Industry Standard Research and Alliance Participation
Zhaolong Interconnect has been actively involved in industry standard research and alliance participation, proactively promoting the formulation of industry standards and the healthy long-term development of the industry.
Participation in Formulating International Standards
White Paper Compilation and Standard Formulation
Ethernet Alliance Participation
IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Update Standards
IEEE P802.3cg Draft 3.4 has been approved by IEEE-SA.
IEEE 802.3cg defines the physical layer interface specifications for transmitting 10 Mb/s data using single-pair twisted-pair systems and supports power delivery functions through PoDL technology.
High-Speed Transmission Standards
Globally, since the birth of high-speed interconnection transmission standards, transmission rates have been continuously increasing, evolving from the initial 2Gbps, 3.2Gbps, 10Gbps to 100Gbps. In September 2018, the IEEE 802.3 group released the 200Gbps standard, while the 400Gbps Ethernet standard is under development. In 5G communication system applications, big data transmission and switching require high-speed interconnection products to reach rates of 200Gbps or even above 400Gbps.
Railway Locomotive Standards
International standard cables mainly include thin-walled locomotive cables and standard wall thickness locomotive cables for control cables, without mentioning network communication data cables.
Although domestic standards involve network communication data cables, they only specify the performance requirements for CAT5 with 100MHz bandwidth, which supports data transmission up to 1000Mbps at most.
With the development of mobile communications, especially 5G, cables with Category 7 performance or above will become the mainstream. However, railway locomotive cable standards have gaps in the regulations for cables above CAT5e.
Material Innovation
High-Frequency Wire Conductor
High-frequency wire conductors in the cable field have core advantages of low skin effect and low loss, mostly using silver/tin-plated copper alloys or stranded structures to enhance the stability of high-frequency signal transmission. With high surface finish and precise impedance matching, they reduce signal distortion. Commonly used in 5G base stations, RF cables, high-speed network cables, etc., suitable for high-frequency communications above 10GHz to meet the high-speed data transmission needs of 5G, IoT, and other fields.
Fluoroplastics
Fluoroplastics in the cable field have advantages such as high temperature resistance (-200℃~260℃), corrosion resistance, low loss, and strong insulation, with excellent weather resistance and low friction coefficient to reduce cable wear. Commonly used in aerospace, medical equipment, high-frequency communications, etc., suitable for extreme temperature and chemical corrosion environments to meet the reliability requirements of high-speed data transmission under harsh conditions.
Flame-Retardant and Fire-Resistant Materials
Flame-retardant and fire-resistant materials delay flame propagation with excellent flame retardancy, reducing fire risks, and maintain stable structures at high temperatures to ensure continuous power supply during fires. Their low-smoke and non-toxic properties reduce the release of smoke and harmful gases, ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment. Commonly used in power transmission and signal control cables for high-rise buildings, data centers, subways, industrial plants, etc., meeting fire protection specifications and operating stably under complex conditions to guarantee the safety of critical infrastructure.
Special Environment-Resistant Materials
Special environment-resistant materials in the cable field have characteristics such as resistance to high/low temperatures, corrosion, and radiation, maintaining stable performance under extreme conditions to avoid aging, short circuits, and other issues due to harsh environments. Their wear-resistant and pressure-resistant advantages are suitable for vibration and extrusion scenarios with strong protection. Commonly used in aerospace, petrochemical, mining, metallurgy, and other scenarios, providing reliable guarantee for cable transmission in special environments to meet the strict requirements of special working conditions.
Alloy Copper Conductor Materials
Alloy copper conductor materials in the cable field combine high conductivity and high strength, with conductivity exceeding 97%, tensile strength 30% higher than pure copper, and are wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant. With good thermal stability, they can stably transmit at 150℃ high temperature. Commonly used in aerospace cables, high-speed train cables, and precision instrument connection wires to meet the transmission needs of high reliability and weather resistance, especially suitable for complex conditions such as vibration and bending.
Foamed Insulation Materials
Foamed insulation materials in the cable field have advantages of low dielectric constant (ε≈1.3-1.8) and light weight, reducing signal attenuation and transmission loss while improving high-frequency performance. Their cell structure imparts flexibility and cushioning, with bending resistance and extrusion resistance. Commonly used in 5G communication cables, RF cables, and high-speed data transmission wires, suitable for base stations, data centers, etc., to meet the transmission needs of low latency and high bandwidth.
Cable Innovation
Ultra-Fine Jumpers for High-Density Environments
Based on years of cable development experience and combined with special equipment, the production process of ultra-fine jumpers is mastered.
Meet standard requirements
Lightweight and heat dissipation optimization
Flexible and bend-resistant
Easy deployment and maintenance
Unshielded 10G Transmission Cables
Unshielded 10G cable products are achieved through optimized cable design structures.。
Meet standard requirements
10G high-speed transmission
Convenient construction, low cost
Anti-interference optimized design
High-performance Ethernet cabling system cables
By leveraging the symmetry principle of digital communication cables, controlling imbalance parameters, and optimizing processes to achieve high-performance cabling.
Meet standard requirements
Lossless high-speed transmission
Strong anti-interference capability
Compatible with multi-scenario applications
EU-Compliant Flame-Retardant Cables
Through researching and verifying the properties of halogen-free flame-retardant materials, various flame-retardant cables are designed to meet CPR standards.
Meet CPR standard requirements
Outstanding fire resistance
Durability and reliability
More environmentally friendly and safe
Innovations and New Technologies
Constant Tension Full Untwisting Technology
The cage stranding machine with constant tension control system can achieve 100% de-torsion of high-end flexible products; For high-end drag chain cables, robot cables and other products that require long-term stable operation, full reverse torsion technology must be adopted so that the cable will not fail in the long-term bending and moving use environment.
High-Flexibility CAT6A Data Cable Manufacturing Technology
Based on conventional data cables, high-flexibility CAT6A data cables are successfully developed; enabling real-time transmission of 10G data volume; applied in industrial visual monitoring fields; realizing real-time transmission of large-capacity visual data from high-speed moving cameras, providing a stable bridge for industrial automation applications and data transmission.
Fluoroplastic Extrusion Technology for Large-Diameter Cables
Fully mastered the fluoroplastic sheath extrusion technology for large-diameter cables. Through developing new extruder heads, optimizing extrusion dies and die ratios, etc., complete extrusion of fluoroplastic sheath cables for large-diameter cables is achieved.
Fire-Retardant Data Cable Technology
Using fire-resistant tapes with stable crusting performance in data cables can effectively improve the accuracy of rescue in fires, allowing the situation in fires to be confirmed through video systems.
Material Application Technology for Robot Cables
Materials for robot cables generally have characteristics such as high tensile strength, high resilience, high oil resistance, low-temperature flexibility, and good abrasion resistance. These characteristics determine that the materials themselves have high fluidity and viscosity, requiring optimization of extrusion equipment and technological processes. We have fully mastered the extrusion technology for robot cable materials to meet different customers' requirements for cable characteristics and performance.
Robot Cable Design and Manufacturing Application Technology
Robot cables generally refer to connection wires inside or around the mechanical arms of industrial robots; robot cables are the "blood vessels of industrial robots" for industrial robots; the quality of robot cables is related to the safe operation of the entire robot system; designers of robot cables must have deep technical foundations and accumulations, deeply understand the applications and movement rules of robots in the robot industry, and then evaluate from cable material selection, product structure design, application scenarios (bend resistance, torsion resistance, U-shaped tank chain movement resistance), etc.
Connector and Component Innovations
The performance of connectors is one of the key factors affecting the performance of transmission systems, and their performance directly impacts the overall signal integrity of the system.
Zhaolong's R&D team uses mature electromagnetic simulation software to design and evaluate connector product solutions. This includes not only the traditional differential-mode transmission parameters, but also the advantages and disadvantages of the differential-common-mode conversion parameters as well as the external crosstalk parameters during the structural design phase. Accurate and efficient simulation enables Zhaolong Interconnect to design RJ45 connectors that comply with IEC 60603-7, M12 connectors that comply with IEC 61076-2, and high-speed connectors that meet the SFF 86xx series standard. Zhaolong Labs uses the most stringent standards to test each connector product, and even exceeds the requirements of common industry standards in the test, and additionally tests the performance of the device in the extended test indicators. In order to better feedback the device performance to the R&D team, Zhaolong Laboratory has deeply studied the principles and steps of each test, and developed test methods and processes for other important parameters related to device performance on this basis. These additional test results effectively help the R&D team gain a deeper understanding of device performance and use it in the continuous improvement process of product quality.
PCB Glass Fiber Effect
Zhaolong's high-speed team selects materials at PCB base material factories, numbers and defines glass fiber cloth according to weft width, warp width, gaps between wefts, and gaps between warps. The impact of glass fiber cloth on signals mainly comes from different dielectric constants. During stack design and material selection, experience and electromagnetic field simulation are used to reduce impedance inconsistency between two transmission lines, mitigate risks such as impedance mismatch and different signal transmission speeds (intra-pair and inter-pair delay), and improve bypass decoupling capacitance and parasitic inductance issues.
Circuit Pad Design
Based on past engineering experience, pad reference planes are hollowed out, also for impedance continuity to reduce parasitic capacitance between pads and reference planes. DC-blocking capacitors are a common source of impedance discontinuity in high-speed serial channels. Zhaolong's high-speed team uses 3D simulation to determine how much copper on the reference plane should be hollowed out, designs different layer stack structures based on simulation results to enhance impedance matching and effectively reduce return loss.
High-Speed Differential Via Design (Via)
Any minor discontinuity in the physical geometry of the signal transmission path can significantly degrade signal quality, including signal amplitude loss, reduced signal rise time, and increased jitter. Therefore, Zhaolong's high-speed team identifies these discontinuities in high-speed channels and provides methods to mitigate their effects. Component package pads, connectors, and signal via layer changes can all cause impedance discontinuities and return path changes. At this time, additional grounding via designs in signal lines provide continuous return paths, reduce via parasitic effects, and improve signal quality, such as reducing attenuation jitter and effectively improving crosstalk between channels.
High-Speed Circuit Trace Length and Layout
High-speed traces are extremely important for the optimal signal integrity performance of circuit boards. Zhaolong's high-speed team uses calculation software to control trace width to minimize trace impedance tolerance while maintaining sufficient spacing to prevent crosstalk. Power and ground loops must be kept away from cracks or voids that may interrupt signal loops. Differential pairs and measurement lines must be within their tolerance ranges. During the design process, to maintain good signal integrity, designers follow the design rules and constraints of PCB design tools to make products meet association specifications and achieve consistency in signal channels.
Back Drilling Technology
Controlled Depth Drilling (CDD), also known as back drilling. Unused copper barrels or stub traces are removed from printed circuit board vias. When high-speed signals pass through a copper barrel during transmission between PCB layers, distortion occurs. If a stub trace exists in the signal layer and is long, distortion becomes a serious problem. Zhaolong's team can re-drill these holes with a slightly larger drill bit after manufacturing to remove the stub traces, back drilling the holes to a controlled depth close to but not touching the last layer used by the via. Considering manufacturing and material differences, the remaining stub length of back drilling is controlled to 7mil. The ideal remaining stub length should be less than 10mil, effectively controlling the characteristic impedance within ±5Ω at a rise time of 35ps.
Overall High-Speed Channel Design
The fastest SerDes single channel now achieves 112Gbps bandwidth with PAM4 encoding, posing significant design challenges for high-speed signal routing. Zhaolong High-Speed Team conducts holistic signal path analysis, optimizing interactions across all channel components—PCBA design, manufacturing quality, connectors, test fixtures, SMAs, and cables. With most elements developed in-house, Zhaolong controls PCB layout, materials, lamination, and trace design, while tuning cable dimensions and properties to manage insertion loss, return loss, crosstalk, and impedance. Component models are integrated into a full channel model for simulation, analysis, and testing at data rates above 28Gbps to enhance serial channel performance.
System Integration Innovation
A complete communication channel includes multiple components such as horizontal cables, connecting devices, and jumpers. When these components are connected, additional interactive coupling occurs between them, which has a non-negligible impact on the system's transmission parameters. Especially in short-distance multi-node system cabling schemes, the mutual coupling between components can even greatly affect the overall system performance.
Zhaolong Interconnect's system products fully consider the mutual influence between components, deeply understand the common-mode noise generated by mismatch in the cabling system and its additional impact on the external crosstalk parameters of the green wire pair. Based on this, more stringent connector performance indicators are formulated to minimize node reflections and suppress common-mode noise, ensuring that Zhaolong Interconnect systems can still meet system parameter requirements even in the worst-case scenario of short-distance multi-node setups.