PWM connectors

[Gary Dillard]

I've found several old threads dealing with the connectors used by IFI on the PWM cables, but they all seem to end with "I think it's _____ - let me confirm it" and there's no followup post. Does anyone have the Part Numbers for the male and female Nomex connectors that IFI uses on its PWM cables, or a Digikey part number of a similar 3 pin connector (both male and female) for 24 AWG wire that we can use for routing our sensor cables to the controller?

[Greg Marra]

I know that we have the supplies to make our own PWM cables, but offhand I do not know what part numbers they are or anything.

If no one posts sooner, I will try to let you know after our next meeting on Wednesday.

[Mark McLeod]

We've used a variety of manufacturers.
The ones I currently have were purchased from Jameco

3-pin Housing - 157382
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...oductId=157382
(the photo is incorrect)

Male pin - 145357
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...oductId=145357

Female pin - 100765
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...oductId=100765

Crimper - 159265
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...oductId=159265

You have a choice of different size housings:
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&searchType=k&searc hValue=100765&categoryId=304026


You can use Molex connectors available at DigiKey and elsewhere, but the male pins are a little too long and must be cut short for the housing to fit snugly to IFI females in the Victors and Spikes.
3-pin Housings - WM2801-ND
Male Pins WM2515-ND
Female Pins WM2554-ND

P.S. Rickertsen2 Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you couldn't get other .1 connectors through DigiKey. I only meant to share my experience with the Molex ones. We have and do use other manufacturers connectors as well. I just don't have those part numbers within easy reach.

[Mike Betts]

Originally Posted by Greg Marra

I know that we have the supplies to make our own PWM cables, but offhand I do not know what part numbers they are or anything.

If no one posts sooner, I will try to let you know after our next meeting on Wednesday.

Greg,

I purchased the parts you are thinking of at a local electronics store in Berlin CT. They buy the pins and housings in bulk and slap their own part number on the bags of 50 that I buy.

The original manufacturer and P/N is not marked on the packages...

As such, the info we have would not be of value to teams outside of the Hartford area.

Mike

[BrianBSL]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

P.S. Rickertsen2 Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you couldn't get other .1 connectors through DigiKey. I only meant to share my experience with the Molex ones. We have and do use other manufacturers connectors as well. I just don't have those part numbers within easy reach.

Actually, I wouldn't say thats a bad implication. The only other ones that I have found from digikey are the AMP ones, and the housings are too large to fit next to each other. Go with the molex ones from Digikey if you are buying other stuff from them or the Jameco ones. We've used both (mostly the molex ones) and they work fine.

You can also get "servo style" connectors off ebay, but the Jameco ones are likely the best bang for your buck.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Gary,
I know we buy ours from Digikey. I have looked through my computer here at home and can't find the number but I will get it to you tomorrow.

[eugenebrooks]

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

I've found several old threads dealing with the connectors used by IFI on the PWM cables, but they all seem to end with "I think it's _____ - let me confirm it" and there's no followup post. Does anyone have the Part Numbers for the male and female Nomex connectors that IFI uses on its PWM cables, or a Digikey part number of a similar 3 pin connector (both male and female) for 24 AWG wire that we can use for routing our sensor cables to the controller?

We use the Molex C-Grid connectors, housings, and the associated
crimper. We make our own connectors only for the female
connections to analog and digital sensor inputs on the RC where
we use custom (longer) cables, and cables with larger conductor
counts.

The three pin female housing is Digikey WM2801-ND.
The female connector that goes into this housing is Digikey WM2554-ND.
In addition to the three pin housing, the longer rail housings
that offer a varying number of connections can be useful, for instance
connecting an array of switches to digital inputs with a single
multi-conductor cable. An 8 pin single in line housing, for instance,
is WM2806-ND. We don't use the male pins, but these are part number
WM2515-ND.

Don't forget the proper crimper. We use Digiikey WM9997-ND,
this being the proper Molex crimper for these connectors. There is
a cheaper multi-purpose crimper, WM9999-ND, and we use this
crimper on other kinds of connectors, such as those for the backup
battery, but it is not well suited for the C-Grid connectors.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Thanks Gene, I believe those are the ones we use as well.

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by eugenebrooks

The three pin female housing is Digikey WM2801-ND.
The female connector that goes into this housing is Digikey WM2554-ND.
We don't use the male pins, but these are part number WM2515-ND.

Don't forget the proper crimper. We use Digiikey WM9997-ND,
this being the proper Molex crimper for these connectors. There is
a cheaper multi-purpose crimper, WM9999-ND, and we use this
crimper on other kinds of connectors, such as those for the backup
battery, but it is not well suited for the C-Grid connectors.

Just to help round things out here, the male pins will be needed if you are working with VEX and need to make up your own cables to attach sensors such as potentiometers or custom micro switches to the analog/digital inputs.

[Joe Johnson]

I have had good success using the "generic" Molex crimper rather than the specialized one for the C-grid terminals (though I often back up the crimp with a solder job if the wire is a 24 gauge).

I use Mouser as often as Digikey.

The do-all crimper from Molex is Mouser part number 538-63811-1000

The housings are part number 538-50-57-9003

There are many terminal styles -- there are 2 gold platings and 1 tin plating, there are 2 sizes for gauge of wire and in females there are "box" and "high force" version -- all these varieteis lead to 6 male types and 10 female types.

For me and mine, I use:

• tin plated
• 22-24 guage wire size
• high force female

For my choices I get the following:

The male terminals are part number 538-16-02-0114
The females terminals are part number 538-16-02-1114

Feel free to pick your own. Here is a link to the right page from the Mouser Catalog.

Joe J.

[Gary Dillard]

I'm drooling with all the good information everyone has posted here. You've saved me from pulling out what hair I have left trying to wade through my catalogs. Thanks - this will make my conversion from ME mentor to EE mentor much easier.

[Mark McLeod]

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

This will make my conversion from ME mentor to EE mentor much easier.

I suggest leaving the hammer and drill behind

[EricS-Team180]

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

I'm drooling with all the good information everyone has posted here.

...we're going to have to be SO careful with him, around the batteries this year

[Billfred]

I know this kinda diverges from the thread a bit, but what does everyone use for wire? (I looked at Jameco's site, and couldn't find anything that resembled the stuff we use.)

[BrianBSL]

We use this: http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...oductId=232995
for switches and other digital inputs requiring only 2 conductors.

And this:
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/sto...oductId=233023
for Pots and other stuff requiring 3 conductors.

You can get similar ribbon wire to the IFI stuff on ebay and at hobby shops, they often call it "servo wire", but its cost is far more than the belden stuff from Jameco. We haven't had any noise issues that would have justified going with a ribbon-style wire instead of the multiconductor cable.