LEMO

This article is about the electronics manufacturer. For the airport with the ICAO code LEMO, see Morón Air Base.

A selection from the LEMO electronic and fibre optic range of connectors

LEMO is both the name of an electronic and fibre optic connector manufacturer, based in Écublens, Switzerland, and the name commonly used to refer to push-pull connectors made by that company. LEMO connectors are used in medical, industrial, audio/visual, telecommunications, military, scientific research and measurement applications. The company, founded in 1946, started as a manufacturer of contacts in noble and rare metals. The company took its name from the company founder, engineer Léon Mouttet.

LEMO ® is a registered trademark of LEMO SA. and the distinctive "chocolate plate" of the LEMO connector design is a registered trademark US Reg 2'703'464 and Europe Registration 798'106.

LEMO has set several connector standards.

The 3K.93C connector has been adopted by the American (SMPTE 304M), Japanese (ARIB BTAS-1005B) and European (EBU R100-1999) standards organisations for HDTV fibre links for the broadcast market.

LEMO 00 coaxial connectors on RG316 cable, below a BNC to LEMO adapter, a male-to-male adapter barrel and a 50 Ω terminator (topmost).

The LEMO 00, a miniature push-pull 50Ω coaxial connector, is used as front panel connectors in the Nuclear Instrumentation Module (NIM) and Computer Automated Measurement and Control (CAMAC) modular electronics standards used in instrumentation for nuclear and particle physics, where it is used as a replacement for BNC connectors in high density designs (because the LEMO connector is much smaller in size than a BNC).

Due to the modular nature of LEMO connectors, many configuration options are available across the sizes and ranges, with new connector ranges being designed and becoming available on a regular basis, such as LEMO's Tiny Trio [2].

While LEMO connectors were generally developed as proprietary designs, the legal status of many of the older designs is not clear. For example, the LEMO website itself shows a standardisation date of 1970 for the LEMO 00 model. The "chocolate plate" design of the connector's shell grip is, however, trademarked.

In July 2014, LEMO acquired Northwire Inc. a US specialty cable manufacturer of wire and multi-conductor cable and retractiles for the medical, aerospace and defense, energy, and industrial markets. The acquisition of Northwire will enlarge the LEMO offering, providing a complete cable-connector solution.

LEMO Offers more than 75,000 combinations of products, that continues to grow through custom specific designs LEMO, and its affiliated sister companies REDEL, NORTHWIRE and COELVER, currently serve more than 100,000 customers in over 80 countries around the world.

External links

• LEMO Group company website
• LEMO UK website
• LEMO UK Broadcast Connections Solutions Brochure
• SMPTE Compatible HDTV Connection System 3K.93C Series
• LEMO Unipole_Multipole Catalogue
• LEMO UK Finished Camera Cable Assembly (FUW.3K.93C to PUW.3K.93C) Stock Situation
• Northwire Inc. wire and cable manufacturer