Molex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Molex (NASDAQ: MOLX) is a manufacturer of electronic components, including electrical and fiber optic interconnection products and systems, switches, integrated products and application tooling. Founded in 1938, the company currently operates on six continents and makes annual sales of over $2 billion. John Krehbiel, Jr., grandson of the company's founder, is Molex's largest individual shareholder. Molex headquarters are in Lisle, Illinois.
Molex serves OEMs in industries that include automotive, business equipment, consumer products, industrial equipment, premises wiring and telecommunications. They offer more than 100,000 products to customers through direct sales and distributors.
Although Molex makes a large variety of different connector types, there are two types of connectors commonly referred to as Molex connectors, even though Molex is not the sole supplier of such connectors. One is the 4-pin power connector used for hard drives and CD-ROM drives in PCs. The other is the 0.1 inch friction lock pin header and housing often used for generic wire to board connections.
| Color | Function | |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | +12 V | |
| Black | Ground | |
| Black | Ground | |
| Red | +5 V | |
[edit] History
The company began by making flowerpots out of an industrial byproduct plastic called Molex. Later they made connectors for General Electric and other appliance manufacturers out of the same plastic. [1] Most recently Molex acquired Woodhead Industries in the largest acquisition in its history.
