Page 22: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2018)

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BIRNS, Inc.BIRNS, Inc.BIRNS, Inc.

Oxnard, CA www.birns.com

President & CEO: Eric Birns

BIRNS started out in the subsea industry creating underwater camera housings, and then soon moved on to developing lighting solutions for the U.S. Navy. The company began developing its own connectors in 1990, and that soon ? ourished into one of the most successful divisions of the organiza- tion. The company was called on in the early days to provide unique, advanced connectiv- ity solutions for applications from defense to deep submergence work-class ROVs. By 1998, BIRNS designed a 186-conductor wa- terproof electromechanical cable assembly to withstand 3,000 pounds of load in any direction—for a robot used in the high-ra- diation environment inside Chernobyl. Over the years BIRNS lighting systems were used in high pro? le excavation and archeological projects, from NAVSEA S9320-AM-PRO-020 certi? ed since 2012, and thus the Titanic to what was at the time the oldest shipwreck ever is one of the few facilities approved to develop outboard ca- found, a 3,500 year old discovery in Turkey. bles for U.S. Navy submarines. The company regularly over-

BIRNS connecters were in the University of Wisconsin’s molds terminated connectors—made by BIRNS and by oth-

Physical Sciences Laboratory for the IceCube Neutrino Proj- ers—to cable, per customer requests, and repair and splice a ect, to instrument 1 Km3 of ice at the South Pole. BIRNS sup- wide variety of unique cable assemblies.

plied high-power BIRNS Primum metal shell connectors for BIRNS has been contracting with the U.S. Navy, other na-

IceCube’s submersible pumps. vies worldwide and a wide range of defense contractors dur-

In 1997, BIRNS introduced its acclaimed BIRNS Millenni- ing its more than six decade history. BIRNS advanced lighting um connector series, a high density dry-mate connector range systems are often found illuminating military docks, and its suitable for deep submergence applications to 6km. The series chamber lights are widely used in PVHO applications. BIRNS can be used with solid or oil-? lled cables and is available in connectors are customized for subsea defense applications, high and low voltage, coax, ? ber-optic, and hybrids of electro- with custom con? gurations including all titanium compo- coax, electro-optical and electro-opto-mechanical formats. nents and zero magnetic signature. BIRNS’ high voltage con-

Non-coax con? gurations are open-face rated to 6,000 meters nectivity solutions guard against dielectric breakdown with and preclude pressure vessel ? ooding without need for glass- high voltage conductors by including arc prevention crowns sealing. The series introduced revolutionary coax contacts in (APC) on contacts, providing a longer and more circuitous 2015 that are open face pressure rated to 1433m. BIRNS de- voltage path, greatly reducing the risk of arcing. More recent- veloped ? ber optic penetrators to add to its lines of ABS PDA ly, BIRNS developed corona-mitigation technology for high- certi? ed penetrators in 2013. voltage connectors, further enhancing long-term performance.

BIRNS achieved ISO 9001:2015 certi? cation in 2018 by BIRNS has been trailblazing in the technology of connector

DNV GL, having been ISO certi? ed to the former standard hybridization with elegant solutions that include combinations (ISO 9001:2008) since 2009. Its technicians are skilled at of electrical, optical and coaxial contacts along with mechanical electrical termination and assembly of complex connectors, terminations. Miniature con? gurations have become increas- custom cable assemblies, high performance lighting solutions ingly popular, like the company’s BIRNS Millennium 3O-2F2, and electrical devices. All BIRNS expert electrical techni- with two optical ? bers and two 16 AWG electrical contacts, a cians, assembly and relevant inspection personnel hold J- hybrid connector that’s extremely versatile, given its powerful

STD-001 Class 3 and WHMA-A-620-A Class 3 certi? cation design and performance capabilities in a tiny footprint – it can to add to the company’s impressive list of rigorous industry transmit gigabits of data per second and more than 24 amps of quali? cations. BIRNS’ world-class molding facility has been power with just a one-inch/2.5-cm diameter hull penetration.

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