidence that our mission actually strengthens our customers’ abilities to design for their markets. Re-imagining connectivity like we’ve shown in the new Fischer Freedom™ Series allows those customers to turn their ambitious ideas into solutions that fit their world and help them break into new markets as well.”

Threefold usability

The new Fischer FreedomTM Series and the Fischer LP360TM set a new standard in usability, which is threefold.

The new product line makes end users’ lives easier by reducing cognitive, weight and reliability burdens thanks to:

1. Easy mating. Mating the Fischer LP360TM becomes as intuitive as buttoning up a vest – without compromising on the high-performance reliability required in harsh environments.

2. Easy cleaning. The new connector is fully cleanable (both plug and receptacle), and is easy to use and maintain with a faster set up and improved durability. The Fischer FreedomTM Series also makes the life of design engineers easier, as it meets their need to easily and seamlessly integrate connectors – with or without cables – into multifunctional portable or body-worn devices.

3. Easy integration. Thanks to its compact and low-profile design, the Fischer LP360TM is easy to integrate into clothing with devices and subsystems; via the panel-mounted plug interface, cables can even be removed completely, and the connector can be directly integrated into the housing of such devices as a camera, a sensor, a light, a GPS.

Optimised cable management

The Fischer FreedomTM Series optimises cable management with an extremely reliable connectivity ecosystem.

As the Fischer LP360TM has no key code, it offers 3,600 mating ‘freedom’, meaning it can be plugged and routed in any direction, ensuring that the cable can always go straight to the device. No more twists and turns means shorter cables in the equipment body-worn by dismounted soldiers, healthcare professionals or patients, civil engineers, surveyors and operators, and law enforcement officers and security guards. In certain applications, the need for cable can be eliminated completely.

Shared data and power bus opens up new opportunities in smart clothing and IoT

The usability, as well as the integrability of the Fischer FreedomTM Series connectivity solutions contribute to making wearable devices smaller, faster and smarter – and, ultimately, to making high-performance and smart clothing a reality.

The Fischer FreedomTM Series enables design engineers to build an intelligent vest which works as a hub with multiple portable and body-worn devices connected to a shared data and power bus. Clutter is reduced and usability increased, making equipment lighter and faster to set up. These benefits also open up further opportunities in the Internet of Things (IoT).

The low-profile, rugged and versatile Fischer LP360TM is the first product in the Fischer FreedomTM Series and features:

  • Signal and power through seven contacts, up to 24AWG compatible with up to 3x 5A power and 4x 1A signal with USB 2.0 and Ethernet data protocols
  • Receptacle: Panel mount with O-ring sealing, or integration as a wearable solution
  • Plug: Easy cabling (up to 24AWG), with or without potting – bend relief or overmoulding – panel plug version for direct integration into the housing of an application
  • High-performance reliability
  • Robust stainless steel and brass design for longevity (min. 10,000 mating cycles)
  • Resistant to shock, vibration, torque and extreme temperatures
  • Tested in line with MIL and IEC standards

Easy mating

▪ No key code: 360°mating freedom and optimised cable management
▪ Blind-mate, non-magnetic ball locking with variable force (patent pending)
▪ Emergency release unlocking – no latching

Easy cleaning

▪ Membrane-sealed contacts (patent pending)
▪ Surface contacts (no female cavity or protruding male contacts)
▪ IP68 sealed to -20m/24h

Easy integration

▪ Low-profile, right-angled plug
▪ (Receptacle) Wearable integration or panel mounted
▪ (Plug) Easy cable assembly or direct integration into the device’s housing