Jul. 28, 2025
While small, connectors have a massive impact on PCB and enclosure designs. The right choice strikes a balance between electrical and mechanical needs for reliable performance that fits seamlessly into your end product.
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Connectors are no place to cut corners, so we’ve put together a list of the top five technical factors you should consider when selecting the best connector type for your project.
High-performing connectors are a compromise between space requirements and power needs. Technical requirements will dictate important decisions like material, pin count, wire gauge, contact sizes, and mounting footprint.
High-voltage needs might point to a connector with insulation or wider spacing between pins, but the footprint of your board design could be the factor that sways your decision. Here’s what you’ll need to consider:
You can see how these different parameters can affect model selection for a connector like the QUIK-LOQ:
# of contacts
Pin diameter (mm/in)
Max wire size
(awg)
Max current
(A)
Contact resistance (mΩ)
Working voltage
(V)
QUICK-LOQ 820B002
2
.9 / .035
22
10
6
330
QUICK-LOQ 820B009
9
.5 / .020
28
2
10
220
Some connectors need to stand up to harsh outdoor environments including rain and salt spray. Indoors, connectors can also be met with challenging elements such as dust, water jets, and chemicals. Industries from manufacturing to oil and gas require connectors that can endure tough conditions. The IP rating of a connector indicates how protected it is against ingress.
An IP rating contains two digits.
The first digit ranges from 0 to 6 and tells you how protected the connector is against solid objects. This number starts at an unprotected zero (IP0X). Ratings including IP2X will defend against objects under 12.5mm like fingers, while the heavily armored IP6X offers complete protection against micro particles such as dust.
The second digit represents a connector’s protection against liquids: it can be as low as zero or as high as nine. A connector rated IPX0 is not protected, while an IPX4 shields inner workings against splashing water. If you’re operating at sea, for example, you will want to upgrade to waterproof IPX8 connectors—the gold star of liquid ingress protection. These highly sealed connectors can survive continuous immersion beyond 1 meter.
You can use this helpful chart to evaluate the potential needs of your industry.
Application
Temperature
Shock/Vibration
Pressure
Corrosion
Explosion
Liquids
Dust
Medical
X
X
X
Automotive
X
X
X
X
Industrial
X
X
X
X
X
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X
Oil & Gas
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Agricultural
X
X
X
X
X
Marine/Undersea
X
X
X
X
X
In some applications, you will need to upgrade to a fully ruggedized connector. These connector types are outfitted to take on high pressure, shock, and vibration—even explosion risk.
These ultra-protected connectors arm against the elements using features such as an anti-corrosion stainless steel alloy shell. Using ruggedized locking, latching, or screw retention mechanisms, you can avoid unintentional disconnects in highly turbulent or jostling conditions.
The operating environment will also dictate the temperature range your connector must withstand. A robot that performs assembly tasks on a bustling factory floor undergoes different temperature swings than a server in a cold data center.
Modern electronics are shrinking in size, restricting the amount of space available for bulky connectors. But electronics are also smarter than ever, meaning manufacturers need to squeeze more sensors and connections into a denser footprint. Tighter footprints increase the risk of mechanical interference and crosstalk, so available space is a prime consideration when selecting connectors.
Equipment that used to be stationary—like an MRI machine that takes up an entire room—is now on the move. This new trend towards increased portability further shrinks product designs, pointing more engineers towards miniature connector types.
Some applications are mated once and more or less remain connected throughout their entire life cycle. Others are frequently connected and disconnected, like those used in bench testing and medical imaging, causing more wear and tear.
A connector’s mating cycles specify the number of connects and disconnects a manufacturer expects it to survive. Some are ready to withstand 750 mating cycles, while others, like push-pull designs, can last upwards of 5,000.
Design considerations that impact a connector’s rating in this area include its plating and how the contacts are formed. You can see how different D-subminiature types differ in this area:
Stamped & Formed Contacts
Machined Contacts
Gold Flash Plating*
50
150
30 Micro Inch Plating
250
500
50 Micro Inch Plating
500
750
* Thickness ranging from 0.2µ” – 0.6µ” Au
From robotics to telematics, outdoor sensors to high-stakes military equipment, we have over __ connectors up to the job. Our team is ready to walk you through this selection guide and help you find the best interconnect solution for your project.
Circular connectors are cylindrical electrical devices of varying size with circular mating surfaces. They contain multiple pins, or contacts that connect with applicable parts to transfer electrical power, signals, or data. They may also be referred to as circular interconnects. The internal contacts are mated with wire or cable to carry a signal.
Their cylindrical or tube-shaped bodies make these connectors especially rugged and resistant to vibration and impact damage, temperature and pressure extremes, outside signals or interference, and incursion from dust or gasses.
The array of modern products currently available in this category ranges from simple plastic, metal, or composite standard circular connectors to many other types, including DIN, Metric, Hermetic, Push-Pull, Keyed, Mixed Signal, and Micro or Nano versions. Hybrid options are available that combine power, signal, and data into a single device. Modular or custom solutions can also be found that tailor a connector product to a specific application. Shop Same Sky's full range of circular connectors and circular cable assemblies.
Their tube or cylindrical shape gives circular connectors a higher strength to weight ratio than any other shape. This inherent strength allows for resistance to outside elements, impact damage, and accidental decoupling. This strength also makes them useful and resilient in applications requiring frequent mating cycles. The number of internal pins or contacts are varied by application, and the layout of the contacts or internal keys assures proper alignment and insertion into a mating device.
Circular connectors are most often (but not always) connected by threaded areas on the shells. This screw-in connection allows them to be easily and securely locked into position and remain in place despite vibration or impact. Other types of connection systems include bayonet locking, push/pull locking, and snap lock.
The basic structure of a circular connector includes the following:
Circular connectors, due to their high performance in extremes of vibration, shock, temperature, pressure, and interference (EMI & RFI) are finding increased use in many industrial applications requiring electric power transmission, signal transmission, data transfer, and mixed signal transmission (power + signal + data). They are best used when rugged construction of the connector is necessary, when ingress protection is warranted, when a secure mating system is required, or when protection from EMI or RFI is necessary.
M-style circular connectors are a series of standard product types used for connecting sensors and actuators in industrial network applications. They are designed to perform in extreme conditions. The “M” designation refers to the size of the metric thread on the coupling nuts and mating receptacles, and thus the relative size of the connectors. M5 connectors have 5 mm diameter fasteners, M8 have 8 mm fasteners, and M12 have 12 mm fasteners.
M12 circular connectors and cables are the most used size and are a global standard for the automotive industry. They are further divided into additional categories based on the keying or shape of the contact body. The various M12 codes ensure that cables are mounted with the correct connectors. The different codes used and their definitions are the following:
Circular connectors are designed and manufactured in compliance with several different national and international standards organizations. Here are some of the standards bodies and designations involved with the development and continued use of these products:
There are numerous criteria to consider when you are specifying circular connectors for a new design or a re-design. The first is whether your design requires a circular plastic connector (CPC), or a circular metal-shell connector (CMC). Beyond this, here is a non-exhaustive list of parameters in random order that you will need to decide on:
Uses for circular connectors have been expanding ever since their introduction for military applications in the ’s. For example, today’s process control systems and factory floor sensor networks, often in harsh environments, demand interconnect products that reliably function under challenging conditions.
Electronic medical equipment also incorporates circular connectors to make sure cables are always connected correctly by the hospital staff and do not come loose when a patient is moved. Some of the many other application areas that enjoy the benefits of connectivity using circular connectors include:
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