Difficulties in the selection of mating parts of power connectors

Any scheme of electrical circuit elements necessarily contains a certain number of connections. One of the types of such connections is a detachable connection - a connection that allows multiple connection / disconnection of electrical conductors without damaging them. The main elements of such connections are special devices, so-called electrical connectors, or simply connectors.

A plug connection consists of two elements that form a pair - plugs and sockets. The most well-known are household plugs and sockets available on any household appliance. However, in this very simple case of using a detachable connection, problems may arise. Try, for example, connecting a Russian standard plug to a European standard socket. It will immediately be found that such a connection does not provide mechanical reliability of the connection. What can we say about detachable connectors in the industry. By the way, one of the most popular questions addressed to the technical support service is a question asking for help choosing a mating part for an existing connector. Let's try to figure out whether this is really such a difficult task, and draw up an algorithm for selecting a mate.

The question is, in fact, not as simple as it seems at first glance. And the main point that determines the complexity of the selection is the issue of terminology. First, there are many definitions for the elements that make up a detachable connection. "Plug / socket", "plug / socket", "male / female" - these are just the basic terms for the elements of a detachable connection. But does everyone understand the meaning of these expressions correctly?

It should be borne in mind that the designations "plug", "plug", "male", etc. can refer to both connector articulation type and contact type. Moreover, manufacturers do not always indicate exactly the type of articulation. So, for example, the documentation for the OL series connectors directly indicates the type of joint - Cable Plug (plug, plug, male) and Socket (socket, socket, female).

There are no such terms in the documentation for domestic connectors of the 2PM series.

Only the type of contacts is indicated - G (socket) and W (plug). This is where the first difficulty arises. In order to “close” this question, it is necessary to turn to the very beginning. The main type of detachable connection is a pair of connectors of the "Block (panel) / Cable" type. Exactly! The Cable/Cable connection only serves to extend the wiring circuit. So, from the point of view of the type of joint, the block part will always be a “socket”, and the cable part will always be a “plug”. Regardless of what type of contacts (plug or socket) are in the connector. Thus, for domestic connectors, the counterpart for the cable connector will necessarily be a block part, and vice versa.

The second difficulty ... How can I choose a pair for a Cable / Cable connection? Some manufacturers produce connectors designed for this connection. So, for example, OL series connectors include in their line a counterpart for Socket type connectors - Cable Connector . Domestic connectors are produced only in two types - cable part, and block part. In order to create a “Cable/Cable” type connection, it is necessary to use the cable part of the connector and the block part, but with a branch pipe.

The third difficulty… We chose the mating part exactly according to the type of joint, but we should not forget about the type of contacts. So, for example, the block part (as well as the cable part) of the 2PM series connector can have contacts in the form of a pin, and in the form of a socket. In other words, you need to make sure that the connectors will “pair”, both in terms of the type of joint and the type of contacts.

The main difficulty in selecting a counterpart for domestic connectors is that definitions by the type of joint have not “taken root” in Russia. Typically, the types of connectors are named according to the type of contacts - a socket on a block , a plug on a cable . Therefore, the main attention must be paid exactly to what part we need - block, or cable.

This information will be quite enough to understand the algorithm of actions when selecting a counterpart for most power connectors. But you can not ignore such connectors as domestic connectors of the ShR series, and TYCO (TE Connectivity) connectors.

A feature of the ShR series connectors is that, by the name of the connector, it is very often impossible to determine which part a particular connector belongs to - block or cable. So, for example, the ShR16P2NG5 connector can be either a block socket without a spigot or a cable part with a straight spigot. Therefore, it is necessary to additionally indicate the type of connector - "plug" or "socket".

The difficulty in selecting a counterpart, or accessories, TYCO connectors is the designation system of their products. By name it is absolutely impossible to understand to which group of goods, or to which series the product belongs. But on the other hand, this is also the easiest way to select a counterpart. We go to the TYCO website, enter the name of the product in the search box, and at the bottom of the page in the “Compatible Parts” section, select the products we need - the counterpart, contacts and other accessories.