[ARC5] ARC-5 Connectors have no Keying?

[Mike Hanz]

Brooke Clarke wrote:

>The photo on eBay 200299428888for these ARC-5 connectors seems to show no 
>keyways.  Was it the case that contact pins could touch when the connectors 
>were not yet rotated to the proper angle to seat?
>

I suppose if the plug was angled to the plane of the male chassis 
connector, one or two of the errant pins could touch a non-intended 
female pin, but I guess I don't fully understand the question.  Mating 
was never performed with the power on, at least "legally".  The post-war 
ARC connectors with the ceramic insulated inserts did have keying, but 
it was not because of danger of momentary touching, but because without 
a key the blasted things are difficult to mate in a dark corner behind 
other equipment without them. 

The infamous Bendix connectors used on some of their navigation gear 
like the ARN-7 - the type that has the entire outside rotating with 
respect to the inside - likewise had no keyways - but the small diameter 
of the pins made the problem all the worse.  
http://aafradio.org/flightdeck/I-71A.html has some details on that 
connector near the bottom.  Thankfully the Cannon and Amphenol designs 
soon became the standard of the industry and all the keyless designs 
disappeared.

73,
Mike