Connectors
Here is a list of 100 Connectors categories. It encompasses a wide range including industrial connectors, high voltage connectors, half pitch connectors, flat printed circuit (fpc) connectors, etc. You can search for an overview, principle, and usage of each category, as well as find manufacturers and distributors.
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What Is a Connector?
A connector is an electronic component that connects power and electrical signals.
Connectors are used in all kinds of electronic devices, from everyday items such as smartphones and PCs to satellites. Because each product has its own specifications, a wide variety of varieties exist.
FA equipment such as AC servos, NC (numerical control) devices, and inverters, as well as their built-in ICs, have become more sophisticated as a result of technological advances, and the role of connecting these components and modules must also become more sophisticated. This is where connectors play an important role.
Connectors help save a great deal of time and labor when connecting wiring by simply plugging them in directly by hand, without the use of tools. Recently, due to the increase in the amount of information handled by devices, multi-pole connectors with hundreds of connector pins are being made. The pin sense is about 1 mm, and there are various types of pin arrangements, including staggered as well as linear.
Connector Structure
Generally, a connector has a two-piece construction, with the side that plugs in being called the plug and the side that accepts being called the receptacle. Wiring can be easily connected and disconnected by simply pulling out and inserting these pairs.
Plugs and receptacles consist of a component called a contact that conducts electricity, a component called an insulator made of plastic that protects the contact and serves as insulation between contacts, and an outer shell component called a shell that protects the insulator.
The contact, which is the main part of the connector, is made of highly conductive copper or other alloys. Usually, the plug side consists of pin contacts with no spring characteristics and the receptacle side consists of socket contacts with spring characteristics. The spring characteristics of the contacts allow a crimp connection to be made and power and electrical signals to be connected.
Connector Types
There are four types of connectors, categorized by the destination.
- Board to board with wire: Board to Wire (B to W)
- Board-to-board connector without wires: Board to Board (B to B)
- Connecting devices with connectors: INPUT / OUTPUT (I / O)
- Other cases: IC sockets, short-circuit connectors, etc.
There are a wide variety of connector standards and products, including those that define the connector itself, those for which communication standards have also standardized the connector, those for which connectors have been commercialized to meet communication standards, and communication standards that use connector standards. Some of the well-known standards are introduced below.
1. Connector Standards
- DIN 41612 Standard
The DIN standard is a standard of the German Industrial Association. The DIN 41612 standard is well-known for connectors, which are generally called DIN connectors and are used to connect boards together. - MIL-C-83503 Standard
The MIL standard is a U.S. military standard. The MIL-C-83503 standard is well-known for connectors, which are flat cable connectors commonly referred to as MIL connectors. - IEC 61076-4-101 Standard
The IEC standard is a worldwide standard. This standard is for 2mm pitch HM connectors. - USB Standard
This standard defines the Universal Serial Bus communication, but also standardizes the connector itself, which is used to connect a PC to peripheral devices.
2. Communication Standards
- VME Bus Standard
The Versa Module Eurocard Bus standard is a rack system communication standard that uses DIN41612 connectors. - Compact PCI Standard
The Compact PCI standard is a standard for 3U or 6U Eurocard-based industrial computers, using HM connectors per the IEC 61076-4-101 standard. - RS-232C Standard
Recommended Standard 232 version C is a standardized standard by the EIA. This standard is widely used to connect peripheral devices such as modems and printers to COM ports. 25-pole and 9-pole D-sub connectors are commonly used for terminals.
Shape of Connector
A connector consists of a direct contact part called a contact and a housing, which is a case component that surrounds the contact.
There are a large number of products, and some companies use their own planned specifications. Each connector manufacturer has devised ways to improve the performance and reliability of their connectors. In particular, ingenuity is required with regard to the contact resistance of pins.
For example, gold plating on copper alloy pins can reduce contact resistance to 20 to 35 mΩ or less. The higher the performance of the devices used, the closer the electrical resistance of connectors must be to zero. They play an important role in supporting the foundations of industry.
The Ranking of Companies in the Connectors Sector
*This ranking is solely among the companies registered with Metoree, sorted by the number of employees. Please use this as a rough guide to understand their scale.
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2. NIDEC SANKYO
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3. ABB
