[Milsurplus] AN circular connectors

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

To add to what Jim wrote:

In a message dated 12/7/2008 8:37:04 AM Central Standard Time, 
jhhaynes at earthlink.net writes: 
> Yes, there's the Amphenol catalog, and probably Bendix and others as well.
> Or they are in the Mouser &Digi-Key catalogs these days. Now one problem
> is that a bunch of the older ones have been discontinued.


An old Newark or Allied catalog or a 50's or 40's Radio Master is a good 
source that will have some inserts that won't be in the on-line lists.

> 
> If you can read the number on the mating connector then you can figure out
> the other one. e.g. if you have a panel-mount connector that is
> AN-3102A-14-16P (I just made that up, may not be a real one) then the
> mating cable end would be AN-3106A-14-16S for a straight shell and
> substitute 3108 for a right-angle shell.


Actually, the "A", "B", "C", "E", etc. following the 4-digit shell identifier 
(3102, etc.) is not found on most WW-II vintage originals or parts lists.

> 
> Sometimes you see X, Y and Z suffixes, and those mean that the inner part
> with the contacts has been rotated with respect to the key in the shell
> so make it non-interconnectable with the ones with no suffix or a 
> different suffix. Sometimes if you have one you can disassemble it and
> rotate the inner part to the X Y or Z position.


AN/APN-1 is a good bad example of this. Although I have occasionally come 
across alternate orientation marked connectors, in the practical situation the 
solution will be to find four (I think it's four but didn't go check the manual) 
standard plugs and re-key some of them. Not applicable to the P-51 but the 
ARB/ATB sets are another example, although they use Cannon "K" series instead of 
AN.

> 
> 
Sometimes you run into custom arrangements where, for example, some
of the pins are larger than they would be in the standard part. That
is hard to deal with.


Connectors on the power cable between BC-669 and PE-110 are an example.

> 
> As always, the Wm. Perry Co. is a good source for these connectors,
> used and new.


I also have a lot of AN and "K" connectors.

> 
> If you are trying to be historically authentic it will be hard because
> the new manufacture connectors are not the same. Olive-green stain
> instead of bare aluminum; blue insulation instead of black, gold plating
> on the pins instead of silver, etc.


Blue plastic inserts are Amphenol. Cannon/Aero went to tan. The aluminum 
finish on the early AN and "K" connectors is mostly hard coat anodize, which is 
dark gray. Some were clear matte and some Cannon were gold. The post-war green 
is the same as clear matte but with die added. If you want the appearance to be 
absolutely correct (externally, you can't see the insert color when the plugs 
are installed) you can disassemble the connectors and have the aluminum parts 
stripped and hard coat anodized.

Also, the cable clamps were AN3057-n, which has a single saddle-bar clamp. 
The post-war AN3057-nA has two saddle-bar clamps. Fortunately, the "non-A" did 
not go out of production when the A came in so finding those isn't usually a 
problem other than color.



Robert & Susan Downs - Houston
wa5cab dot com (Web Store)
MVPA 9480
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