ITT Interconnect Solutions, a division of

ITT Inc. ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses ...

, is a globally diversified connector and connector assembly manufacturing company. Founded in 1915 as Cannon by James H. Cannon, the company developed some of the first equipment for

sound films A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

in the early years of the movie industry, including a synchronous motor drive to remotely operate a motion picture projector together with a phonograph. The first "Cannon plug", the M-1 connector, was initially designed as a quick grounding connection for the electrical motor on a portable meat grinder and was adapted for movie sound equipment, enabling the new electrical camera to move freely about while “shooting” a scene. Cannon's M-1 connector was incorporated into the sound equipment used to make the first "talking" motion picture, ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...

''. Cannon continued to develop connectors for the entertainment industry, including the “P” Series audio connectors developed for

Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldes ...

, as well as connectors used in the first radio microphones, the first black-and-white television cameras, and the first color television equipment. In the early 1930s, Cannon was contracted by

Douglas Aircraft Company The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated a ...

to develop a circular connector for use on the

DC-1 The Douglas DC-1 was the first model of the famous American DC (Douglas Commercial) commercial transport aircraft series. Although only one example of the DC-1 was produced, the design was the basis for the DC-2 and DC-3, the latter of which b ...

and on the subsequent

DC-2 The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which bec ...

and

DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

aircraft platforms. As the aerospace industry evolved,

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it ...

Aircraft – as it became known – remained a key customer for Cannon throughout its existence. During the late 1930s with

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

on the horizon, Cannon began volume production of multi-contact electrical connectors, which were used by virtually every aircraft builder in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Cannon's AN Series (for "Army/Navy") connector, developed for military aircraft applications, set the standard for modern military connector specifications. In 1952 it invented the industry-standard

D-sub The D-subminiature or D-sub is a common type of electrical connector. They are named for their characteristic D-shaped metal shield. When they were introduced, D-subs were among the smallest connectors used on computer systems. Description, n ...

connector. These connectors were used for the military/aerospace market, and the company became an international supplier of connectors and interconnection systems with umbilical connectors designed to meet the specialized needs of guided missiles ranging from small rockets to multistage vehicles. ITT Interconnect Solutions’ (ICS) connectors and their derivatives have also had multiple applications in commercial computers and have been implemented by standards such as

SCSI Small Computer System Interface (SCSI, ) is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, electrical, optical and logical interface ...

RS-232 In telecommunications, RS-232 or Recommended Standard 232 is a standard originally introduced in 1960 for serial communication transmission of data. It formally defines signals connecting between a ''DTE'' ('' data terminal equipment'') suc ...

and

VGA Video Graphics Array (VGA) is a video display controller and accompanying de facto graphics standard, first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, which became ubiquitous in the Personal computer, PC industry within three years ...

. ITT Cannon also developed the

XLR connector The XLR connector is a type of electrical connector primarily used in professional audio, video, and stage lighting equipment. XLR connectors are cylindical in design, and have three to seven connector pins, and are often employed for analog b ...

in the 1950s for military communications applications as well as sound equipment for professional recording studios. Over the years, the XL Series audio connector became a universal solution for both analog and digital connections, and in 2008 the connector was inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio. During this time, the company also became a key connector supplier to the U.S space program with the development of several specialized connectors for a wide range of aerospace applications, including a special microminiature connector developed for use on space suits.

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

awarded Cannon the Medallion for Distinguished Service for its efforts in the first U.S. manned lunar landing. The

United Space Alliance :''In this article, USA refers to the United Space Alliance, not the United States.'' United Space Alliance (USA) was a spaceflight operations company. USA was a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company ...

recently presented ITT Interconnect Solutions with a certificate of appreciation for supporting the shuttle and international space station programs with a variety of circular and fiber optic connectors. ITT Cannon entered the medical electronics industry with the development of fiber optic microminiature connectors for diagnostic equipment as well as electronic prostheses to restore eyesight, hearing and other functions. These fiber optic connectors also opened up opportunities in the telecommunications market. In the automotive and transportation markets, ITT Cannon developed heavy duty durable connectors capable of withstanding high temperatures and harsh environments, many of which are used in vehicles designed by BMW, Ferrari, General Motors and many others. In 1963 the company was acquired by ITT.

Acquiring BIW

In 2001, ITT Cannon purchased BIW, a manufacturer of electrical power connectors, cables and harnessing. BIW designed and manufactured the first power feedthru connectors for electric submersible pumps used in artificial lifts for oil wells, and the company developed the first field attachable connectors for electric submersible pump power cables.

Acquiring VEAM

In 2003, ITT Cannon acquired VEAM, a manufacturer of specialized high reliability DIN rail, multipin, bulkhead sensor and power connectors serving the transportation, military and nuclear markets. As part of ITT Interconnect Solutions, VEAM also offers complete junction box assemblies for mass transit applications.

ITT Interconnect Solutions today

In 2007, ITT Cannon changed its name to ITT Interconnect Solutions. Headquartered in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...

, ITT Interconnect Solutions is a division of

References

External links

* {{ITT Corporation Electrical connectors ITT Inc. Telecommunications companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Los Angeles Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles Manufacturing companies established in 1915 Technology companies established in 1915 Telecommunications companies established in 1915 1915 establishments in California

Acquiring BIW

Acquiring VEAM

ITT Interconnect Solutions today

See also

References

External links