Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a range of connector related questions and answers to help & inform anyone thinking of ordering industrial connectors :

Do My Connectors Come With Contacts Or Do I Have To Purchase These Separately?

As a general rule, connectors with crimps require contacts to be ordered separately, while solder and screw terminating connectors come with the contacts already fitted.

Do I Need A Connector That Is A Plug, Socket, Male Or Female?

This depends on the application. As a general rule, the active side of the assembly with the power or where the signal originates should be female, with socket contacts, and the passive side male with pin contacts.

Do I Need A Shielded Connector And / Or Gland?

Only if there is an issue with EMC, signal integrity or other forms of RF interference.

How Do I Terminate My Cable?

This depends on whether you are using solder bucket, screw termination or crimp contacts. As a general rule solder buckets require soldering, screw termination can be fixed in place with only a screwdriver while crimps usually require a special crimping tool for the particular contact in question.

How Does The Shielding Braid Terminate On This Particular Type Of Backshell?

This depends on the backshell in question. Typically though the braid terminates at the gland or, in the case of D hoods, inside the rear cavity of the backshell just in front of the gland.

What Sort Of Termination Is Best For My Particular Application?

Crimp, Solder, IDC, Cage-Clamp Or Screw? This usually depends on the type of connector selected and not the other way around. However, in high vibration environments where a faulty termination would cause serious problems, it is always advisable to select a connector with crimp terminating contacts.

Which Layout / Shell Size Is The Best For My Particular Application?

This depends on how many individual cores need to be terminated, the overall diameter of the cable and the type of connector required. As a general rule, the more contacts required the larger the shell size of the connector. This also applies to the cable diameter. The larger the overall diameter of the cable the larger the cable entry gland and thus the larger the connector shell.

What Is The Difference Between Souriau Size 16 And Size 20 Contacts?

Size 20 contacts are 1mm in diameter, and can be used on applications of 7.5 Amps and below per pin. Size 16 contacts are larger, with an OD of 1.6 mm, and a current capacity of up to 13 Amps per contact.

What Is The Difference Between Machined And Stamped And Formed Contacts?

Machined contacts are solid, machine turned and are usually the best choice for high current applications or applications where signal integrity is important. Stamped and formed contacts are a cheaper alternative for less demanding applications.

What Is The Difference Between Male And Female Connectors?

Male connectors usually have shrouded pin contacts, while the female connector has recessed socket contacts. On screw fastening connectors such as M8, M12 etc the male has the thread on the outside of the fastening with the thread on the female half on the inside of the coupling ring.

What Wire Size Will A Connector Accept?

This depends on the size of the cable entry gland and the type of contact used with the connector. Most connectors fall within the AWG range of 14 – 30. However larger and smaller cable cores can be accommodated with certain connectors.

What Kind Of D-Hoods Are Available?

There is a very large choice of hoods for D connectors. Typically they come in the usual 5 sizes – 9,15,25,37 and 50 way. They are also available in a variety of materials, entry types, fastening types and shielding.

What Is A Flange Mounted Receptacle?

This is a square flanged receptacle that is held in place by the four screw holes found at either corner of the front facing flange. Unlike a jam nut, five holes are required to mount a square flanged receptacle. One for the central connector body holding the insert and contacts, plus an additional four smaller holes for each of the corner screws.

What Is A Jam-Nut / Bulkhead?

A jam nut is a circular, panel wall fastening, receptacle with a flat. This is designed to be mounted through a panel cut out via a single front or rear fastening nut. The flat side of the jam nut holds it in place and prevents it rotating if it has been fitted into a correspondingly shaped panel cut out.

If you would like definitions of any industry terms or abbreviations please view our Component Glossary.