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Motors and Drives
Clem's CNC Control Project Cursed connectors, why is there no middle ground option?
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  • Author Author: mayermakes
  • Date Created: 24 May 2023 11:40 AM Date Created
  • Views 1254 views
  • Likes 7 likes
  • Comments 12 comments
  • connectors
  • current
  • cnc
  • clems numerical control
  • alternatives
  • mayermakes
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Cursed connectors, why is there no middle ground option?

mayermakes
mayermakes
24 May 2023

My original plan for this months blog was to build the side panels for my machine, but during measuring the sides I thought more about the challenges of routing the cables and encountered a few possible issues with shaping the panels. A painfull accident this week lead me to sit down and postpone the panel fabrication for a later point.
And then it dawned on me:

imageimageimage

During the build of my cnc one theme occured mutliple times. connectors.

And a weird situation emerged.

Commonly mounted on a lot of cnc parts and adjacent machinery you find aviation connectors. Round screw locked metal & plastic retro looking connectors with a wide variety of sizes and pin numbers.

And couriously they are only available on the usual dodgy sources and not part of a standard program of any reputable manufacturer nor could I find any datasheets or a set standard for these anywhere.
I would vastly prefer a standardized connector with a certified current carry capability that I could get form multiple known manufacturers via my usual distributors.
But it seems like there is a weird spot in the market where professional connectors are just to expensive and only these weirder ones are used.
As most hobby folks do ,I have a vast collection of cheap connectors in stock that I just used for this build without thinking more about them in the beginning, just because some of my parts came with them already installed.
Just now I realized that all my calculations about wire gauges for specific loads are deemed pointless if the connectors are just not up to sthe task.
All my assumptions about their capabilities and resistances are just that, assumptions.

imageimage

I’m hoping for the Element14 hive mind to solve the ridle:
What is the true name of aviation connectors.
What standards/norms to they confrom to.
What loads can the truly carry and how to know if the ones I have are up to my tasks.

With connectors Ii often boils down to trust in the manufacturers processes and given data.
I realised very late into the project that most lines might deal with loads of 2-4A @ 48V continous, which is no childs play. Having no data or even a reliable source for these mission critical parts makes me feel uneasy abotu powering up the machine.

Should I switch the whole scheme of connectors to a reputable manufacturers product, if so which ones?

Or is there a good way to test them myself without just applying destructive loads?
How would I know if they hold long term?

I’m a bit charred by an event in 2014. The Lamp of my aquarium was visibly flickering when I came home from work. I lifted the top and was very surprised to see a tiny fire flaring up in the connector to the flourescent tube that got extinguished just a second later by a drop of water.

This cycle constantly went on and I watched it for minutes, sparks, fire, water and so on..

judging from the damage I could see and the massive build up of charred black residue I think this has been happening unknowingly for weeks.
And I think that could be a scenario happening in a similar fashion with connectors that have a bigger than expected or uneven contact resistance in combination with my expected high loads during cnc operation. I had similar issues with sparks going from an underspeced connector (factory installed!!!) to the grounded chassis of my laser cutter. These arks where audible but I shrugged them off as random fan noises until lower power cuts where visible periodically on my workpieces leading me to investigate the laser source cabeling. I found it barely in time to avoid permanent damage to the machine or having an unknown little fire going in the electronics compartement during operation.

All these stories just to ask you the Element14 community for your favourite connectors for big loads and possibly alongside data transfer. They have to be locking in place, but fit a typical hobby budget.
So I’m very courious if you think I’m just overly worried or if these aviation connectors are indeed a risk or fire hazard in the waiting.

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  • mayermakes
    mayermakes over 2 years ago in reply to shabaz +1
    Now that you say it, I do have seen these conectors on a CB radio I have in storage! I've seen M12/M16 connectors a few times but they were either far out of my budget or just did not name a current carry…
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  • shabaz
    shabaz over 2 years ago

    Hi Clem,

    The connectors in your photo remind me of the ones that used to be on consumer CB radio gear, they are not good quality as you say.

    The decent connector is M12 (there's also a smaller version, but M12 is a good size), it's used in industrial equipment, and I've seen it in railway gear, so it's trusted, and it's not expensive considering what it does, but definitely won't be anywhere near the price of the consumer CB style connectors (which of course just have the aviation name but are not really used in aviation).

    There are cheap M12 connectors on ebay/aliexpress as shown in the photo below, however they are not 100% perfect, they are a tighter fit if you try to mate the cheap clone with the decent known manufacturer versions. When both the plug and socket are from decent manufacturers, the fit is smooth. They are still miles better than the CB style connectors.

    Even cheaper could be D-sub style connectors, they may support the current you require (perhaps with using 2 pins per connection), and they have a small amount of protection and have screw fitting to prevent disconnection. It could be protected from dust by having all the cables enter an area through a separate area, through a bend (for instance) and then plugged and screwed in. I think it's a great option personally, but required drilling of non-circular holes usually! 

    Cheaper than that too could be Molex Mini-Fit Jr, however that would need a crimp tool, and would need some dust prevention techniques such as the separated wire entry point as mentioned above.

    image

    image

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  • mayermakes
    mayermakes over 2 years ago in reply to shabaz

    Now that you say it, I do have seen these conectors on a CB radio I have in storage! I've seen M12/M16 connectors a few times but they were either far out of my budget or just did not name a current carry capability as high as I need it.
    Your comment already  assured me my hunch that these connectors might be to risky to use.

    I hope some members might point us to usable alternatives.
    I do have alot of sub-D conenctors and they would fit the budget, but I did not consider them for the difficulty of having to make rectangular holes in thick steel plates to mount them.

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  • mayermakes
    mayermakes over 2 years ago in reply to shabaz

    Now that you say it, I do have seen these conectors on a CB radio I have in storage! I've seen M12/M16 connectors a few times but they were either far out of my budget or just did not name a current carry capability as high as I need it.
    Your comment already  assured me my hunch that these connectors might be to risky to use.

    I hope some members might point us to usable alternatives.
    I do have alot of sub-D conenctors and they would fit the budget, but I did not consider them for the difficulty of having to make rectangular holes in thick steel plates to mount them.

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