[GreenKeys] 120vdc connectors - opinions?

Mon Jun 25 11:10:25 EDT 2018

Hey Robert,
Thanks for the update on the Amphenol connector family.
Very interesting!

As to "DB9 vs DE9", yes, you are correct.

However most people do erroneously call and recognize it as
"DB9" and scratch their heads with funny looks whenever I've
ever tried to call it "DE9".

Radio Shack didn't help either.  They always also called it a DB9.

Ever since the 9 pin D-sub superseded the 25 pin in PC RS-232
usage, everyone just assumed DB was its prefix as well.
(Ditto with the distributor I worked at back then...)

In fact, if you Google "DB9", the first hit continues
that misnomer tradition, and fails to even MENTION "DE9":
... http://www.l-com.com/what-is-a-db9-connector

Since no one understands my using DE9 elsewhere, I've
just given up and joined the crowd...  So, sorry.
I should have known THIS forum would know better! [grin]

- Keith

On 2018-06-25 01:01, Robert Downs via GreenKeys wrote:
> First, out of the D-Subminiature connector family, a DB has 25
> contacts, period.  The 9-contact variant is a DE.  Of the rest, 15 is
> DA, 37 is DC and 50 is DD.  So DB9 doesn't exist.  However, I know
> that from long usage (or mis-usage), DB9 is commonly used, and so long
> as you aren't trying to buy some, there's no danger of picking up the
> wrong plug.
> 
> With the fine thread circular connectors commonly thought of as
> military, about 30% of people call them Amphenol Connectors, another
> 30% call them Cannon Connectors, and most of the remainder call them
> Bendix Connectors, all because that's who made the ones that those
> people first became familiar with.  A fourth manufacturer was
> Pyle-National and I can't recall the 5th, although it might have been
> Aero.  But I never heard the connector family referred to as any but
> the first three.  In any case, in most of the manuals, they are
> referred to generically as AN-Connectors (1940's and early 1950's), MS
> connectors (late 1950's through about 1980's), and since then
> MIL-C-5015 Connectors.
> 
> To finally answer your question, the smallest pin used in any of the
> inserts is the #20, rated at 10A.  The most common is the #16, rated
> at 22A.  above that, there are #12, 41A, #8, 73A, #4, 135A and #0,
> 245A.  If the connector insert face has "INST" molded in along with
> contact letters and mfg name or symbol, the voltage rating is 250DC
> and 200AC rms.  Otherwise, the minimum voltage rating for about 95% of
> the inserts is 700DC and 500AC.  Some have higher ratings up to 4200DC
> and some have different ratings for some of the pins.  Number of
> contacts runs from 1 to a max of 52.  I have never counted them but
> there are around 200 different inserts.  One thing that confuses most
> people is that the insert number rarely equals the number of contacts.
>  The insert number was assigned sequentially, so insert #36-1 has 22
> contacts because it was the first #36 insert assigned.
> 
> Robert Downs
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
> acti at provide.net
> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2018 21:32
> To: Greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] 120vdc connectors - opinions?
> 
> Hey Nick...
> What are the max # of connections/shell, and max current/pin specs?
> 
> Voltage ratings are rarely a problem in full sized connectors.
> It's all about the current...
> 
> You'll need to choose a connector set with:
> A) Enough pins that are each heavy enough for the current(s),
> B) Sufficient pin-pin and shell voltage isolation for the job,
> C) Reasonable cost & availability,
> D) Whether or not you desire secure locking connections
> (ie round mil connectors with a locking ring or something
> like a Molex connector with a lock tab)
> vs one that slips in and out easily, like wall plugs.
> and
> E) won't be confused with another connector tech in the same project
> (ie using an audio connector for power in an audio device is foolish).
> 
> FYI... Searching "connector" on Digikey yields over 2.5M hits.
> ... https://www.digikey.com
> 
> Bear in mind that if you are only doing this for yourself,
> and nothing will be exposed outside the chassis, you can easily
> repurpose old generic connectors of the right specs,
> that will never be seen in that context.
> 
> For example, years ago I USED to use DIN audio connectors
> for other purposes, as well as left over D-Sub solder
> style DB-9 & DB-25 RS-232 serial connectors as non-computer
> project internal power connections. The DBs were darn
> cheap, available locally back then at Radio Shack,
> had decent voltage isolation between pins, and easily handled
> several amps per pin.  Nothing else around here could do that.
> 
> I hope this helps!
> - Keith Mc.
> ---
> Geeky Full Deck-isms: "He was a few pins short of a DB-9 connector..."
> 
> 
> On 2018-06-24 15:12, Nick England wrote:
>> I have a number of devices to run off 120vdc - relays, motors, etc.
>> thanks to Jerry I now have a nifty supply but I am trying to decide 
>> how
>> I
>> want to hook things up.
>> I could just use a terminal strip but I was thinking about plugs and
>> sockets instead.
>> Is it still possible to find the connectors that Teletype used for
>> 120vdc
>> in early equipment.
>> 
>> I thought about using an odd AC connector like the 120vac 20a with one
>> blade sideways, but I can�t find a duplex receptacle with only the
>> sideways
>> slot. They all have a T slot to take either 15a or 20a plugs.
>> 
>> Or should I just say the heck with it and use Cinch-Jones 3-pin plugs
>> with
>> chassis mounted receptacles.
>> Or just live with terminal strips?
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