Know the Connector Language
Common terms you should know (listed alphabetically
- Accessories - Mechanical devices, such as cable added to connector shells and other such hardware that are attachable to connectors to make up the total connector configuration; while providing wire support and/or wire sealing
- Bayonet Coupling - A non-threaded, ramp type of coupling
- Cable Assembly - A cable with plugs or connectors on each end
- Configuration - Arrangement of contacts in a multiple-contact connector
- Contacts - Mechanical component to which electrical engagement is accomplished
- Contact Size - (Also known as Wire Gauge) -the largest wire that can be used with a specific contact
- Contact Spacing - The distance between the center-lines of adjacent contact areas.
- Coupling Nut - Outer threaded or grooved ring which holds mated pair together
- Crimp Contact - A contact to which wire is joined by mechanical squeeze
- EMI or RFI Backshell - A type of accessory to terminate wire shielding
- Environmentally Sealed - Connector provided with gaskets, seals, potting or other devices to keep out moisture, dirt, air or dust that might reduce its performance
- Extraction/Removal Tool - A handheld tool used for removing a contact from a connector.
- Fiber Optic Termini - Comparable to electrical pin and socket contacts, except they transmit data optically through fibers instead of electrically through wires.
- Gland - Resilient ring in rear accessory, provides seal on jacketed
- Grounding Fingers - A metal strap around plug shell for positive shell-to-shell conductivity/shielding
- Grommet - Resilient part at back of insert (attached or separate); gives wire moisture seal
- Hermetic - A connector with fused glass insert for air tightness
Connector: A device providing electrical or signal connection. It consists of a plug and receptacle.
- Insert - The dielectric or insulating inner core, holds contacts
- Insert Arrangement - The number, spacing and arrangement of contacts in a connector
- Insertion Tool - A small, handheld tool used to insert contacts into a connector
- Interfacial Seal - A resilient part on the face of pin inserts which provides moisture seal.
- Jam Nut - Hex nut that holds receptacle to a panel
- Mating Pair - Two connectors that couple together. Shell size insert arrangement and rotation must be compatible
- Mating/Unmating Forces - Torque required to couple/uncouple a mating pair of connectors or contacts
- “O” Ring - Doughnut-shaped ring of rubber used as a seal around the mating insulator interface of cylindrical connectors
- Pin Contact - Male half of a mated pair of contacts*
- Plating - The metal finish applied to contacts and or shell components (protective) to resist corrosion and wear
- Plug - The cable/coupling half of a mating pair
- Potting Boot - A type of accessory which forms a mold for potting compound
- Rear Termination - An accessory which threads to back of shell
- Receptacle - The panel/receiving half of a mating pair
- Sealing Plug -Plastic type slug, placed in unused grommet holes to seal
- Service Rating (Also known as Current Rating) - The maximum voltage or current that a connector is designed to carry continuously.
- Shell - Houses insert and contacts
- Socket Contact - Female half of a mated pair of contacts
- Solder Contact - A contact to which wire is joined by soldering. Has a cup, hollow cylinder, eyelet or hook to accept a wire for conventional soldered termination.
- Strain Relief (Also known as Cable Clamp) - A type of accessory which clamps wires for support
*Note: Male half always goes into female.
Know the Language - Other Interconnection Product Terms
- Alternate Rotations - In cylindrical connectors: Rotation of either an insert or designated key/keyway locations (Alternate Keying) in a connector shell to a different angle than normal position. Allows for variations of mating two halves of cylindrical connectors.
- Anodize - Formation of a protective, insulating oxide layer on metal bay electrolytic action.
- Arc Resistance - The characteristic of insulating materials to resist carbonization (also known as tracking) of the material surface between electrodes resulting from voltage breakdown.
- Attenuation - (this term is used in Filters) The ratio of the input to output power levels in a network (transmission line) when it is excited by a matched source and terminated in a matched load.
- Back-mounted - When a connector is mounted from the inside of a panel or box with its mounting flanges inside the equipment.
- Circuit - A complete path or electron flow from a negative terminal of voltage source through a conductor and back to the positive terminal.
- Closed Entry Socket Contacts - A female contact designed to prevent the entry of a pin or probing device having a crosssectional dimension greater than the mating pin.
- Coaxial Cable - A high-bandwidth cable consisting of two concentric cylindrical conductors with a common axis that is used for high speed data communication and video signals.
- Compliant Contact - A press-fit type contact used to attach to a printed circuit board. Has an eyelet end.
- Conductivity - The ability of a material to conduct electric current, expressed in terms of the current per unit of applied voltage. It is reciprocal of resistivity.
- Contact Durability - Endurance measured by the number of insertion and withdrawal cycles that a connector withstands remaining within its specified performance level.
- Contact Engaging and Separating Force - Force needed to either engage or separate pins and sockets when they are out of connector inserts. Values are generally established for maximum and minimum forces.
- Contact Resistance - Maximum permitted electrical resistance of pin and socket contacts when assembled in a connector under typical service use.
- Contact Retention - The minimum axial load in either direction that a contact must withstand while remaining firmly fixed in its normal position within the connector insert or housing.
- Continuity - A continuous path for the flow of current in an electrical circuit.
- Corrosion - The destruction of the surface of a metal by chemical reaction.
- Coupling Torque - Force required to rotate a coupling ring or jackscrew when engaging a mating pair of connectors.
- Diallyl Phthalate (DAP) - (Blue insert in 97 Series) A thermosetting plastic that offers outstanding dimensional stability and resistance to most chemicals and chemical compounds.
- Dielectric - Any insulating medium that intervenes between two conductors.
- Dielectric Withstanding Voltage - Maximum potential gradient that a dielectric material can withstand without failure.
- Discontinuity - A broken connection or the loss of a specific connection characteristic.
- Edge Connector - One piece receptacle, containing female contacts designed to receive the edge of a printed circuit board and interconnect on which the male contacts are etched or printed. The connector may contain either a single or double row of female contacts.
- Edgeboard Connector - A connector that mates with printed wiring leads running to edge of a PC board.
- Feed-through - A conductor that connects patterns on opposite sides of a PC board. Also called interfacial connection.
- Fiber Optics - A data transmission medium consisting of glass fibers. Light-emitting diodes send light through the fiber to a detractor, which then converts the light back into electrical signals.
- First Article - A sample part or assembly manufactured prior to the start of production for the purpose of assuring that the manufacturer is capable of manufacturing a product that will meet the requirements.
- Front-mounted - A connector is front-mounted when it is attached to the outside or mating side of a panel. (Can only be installed or removed from the outside of the equipment.
- Front Release Contacts - Connector contacts are released from the front side of the connector and then removed from the back wire side of the connector. The removal tool engages the front portion of the contact and pushes it out the back where it is removed by hand.
- Harsh or Hostile Environment Connector - A connector designed and engineered for operation in hostile environment conditions, such as extreme high temperatures of 677°C (1,250°F), extreme low temperatures of absolute zero and severe water tight conditions.
- Header - A feed through device that introduces a conductive path through an insulating plate.
- Hermaphroditic Connector - Interconnecting device in which both mating parts are identical at their mating surfaces. (Also called Sexless Connector)
- Hermaphroditic Contact - A contact in which both mating elements are precisely alike at their mating face.
- Input/Output Connector - A mating pair of connectors used to carry signals into and out of a panel-mounted subsystem. An example is connector pair that interconnects the individual back panels in a large array of panels.
- Insert Retention - Axial load in either direction that an insert must withstand without being dislocated from its normal position in the connector shell.
- Insertion Force - The effort, usually measured in ounces, required to engage mating components.
- Interchangeable - Characteristic of connectors in which one manufacturer’s connector can be replaced by the connector of another manufacturer and provide the same function in the same panel space as the connector it is replacing.
- Intermateable - Characteristic of connectors in which a connector half manufactured by one connector will mate directly with a connector half manufactured by a different company
Know the Language - Other Interconnection Product Terms
- Keying - Mechanical arrangement of guide pins and sockets, keying plugs, contacts, bosses, slots, keyways, inserts or grooves in a connector housing, shell or insert that allows connectors of the same size and type to be lined up without the danger of making a wrong connection.
- Lanyard - A device attached to certain connectors that permit uncoupling and separation of connector halves by a pull on a wire or cable.
- Life Cycle - A test that indicates the time span before failure; the test occurs in a controlled, usually accelerated, environment.
- Mass Termination - Method of termination in which terminals that pierce flat cable insulation without stripping to cold flow mate with conductors and form a metal-to-metal joint.
- Motherboard - A printed board used for interconnecting arrays of plug-in electronic modules.
- Operating Temperature - Maximum internal temperature resistant capabilities of a connector in continuous service.
- Outgassing - De-aeration or other gaseous emission from a printed board assembly (printed board, component of connector) when exposed to a reduced pressure or heat, or both.
- Panel-mount - Fixing a connector half to a board, panel or frame. Usually, the female portion of the connector is mounted, and the male half is the removable portion.
- Plated Through-Hole - A hole-formed deposition of metal on the sides of the hole and on both sides of the base to provide electrical connection from the conductive pattern on one side to that on the opposite side of the PC board.
- Poke-Home Contact - Term applied to a male or female contact to which a wire has been permanently affixed prior to the assembly of the contact into the insert.
- Positioner - Device attached to the crimping tool to position conductor barrels between the indentors.
- Potting - Sealing of a component (for example the cable end of a multiple contact connector) with a plastic compound or material to exclude moisture, prevent short circuits and provide strain relief.
- Pre-tinned - Solder applied to an electrical component prior to soldering.
- Pre-tinned Solder Cup - Solder cups with inner surfaces that have been pre-coated with a small amount of tin lead solder or RoHs approved solder.
- Press-fit Contact - Either a solid pin or a pin having a compliant member that makes an interference connection with a through-hole on a PC board. The pressure developed between interconnecting surfaces is sufficient to provide gastight electrical reliability without the use of solder.
- Qualified Products List (QPL) - A list of commercial products that have been pretested and found to meet the requirements of a specification, especially government specifications.
- Quick-disconnect Coupling - A design feature, apparent in the quick-disconnect connector; it permits relatively rapid joining and separation.
- RADSOK® Contact* - A unique socket contact design with a stamped and formed twisted inner grid. Socket cylinder within the female contact has several equally space longitudinal beams twisted into a hyperbolic shape. As male pin is inserted, axial members in the female half deflect, imparting high current flow across the connections.
- Ramp - The sloped channel that accepts the detent pin in a bayonet connector.
- Rear Release Contacts - Connector contacts are released and removed from the rear (wire side) of the connector. The removal tool engages the contact from the rear and pulls the contact out of the connector contact retainer.
- Rear Seal - Design feature that provides an environmental seal at the rear of plug or receptacle.
- Removable Contact - A contact that can be mechanically joined to or removed from an insert. Usually, special tools are required to lock the contact in place or remove it for repair or replacement.
- RoHS (Restrictions of Hazardous Substances) - The RoHS Directive bans the placing on the EU market of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants.
- Scoop Proof - Design feature whereby exposed contacts of a connector cannot be touched or damaged by any portion of the mating connector.
- Serrations - Small grooves or indentations within a terminal wire barrel that increase the tensile strength and electrical conductivity of the crimped termination.
- Soldering - Process of joining metallic surfaces with solder, without the melting of the base metals. Soldering is an economical, versatile and fast termination method. A soldered connection has metallic continuity and excellent long term reliability.
- Splice Connector - A joint connecting conductors with good mechanical strength and good conductivity; a terminal that permanently joins two or more wires.
- Surface Mounting - The electrical connection of components to the surface of a conductive pattern without utilizing component holes.
- Thermal Shock - The effect of heat or cold applied to a material at such a rate that non-uniform thermal expansion or contraction occur. In connectors, the effect can cause inserts and other insulation materials to pull away from metal parts.
- Thermocouple Contact - A contact of special material used in connectors employed in thermocouple applications. Materials often used are iron, constantan, copper, chromel and alumel.
- Tuning Fork Contact - U-shaped female contact that resembles a tuning fork. It can be stamped or formed.
- Umbilical Connector - A connector used to connect cables to a rocket or missile prior to launching, and which is removed from the missile at the time of launching.
- Wire-Wrapped Connection (Also known as Solderless Wrap) - A solderless connection made by wrapping bare wire around a square or rectangular terminal with a power or hand tool
* RADSOK® is a registered trademark of Amphenol Industrial Operations.
Basic Questions to Determine Connector Requirements
1. How many conductors (wires) and what are the wire gauges (size)?Smallest contact sizes available by Military Specifications:
- MIL-DTL-5015 - size 16
- MIL-DTL-22992 - size 16
- MIL-DTL-26482 - size 20
- MIL-DTL-38999 - size 22D
- Catalog 12-024 ....GT Reverse Bayonet
- Catalog 12-020 ....MIL-DTL-5015
- Catalog Sect. 12-C3 ....MIL-DTL-5015 Matrix
- Catalog 12-052 ....MIL-DTL-22992 Class L, QWLD
- Catalog 12-053 ....MIL-DTL-22992 QWL
- Catalog 12-070 ....MIL-DTL-26482, Series 1
- Catalog Sect. 12-C3 ...MIL-DTL-26482, Series 2
- Catalog Sect. 12-C3 ...MIL-DTL-83723, Series III Pyle
- Catalog Sect. 12-C3 ...MIL-DTL-83723, Series III Matrix
- Catalog Sect. 12-C3 ...MIL-DTL-38999, Series I, II
- Catalog Sect. 12-C3 ...MIL-DTL-38999, Series III
3. Are you using your connector in a benign environment or a harsh environment?
Harsh environment - will need gaskets, grommets and/or glands for environmental sealing
4. Do you want to Solder or Crimp your wires?
5. Are you going cable to cable or cable to panel?
Cable plug to Cable receptacle use:- Straight plug with Inline cable receptacle
- 90° Plug with Inline cable receptacle
- Straight plug with either a wall mount receptacle, box mount receptacle, or jam nut receptacle
- 90° plug with either a wall mount receptacle, box mount receptacle, or jam nut receptacle
6. What’s your cable outer diameter (OD)? Or are you using discrete wires?
7. Do you have any material restrictions?
- RoHS requirement
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum
- Neoprene
- Silicon
- Viton
NOTE:
Catalog 12-C3 catalog was released Jan. 2010. It covers the majority of the circular connector products offered by Amphenol Aerospace. Go online for this catalog at www.amphenol-aerospace.com, where the product sections can be viewed and downloaded. The next version of this combined circular product catalog (12-C4) will be available within 2011. Consult Amphenol Aerospace, Sidney NY for more information.
8. What type of plating or finish is preferred?Common platings or finishes:
- Olive drab cadmium
- Nickel
- Black zinc alloy
- Electroless nickel
- Anodic coating
- Cable clamp
- Bushing
- Protection caps (metal or plastic)
- Dummy receptacle
- MIL-DTL-5015 and Amphenol GT Reverse Bayonet
– Standard contacts or (High Amperage) RADSOK®
- MIL-DTL-22992
- MIL-DTL-26482
- MIL-DTL-38999 Series I, II, III
- MIL-DTL-26482
- MIL-DTL-83723
- MIL-DTL-38999 Series I, II, III
- MIL-DTL-5015
– High Frequency contacts
- MIL-DTL-22992
– High Frequency contacts
- MIL-DTL-38999, Series I, II, III
– High Frequency contacts
– Fiber Optics
- Brush Technology
– Rectangular PCB
– LRM
– Fiber Optics
- MIL-DTL-38999 Series I, II, III
- MIL-DTL-26482
- MIL-DTL-26482
- MIL-DTL-83723
- MIL-DTL-38999 Series I, II, III
NOTE: Socket contacts are to be used in the connector feeding the power
NOTE: Not all connectors are limited to solely either power or signal. Many connectors can perform both functions.