POWER CONNECTOR

Power Connector

A Power Connector is an electrical connector designed to carry a significant amount of electrical power, usually as DC or low-frequency AC. Some types of RF connector may also carry large amounts of power, but are considered as a separate category. Connectors carrying small amounts of power are known as signal connectors.

Types Of Power Connector

1- AC power plugs: Mains power plugs, principally used for connecting equipment to wall outlets.
2- Industrial power plugs: Used for larger equipment than normal mains plugs.
3- DC plugs: Mains inlet connectors, designed to attach a power cable to an appliance, of which the IEC connector is the most common.
4- Battery connectors
5- Lucar connectors
6- Terminals
7- Terminal blocks
8- Industrial power connectors: Industrial power connector, of which one of the most common types is the IEC 309 (BS 4343) so-called "commando" plug and socket.
9- Personal computer power supply connectors
10- Molex connector: Four pin hard disk drive (HDD) connectors, also used for powering CD-ROM drives, burners etc.
11- Berg connector: Smaller four pin floppy disk drive (FDD) connectors, also used by some hard drives, and carrying the same power supplies as the HDD connectors.
12- AT motherboard connectors: consisting of two in-line connectors
13- ATX motherboard connectors: which have now obsoleted the older AT-style connectors
14- serial ATA: (SATA) power connectors

Fiber Optic Connector

Fiber Optic Connectors have traditionally been the biggest concern in using fiber optic systems. While connectors were once unwieldy and difficult to use, connector manufacturers have standardized and simplified connectors greatly. This increasing user-friendliness has contributed to the increase in the use of fiber optic systems; it has also taken the emphasis off the proper care and handling of optical connectors.

A fiber optic connector constitutes a fiber-to-fiber interconnection and aligns the fiber core of two optical fibers. Due to the fast development of optical nets a variety of fiber optical connectors are available. The main difference is in the dimensions and the mechanical grip. Standard connectors are the LC (Lucent Connector or Local Connector), FC, ST (Straight Tip) and SC (believed to be an abbreviation for Subscriber Connector, or possibly Standard Connector) connectors. If the fiber end is angled to reduce back reflections this is usually described by adding APC (Angled Physical contact Connector) to the name.

Fiber optic connector types are as various as the applications for which they were developed. Different connector types have different characteristics, different advantages and disadvantages, and different performance parameters. But all connectors have the same four basic components:

1- The Ferrule: The fiber is mounted in a long, thin cylinder, the ferrule, which acts as a fiber alignment mechanism. The ferrule is bored through the center at a diameter that is slightly larger than the diameter of the fiber cladding. The end of the fiber is located at the end of the ferrule. Ferrules are typically made of metal or ceramic, but they may also be constructed of plastic.

2- The Connector Body: Also called the connector housing, the connector body holds the ferrule. It is usually constructed of metal or plastic and includes one or more assembled pieces which hold the fiber in place. The details of these connector body assemblies vary among connectors, but bonding and/or crimping is commonly used to attach strength members and cable jackets to the connector body. The ferrule extends past the connector body to slip into the coupling device.

3- The Cable: The cable is attached to the connector body. It acts as the point of entry for the fiber. Typically, a strain-relief boot is added over the junction between the cable and the connector body, providing extra strength to the junction.

4- The Coupling Device: Most fiber optic connectors do not use the male-female configuration common to electronic connectors. Instead, a coupling device such as an alignment sleeve is used to mate the connectors. Similar devices may be installed in fiber optic transmitters and receivers to allow these devices to be mated via a connector. These devices are also known as feed-through bulkhead adapters.

FC (Ferrule Connector) has a floating ferrule that provides good mechanical isolation. However, it is screwed into contact which can induce scratches on the fiber. SC connector offers excellent packing density, and its push-pull design resists fiber end face contact damage during connection. Common types of fiber optic connectors include biconic, D4, ESCON, FC, FDDI, LC, loopback, Opti-Jack, MTP, MT-RJ, MU, SC, SMA and ST.

In general the insertion loss should not exceed 0.75 dB and the return should not be higher than -20dB. Typical insertion repeatability, i.e. the difference in insertion loss between one plugging and another, is 0.2 dB.