Page 177 - The ROV Manual - A User Guide for Remotely Operated Vehicles 2nd edition

166 CHAPTER 8 Cables and Connectors
Plug is the male body. Receptacle is the female half.
Inside the mated housing are electrical pins and sockets. Most commonly, plugs have pins, and receptacles have sockets (Figure 8.2). Connector manufacturers typically have naming conventions for their connector configurations descending from general toward specific arrangement. As an example, a four-pin female microconnector can be any of several arrangements such as MCIL4F (microconnector in-line 4-pin female), MCBH4F (microconnector bulkhead 4-pin female), MCPBOF4F (microconnector pressure-balanced oil-filled 4-pin female), and MCDC4F (microcon- nector dummy connector 4-pin female). The same naming convention continues with low profile (LP), standard circular (SC), etc. As a general rule, it is best not to mix connector manufacturers’ products for the same connector unit (e.g., Manufacturer A’s male connector plugging into Manufacturer B’s receptacle). When in doubt, check with the manufacturer for compatibility between connectors.
Connectors are broadly classified by:
• Connector type (i.e., electrical, optical, or optical/electric)
• Mating environment (i.e., dry mate, wet mate, or underwater mate)
• Voltage (e.g., low voltage, medium voltage, high voltage, or very high voltage)
• Amps (i.e., low/medium/high current)
• Number of contacts (self-explanatory)
• Pressure rating (i.e., low/medium/high/extreme pressure)
Bulkhead (BH) connectors can attach to a pressure housing using O-rings to make the seal. A threaded post bulkhead connector screws into a tapped hole. A spot face (i.e., a smooth, flat or
FIGURE 8.2
Bulkhead connector receptacle (left) and plug (right).
(Courtesy Ocean Innovations.)