nicomatic, a prominent designer and manufacturer specializing in electronic connectors and cables for unmanned systems, has proudly announced its collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the champion of the SpaceX 2019 Hyperloop Pod Competition. This victory marks TUM’s fourth win in the competition’s history.
The challenge of the competition involves creating a self-propelled, unmanned pod that must achieve maximum velocity while ensuring safe deceleration without any crashes on a 1.2 km track constructed by SpaceX. The TUM team achieved an impressive top speed of 482 km/h, surpassing the previous record of 467 km/h.
Prior too the event,TUM Hyperloop Team Manager Toni Jukic expressed ambitious goals: “This year,we aim to reach at least half the speed of sound,exceeding 600 km/h.” This objective required the new pod to be 40% faster than its predecessor,achieving a minimum speed of 600 km/h and coming to a complete stop within 2 seconds. The latest pod measured approximately 1.70 meters in length and 50 cm in width, weighing 69 kg—8 kg lighter than the previous year’s model.
The EMM 1.27mm pitch series connectors provided by Nicomatic are engineered for extreme conditions and were utilized in critical areas of the pod where signal integrity and connection reliability were paramount. Most of thes connectors were integrated into the power supply system, including components for temperature monitoring. A right-angled PCB mount variant of Nicomatic’s EMM series facilitated communication with the main switch of the high-voltage system, while an 8-pin EMM connector was employed on the motherboard to manage communication between the two primary controller boards.
“During the launch presentation of the new pod version, I was particularly struck by the professionalism exhibited by these young students, showcasing their dedication to the project and their vision for the future of high-speed transportation in vacuum tubes,” remarked Sébastien Charbonnel, Manager of Nicomatic GmbH.
The TUM team has now joined the newly established NEXT Prototypes association. Looking ahead, next year’s competition promises to be even more demanding, featuring a total track length of 10 km and additional curves.
