Instrumentation • Electronics
sealing to dust and water at various depths and operating time frames. Make sure you understand the end use environment for your connectors, and then compare that scenario with the details behind the manufacturer’s IP rating. Most of the IP
designations have specific conditions, but the IP68 rating may be defined by each manufacturer differently. When looking for a connector with an IP68 sealing rating, inquire exactly how the manufacturer’s IP68 rating is measured. For a vacuum application,
you may need a product sealed to a greater level than what is defined by the traditional IP ratings. These are defined as hermetic (airtight) sealed products.
➎ Materials. Select the material of the connector housing wisely as this may impact reliability, weight, and cost. Brass connectors with nickel/chrome plating are traditionally more wear resistant and have longer lifecycles than many other materials. If weight is an issue, aluminium connectors may be an option. Consider plastics for limited reuse and disposable applications. For aggressively corrosive
sacrifice reliability for cost when deciding what material you select. At this point, you should also review the operating temperature of the insulating materials used in the connectors you are evaluating.
➏ Reliability Needs. Now that you’ve investigated the electrical, termination, sealing, and material requirements, it’s time to take a look at the frequency your user will connect and disconnect the device over its lifetime. If you require a very high number of mating cycles, consider a connector with 5,000 to 10,000+ mating cycles. This is especially important if a failed electrical connection can put lives at risk, such as in the medical or military environments.
“The right connector system can help avoid the high price of recalls, repairs and lost customers.”
David Cianciolo, Fischer Connectors
environments or some food industry applications, stainless steel may be required. Don’t
➐ Miniaturisation. There are some great things going on with miniaturization today, and you should take advantage of it where you can. It is possible to design in one connector today for an application that would have needed two or three connectors only a year ago, but you have to be careful. Look closely at the details in each connector, since those details become more important as the voltage and current increases.
Compare models for pin size, number of pins, and functionality. Miniature connectors are nice packages that fit in small places, but only a few can carry power and signal.
Fig. 2. The Fischer Core Series of connectors. 24
www.engineerlive.com
Fig. 3. The Fischer FiberOptic Series of connectors.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60