In 2004 SPINNER GmbH developed the first one-channel miniature rotary joint, thus laying the foundation for what has become a large family of rotary joints for civilian and military applications. By 2008 the fields of application for rotary joints have grown well beyond high-end systems such as radar units, requiring more compact solutions with the same degree of reliability. The fields of use include small radar systems in civilian and private ships, TV satellite dishes on vessels, trains and camper vans that track the satellite even when the vehicle is moving, professional GPS systems and CCTV installations with infinite angles of rotation. All applications benefit from the typical advantages of rotary joints. They ensure reliable and stable electrical contact even during rotation, are generally service-free and make any fixed cable connections unnecessary (these could limit the rotation angle and are thus subjected to fatigue). The products of the SPINNER miniature rotary joint family meet these requirements, they are very compact and come in a broad variety of designs.
The miniature rotary joints are coaxial rotary joints working with full contact, and they are available in three different types (I, L and U shape with 50 ohms or 75 ohms of impedance each). Their frequency range is between zero and 2.15 GHz, opening up a broad spectrum of the most diverse fields of application. In addition to the RF signal they can transmit DC power, for example, for the power supply. Due to the most compact design the insertion loss mainly depends on the connected cable types and their length, and hardly on the rotary joint itself. Furthermore, the miniature rotary joints can even be applied in mobile devices, for example, for miniature cable reels in flexible GPS systems. Miniature rotary joints made by SPINNER GmbH are already used by numerous companies for various purposes. In order to increase their number even further SPINNER ensures the availability of the miniature rotary joints in large numbers and is flexible in responding to customer requirements such as cable length or connector types.