What constitutes a heavy-duty connector and where are they used for industrial connectivity
instrumentation or machinery. Alternatively, housings can also terminate cables for cable-to-cable connections. Hoods and housings are typically produced from die- cast alloy … but stainless steel and plastic housings are also common. Some manufacturers offer configurable connectors that can be ganged inside a single hood or housing. This can allow higher pin counts across all distinct modules. Such connectors are available under the Molex GWconnect HDC and TE Connectivity HDC brands. The ruggedized cable connectors for data and sensor-signal cables are slightly different. Here, M-series connectors lead. They’re robust connectors that serve in various data connections (including those based on Ethernet) as well as electrical power transmissions. Rugged M-series connectors are most common in industrial networking applications involving PROFINET, fieldbus, and industrial Ethernet to connect sensors, switches, and PLCs. As covered in previous DigiKey articles, M-series connectors consist of round male and female connectors having standard metric-threaded sleeves encasing and protecting internal pins and receptacles. Standard sizes include 5-mm M5, 8-mm M8, 12-mm M12, 16-mm M16, and 23-mm M23
connectors. The threaded sleeve provides a very robust and reliable connection which cannot be easily pulled apart and which ensures a very reliable electrical connection, minimizing intermittent signals. The sleeve also gives M-series connectors a high level of ingress protection which can, in many cases, even enable use in washdown and corrosive environments. The most common sizes are M8 and M12 connectors, with two, three, four, five, eight, or 12 pins. Typically, three or four-pin M-series connectors service sensors and power supplies; four or eight-pin M-series connectors service Ethernet and PROFINET devices; and four or five-pin M-series connectors service Fieldbus, CAN bus, and DeviceNet automation devices.
Data connections used in industrial applications include Ethernet, ModbusTCP/IP, EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, and Profinet … as well various proprietary formats. RJ connectors are the standard for all implementations of Ethernet — but don’t provide ingress protection and aren’t particularly robust. Although a male-side plastic tab clicks into the socket (to hold the connector halves together) it’s rather delicate … and lets plugs pull from their sockets with even moderate tugging. That’s why M-series connectors are a superior option if an automated installation is subject to motion and incidental abuse. There’s yet another caveat here, though. While standard M-series connectors are a suitable option
Figure 3: M-series connectors are made of high-strength aluminum and feature a ratchet screw for quick and secure cable coupling with one hand. (Image source: LEMO )
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