Blog - All Comments

RE: Easy Technical Connector Illustrations for Documentation, using 3D CAD!

shabaz — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 12:53:45 GMT

Paint Shop Pro allows for filling in with patterns, to achieve halftone-like shading. Maybe useful for more easily distinguishing certain pins if necessary, although it is an extra step.

RE: Easy Technical Connector Illustrations for Documentation, using 3D CAD!

dougw — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 21:39:50 GMT

Great idea.

I just tried it with 123D Design and IrfanView and it works well with that combination....

RE: Easy Technical Connector Illustrations for Documentation, using 3D CAD!

colporteur — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 21:22:11 GMT

Great share S! Nice cross pollination. FeeCAD, KiCAD and Inkscape a trifecta of open source tools available for download. No propitiatory software or restrictive license to navigate in order to complete the task.

RE: Easy Technical Connector Illustrations for Documentation, using 3D CAD!

beacon_dave — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 19:26:16 GMT

Nice post.

These type of illustrations are often very useful for installing connectors whilst out in the field where poor lighting can make it hard to read the tiny embossed markings next to the terminal and you have to rely more on the physical geometry to orient them correctly.

This week my 'office' was 8m up in the air on the underside of a ceiling, where the lighting provision was less than favourable. Unfortunately the assembly instructions had omitted the positions of the mating keys on the shell on the 2D outline drawing and the design is otherwise symmetrical.

Luckily I had spotted this earlier and penned them in.

The Knipex bootlace ferrule crimps got a good work out - I'm glad I got the more comfortable handles in the end !

RE: Easy Technical Connector Illustrations for Documentation, using 3D CAD!

DAB — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 18:23:37 GMT

Great post Shabaz.

RE: Easy Technical Connector Illustrations for Documentation, using 3D CAD!

shabaz — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 18:12:10 GMT

Another example, this time importing two STEP files during the "Import into FreeCAD" part of the process (and then right-clicking on one of them in the tree view, and selecting Transform, which makes some 3D arrows appear which can be dragged to move one part relative to the other). With two or more parts it's worth clicking on View->Perspective View otherwise the parts look strange relative to each other.

RE: Gift I got from element 14 as a winner for connector quiz

dougw — Mon, 29 May 2023 17:13:12 GMT

Congratulations..it pays to participate.

RE: Amphenol / SV Microwave SF2921-61506-1S SMA coaxial connector: behavior under vibration

javagoza — Sun, 05 Mar 2023 18:31:49 GMT

Is there also a temperature variation in the connector or is it difficult to make this measurement?

RE: Amphenol / SV Microwave SF2921-61506-1S SMA coaxial connector: behavior under vibration

shabaz — Sun, 05 Mar 2023 14:39:41 GMT

Hi Jan,

Excellent work! And very nice set-up. Love the charts from your app (that MCC 172 data acquisition product is awesome of course) and the DMM6500 chart. Thinking back, I recall even some military equipment uses spring contacts, e.g. on batteries, and so it's good to see you've shown how it can be tested!

RE: Phoenix Contact Introduces SKEDD Direct Connectors with Crimp Connection

shabaz — Sun, 17 May 2020 14:22:36 GMT

They look awesome, been in the back of my mind for ages to try them out on a board. I got a mini-demonstration of another SKEDD part in the range (push-fit wire instead of wire crimp) at an exhibition, recorded here, but the crimp 1,5 version looks smaller which is great:

[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_720R2vwAE:1110:699]

RE: Phoenix Contact Introduces SKEDD Direct Connectors with Crimp Connection

dougw — Sat, 16 May 2020 03:11:20 GMT

This looks interesting - The idea sounds like a time saver and they seem to have nailed it but it will still take some convincing that it can take cable stresses.

RE: Sliding Power Connectors

three-phase — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 20:31:57 GMT

Interesting device, I presume the hot-swapping capability means it can be installed / removed without switching off the power to the bus, but it doesn't look like it has the capability to actually switch the current to the load, so that must be made dead.

Kind regards.

RE: Sliding Power Connectors

dougw — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 17:09:38 GMT

I was unaware of this technology - thanks for highlighting it.