Issue link: https://te.mouser.com/i/1475713
mouser.com/te 31 FIGURE 2: a) For LED indoor horticulture lighting fixtures, low profile locking releasable connectors are ideal for factory assembled and onsight configurable lighting. b) For ease of installation, poke-in connectors can provide highly reliable and easily installed wire connections with a tight pitch. (Source: TE Connectivity) Indoor Horticulture Interconnect Solutions With the wide range of crop species and indoor horticulture setups, modularity and reconfigurability are often as desirable as reliability and light engine performance. For tunable lighting or lighting with different LEDs integrated into the fixture, there are additional wire-to-board interconnect considerations, and greater interconnect density. Additionally, it may benefit light fixture designers to design LED fixtures for indoor horticulture to be readily repairable, which means the interconnect strategy is robust, but also readily reconfigured if a light engine or LED driver board fails. Modular/ releasable connectivity that is still compact and reliable is desirable for these applications, not only for ease of assembly and installation but also for maintenance and onsight customization (Figure2). FIGURE 3: a) IP67 seal-rated locking connectors with polarized connectivity to eliminate the chance of mismating are ideal for many indoor horticulture lighting installations. b) When discrete wire-to-wire splices are needed, spices with insulation displacement technology and dealing options can minimize wire prep work and ensure greater interconnect reliability. (Source: TE Connectivity) It is also common in indoor horticulture environments, especially where grow beds are vertically stacked, to require environmental sealing to ensure that the reactive fluids or cleaning chemicals don't corrode or damage the interconnect wiring. In these cases, sealable connectors are essential for ensuring reliability and longevity of a fixture. This can readily be done with wire-to- board harnesses or wire-to-wire methods during factory installation. Splice connectors with sealable options are another solution that can result in easily terminated and reliable environmental sealing for installations or even maintenance work to replace faulty interconnect. Using interconnect solutions that minimize user error and early failure are key aspects of ensuring optimal yield (Figure3). Conclusion The advances in indoor horticulture lighting technology, LEDs, and additional considerations, such as interconnect, are critical for minimizing the upfront costs, capital expenditure (CapEx) of indoor horticulture lighting installations, as well as operating expenses (OpEx). ■ A A B B LEARN MORE > TE Connectivity SlimSeal Lighting Connectors