CPC help

[Flying Scotsman]

I find myself in need of a connector for 20 wires, all small gauge (20 or 22), and it seems a CPC would be perfect. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the documentation, though...Series I, II, III, type I, II, III, etc. Basically, either a mounted or free-hanging plug and receptacle which will take the 368/369 D-sub pins/sockets is what I'm after.

Can someone help me decode the reference materials? Of if you have a good source with useable search engine/filters, that'd be awesome...

TIA

Steve

[rv7charlie]

Any particular need for round vs the typical Dsub style? The round style is a royal pain to troubleshoot, if the need arises down the road. I built up a few 50+ pin round 'Cannon' connectors (solder cup pins) in a previous life, & they are a royal pain to build, too.

I've seen quite a few different styles of connectors in various environments, & barring environments where there's direct exposure to liquid water, I think it's very hard to beat a regular Dsub with gold plated pins for signal lines or power below around 5 amps (more with paralleled pins).

Another big plus for Dsub is that you can put the core in any shell you like to make panel mount or in-line style, in either gender.

Charlie

[bcondrey]

Series II is probably what you're looking for. They use the same pins as dsub connectors so as long as you're looking at low current you should be fine. They are available from places like Digikey, Mouser, etc. I use both of these but find that the search engines on their sites work a bit differently. In this case it's actually a little easier to see the big picture selection from the Digikey catalog. http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/US2011/P0444.pdf. You buy these things ala cart - the shell is what the pins go into and you'll need a male and female. These are available as either free hanging or panel mount, also as "reverse gender". You'll also need strain reliefs/hoods to fit the shell size.
Example for a 28 pin Series 2 connector:
standard plug: A1380-ND
standard recepticle: A1379-ND
strain relief shells (one for each): A1332-ND will work but there are a variety of styles.
you'd then need pins/sockets which are the same as standard dsub

Bob

[aerhed]

Series 2 uses same size pins as a Dsub. 23 pin is a common one. The series 2 are current limited though. If I remember right there are series 2 pins rated at 7 amps. If you're not going over that, its good. For higher current you'll have to go to a series 1 or for even higher current you need series 3 or 4. If you have mostly low current wires & a couple high current ones you could split into 2 plugs & use series 2 for the little stuff. They are really good connectors. Better than Dsubs for toughness and you can detach them blind & one-handed.
P.S. I change all my Dsub shells to the thumbscrew type. Using a tiny straight screwdriver upside down & backhanded gets old.

[Flying Scotsman]

Thanks, guys...that's what I need. These are for mostly signal lines, one or two low current (1 A or less) power/ground.

[Flying Scotsman]

Originally Posted by aerhed

I change all my Dsub shells to the thumbscrew type. Using a tiny straight screwdriver upside down & backhanded gets old.

Same here...I *hate* straight screwdrivers, and trying to tighten D-sub shells like you said frustrates the **** out of me...knurled knobs it is!

[Bubblehead]

Originally Posted by aerhed

Series 2 uses same size pins as a Dsub.

I just installed 4 CPCs and those pins were not anything like Dsub pins. Different crimper too, although available from MAC Tools for about $30 if I remember right.