By Jeff Smoot, VP of Apps Engineering and Motion Control at Same Sky
Housing multiple pins or contacts for transferring electrical power, signals, or data, circular connectors are cylindrical electrical devices of varying sizes that are designed to withstand a range of harsh environments. Also referred to as circular interconnects, their circular construction affords them additional ruggedness and resistance to vibration and impact damage, outside signals or interference, incursion from environmental contaminants, and pressure or temperature extremes. Due to their high performance in these extreme conditions, circular connectors and cables find broad uses in industrial and factory automation applications, medical devices, security and defense systems, aerospace, and more. Circular connectors encompass a wide array of product offerings from standard circular connectors to DIN, Metric, Hermetic, Push-Pull, Keyed, Mixed Signal, and Micro or Nano versions. Hybrid options are also available that combine power, signal, and data into a single device. This article will primarily focus
on standard circular connectors and cables, including their basic construction, designations and codes, selection criteria, and more.
Circular connector construction
Thanks to their cylindrical shape, circular connectors have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than any other connector shape. As already mentioned, this enhanced strength gives them added resistance to impact damage, outside elements, and decoupling, while giving them durability in applications with frequent mating cycles. The number of internal contacts as well as the layout of those contacts varies by connector and application type to ensure correct alignment and insertion into a compatible mating device. Circular connector shells are often constructed with threads to allow for more secure screw-in connections where vibration or other factors would potentially cause unwanted decoupling. Other types of connection systems include bayonet locking, push/pull locking, and snap lock.
we get technical
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