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Tough, durable? Yes, but can you hit it with a mallet?
By Robert Webber, European applications manager, Powell Electronics T
he thing about connectors is that they have two roles. Whereas all other electronic components are concerned solely with an electrical function, connectors also perform a mechanical task - they physically connect two parts of a system together. In a benign environment, that’s no big stretch. So, for example, the connector that attaches to your tv or desktop computer may well have locking screws, but who bothers to screw them down? Well, OK, some of you. But do you get a wrench out, check the connector datasheet and torque down to the exact force specified? Why would you, in truth, it’s not required. However, what happens when the environment is very far from benign? Not in your living room or office, but on a rocket which will experience high g-forces on take-off, or on an industrial stamping press as part of an Industry 4.0 installation monitoring wear, where consistent vibration is a fundamental part of the operation? There, everything is very different, and the connector - being the most vulnerable item - needs to be as reliable as possible, especially in mission-critical applications where failure is simply not an option.
As well as guaranteeing signal integrity and maintaining physical connection, harsh environment applications require tough connectors for another reason. In an IT application - say in a data centre - it is likely that the equipment will be installed by a qualified electronics technician. In an industrial or defence application, it may be a machine operator or service personnel who unplugs and re-attaches for maintenance purposes. Somewhere in the operating manual (where did I leave that? - never mind) there will be instructions such as: ‘torque down to X Newtons’; ‘use correct tooling’; or simply ‘handle with care’. But how many operators in this situation pay close attention to the manual?
Finally, we should consider DFM (Design For Manufacture). Will the connector need
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to withstand repeated mating cycles, and is there any way of simplifying or speeding up the assembly process by careful connector selection? It’s actually a very common problem that design engineers only think about what a connector is being used for, and not how it’s actually being fitted together. A key lesson is always to think about the production process. It is for these reasons that
manufacturers have introduced specific products that have been engineered to withstand these challenges. Two examples from Harwin are the M300, and the recently-launched Kona family. M300 connectors deliver reliable performance in harsh environments such as aerospace, defence, and industrial applications. The compact connectors deliver up to 10A per contact, providing a lightweight, robust solution with a proven track record under extreme conditions. These 3mm pitch PCB connectors are fitted with stainless steel jackscrews to ensure that terminations are not affected by vibration and shock.
Want to know just how strong these Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
connectors are? Click here for a video of your author (digital magazine only) abusing an M300 connector (Figure 1) with a mallet in a way that is definitely not recommended in the datasheet, but proves the ruggedness of these devices. OK, it’s a bit of fun, but the point is made.
With an 8.5mm pitch and individually shrouded connections, Kona family
connectors (Figure 2) allow designers to specify high current for maximum power in extreme conditions, enabling systems to handle up to 60A and 3000V per contact. The high quality connectors are available in 2, 3 or 4 pin counts, in a compact single- row configuration.
Vibration and shock resilience are built into the design, with six-finger beryllium-
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