Page 14 - 2021 Connectivity Components: Everything but the Connectors eBook
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Consider these Additional Components when Specifying Micro-Ds for Military or Aerospace
Brad Taras, Product Manager, Cinch Connectivity Solutions
All connectors have contacts to link individual circuits to another connector, a termination to link the connector to a wire or board, and an insulator to prevent shorts between signals. Very often, a protective shell is also included. However, design engineers will encounter many applications that require additional components because these four elements do not meet all of the possible functional needs. The additional components are typically sold separately to reduce the complexity and cost of assemblies. Becoming familiar with common additional components and the functions they provide is helpful.
ยป Cinch micro-D socket with jackscrews retained to connector
1. Mounting hardware
Micro-D hardware relies on two standard thread sizes, #2-56 UNC-2A for all 9- to 51-position connectors and #4- 40 UNC-2A for 100-position connectors. Screws are referred to as jackscrews and are typically located on the wire harness side that ends in a plug connector. The sockets, often PCB-mounted, have jackposts, which are more than a locking nut.
The preference of equipment assemblers and installers is to have the hardware retained to the connector, which prevents hardware from falling out of place and getting lost inside a small enclosure. Therefore, most micro-D suppliers will provide the connector with hardware part number modifiers so the retained hardware is included when the connector is ordered.
