Four Attention Points in Using Power Connectors

The power connector is generally composed of plug and socket. The plug is also called free connector, and the socket is also called fixed connector. The connection and disconnection of the circuit is realized by the insertion and separation of the plug and socket, so various connection modes of plug and socket are produced, which is known by many operators. Here is an analysis of the attention points in use:

1. The termination

1) When the power connector is terminated, the termination and inspection shall be carried out in strict accordance with the corresponding termination specifications or requirements, and the power connector shall be terminated according to the corresponding contact number. The maximum thickness of the insulation layer between the selected cables and conductors should match the distance between contacts, and the cable core should match with the contact terminal. When crossing and merging wires between contacts, the diameter of the multi-strand cable core should be considered, and it is forbidden to cross or merge wires between the crimping holes of contacts;

2) During the welding, the electric soldering iron with corresponding power should be selected according to the diameter of the bare wire. The welding time of each contact is generally less than 5s. Pay attention to preventing the soldering flux from penetrating into the insulator, so as not to cause the decrease of product insulation resistance;

3) When cleaning the power connector (including the cleaning of the contact), a silk cloth dipped in absolute ethyl alcohol can be used after drying. It is not allowed to use acetone and other chemical solvents that have harmful effects on the power connector;

4) When the power connector is not in the insertion state, it is necessary to add the corresponding protective cover or take other dust-proof measures.

2. Check the power connector before the insertion

1) The model, code, number, insertion position and direction of the power connector shall meet the requirements of design and process documents;

2) The trial hood is not loose and the tied top does not fall off;

3)There is no bend on the cable bundle or conductor of the trail hood opening, and there is no  damage on the outer skin;

4) There is no fracture of the shield grounding wire and no looseness of the soldering terminal that connects the shell;

5) The housing and the interface of the power connector shall be free from deformation, crack, thread wear, looseness or defect of fasteners and shedding of coatings;

6) The locking device shall be intact;

7) For the power connector with a sealing ring, the sealing ring shall be intact;

8) There shall be no redundancies at the interface (insulator surface and socket);

9) The pin and socket shall not be skewed or deformed;

10) The surface of the insulator at the pin root shall be free of broken, uplifted and fallen metal debris;

11) There should be no obvious retraction or protrusion of the pin and socket. Compared with the normal pin and socket on the same plane, the retraction or protrusion distance should not be greater than 0.5mm. Otherwise, it is necessary to check whether the pin or socket is properly assembled or retracted;

3. The insertion and extraction operation

1) Before inserting, it is necessary to confirm whether the code of the plug and socket to be inserted, the shape of the interface, the locating key and slot, the positioning color code, the locking staple bolt and neck as well as the positioning screw and screw hole are consistent and accurately positioned;

2) In the process of pushing or screwing in the power connector, align the plug with the butting surface of the socket and centralize the cable or wire, then gently push or slowly screw the lock sleeve into place along the axis direction and lock it tightly. If it is found that the two butting surfaces are skewed, the positioning is not accurate, the hand feeling is too tight to be beyond the normal force or there is obstruction and other abnormal feelings, the operation should be stopped, then pull out the power connector along the axis direction and carry out the status checkout. Insert the power connector again after trouble removal. It is allowed to use special auxiliary tools to insert and extract the power connector;

3) Do not rotate the cable or wire at the outlet of the trial hood when tightening the trial hood of the plug or socket;

4) During blind insertion, it is recommended to use lighting and devices with visual functions (such as micro cameras or endoscopes and monitors) to monitor the blind insertion process. When carrying out the blind insertion operation in empty-illumination and supervisory equipment conditions, the corresponding characteristics of the interface to be inserted should be felt clearly with fingers, then insert the power connector in place and lock it tightly;

5) In the locking operation, if it is found that it cannot be locked normally, the connector shall be pulled out and checked in time. Insert and lock the power connector in accordance with regulations after checking correctly;

6) For the power connector with thick and hard cables, the cables should be fixed to prevent the failure in unplugging and the damage of the power connector caused by cable droop;

7) After the power connector is inserted and locked, the cable at the trial hood outlet shall be kept in a natural extension state, and the initiation site of the bending shall generally be more than 30mm away from the trail hood outlet. Unless otherwise specified, the inner bending radius of the cable shall not be less than 4 times of the outer diameter of the cable;

8) When the power connector is plugged in and pulled out, it is not allowed to grasp the cable or wire outside the trail hood for operation.

4. The testing

1) The probe should meet the requirements when testing cables or electronic equipment. It is strictly forbidden to use probe or copper wire for direct detection, so as to prevent making the power connector jack big or damaging the inner wall or distorting the pin;

2) Before the insertion testing of the testing cable and the power connector on the electronic equipment, the power connector (plug and socket) on the testing cable shall be checked first. If there is any appearance damage, pin (hole) corrosion, pin distortion, jack deformation, dust pollution, wire breakage and shielding wire breakage, the insertion shall be stopped;

3) During the test, the plug-in operation of the power connector should be carried out after the power supply is disconnected for at least 3 min. Hot plugging is prohibited;

4) After the model and product electrical performance test is completed, the power connector shall be fused according to the requirements of the design and process documents if the power connector is not separated for a long time, and the locking device of the power connector shall not be loosened in the fusing process.

5. The storage

The power connector shall be stored in the environment where the temperature is -10～+40℃, the relative humidity is no more than 80% and there is no acid, alkali or other corrosive gases around.