Category Archives: PCB Connectors

Efficiency Housing

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Simple & affordable PCB enclosures

EH stands for “Efficiency Housing”. Designed to protect electronic parts in the environment of the application by means of a suitable “packaging”, the EH enables the fast and uncomplicated installation of the printed circuit board.

We offer several varied designs of the housing systems for cabinet-type enclosures, suitable for fast and cost-effective PCB mounting whereby the printed circuit board is accessible from the front of the control cabinet when installed in the housing.

Online configuration

With regards to the digital era, online configuration plays an important role. In just a few steps, you can customize the desired EH housing from the Phoenix Contact website. The online configurator offers a user-friendly configuration of all individual components with drag-and-drop functionality – also available on mobile devices with iOS and Android operating systems. The desired housing size and colour can be selected and the appropriate connection technology can be added.

After the desired family of housings is selected, the PCB connections that match the selected design are displayed. The individual components can then be exported as parts lists or transferred directly to the shopping cart and ordered. You are guided step by step through the configuration process. Your application is configured towards an optimal solution. Even the PCB can be configured, which is then provided as a 3D file layout for production.

Advantages:

  • Ideal solution at affordable price
  • Easy design-in, thanks to variable housing form factor
  • Efficient pricing through targeted material selection

Feel free to contact us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg to find out more!

Miniature Connectors

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Small yet high-powered connectors

Application specific and miniaturized connectors have come on rapidly. Fueling this rapid change is a combination of advances in technology. The control cabinets are getting smaller. This in turn reduces the available space for the devices and their boards. In addition, the functional density of devices is steadily increasing. Thus, PCB connectors must also be based on the new size specifications.

What we can offer

Phoenix Contact has launched two new 2.54 mm printed circuit board connectors: the FMC 0.5 and DFMC 0.5 connectors. It is designed to meet the miniature & quick connection requirement, boasting a compact plastic housing and push-in spring connection. The direct connection is possible for solid and flexible conductors with or without wire end ferrules. The wiring can be easily released without the aid of a screwdriver and the connectors can hold conductors with cross sections from 0.14 to 0.5 mm².

Figure 1. Low height profile – the FMC 0.5 connector family offers a push-in spring connection with spring opener.

This connector makes it ideal for designers who face the challenge of keeping up with the trend towards miniaturization.

The FMC 0.5 connector is a single-row connector with a height of only 5.4 mm whereas the DFMC 0.5 connector is a double-row connector with a low height of only 10.5 mm. Plugs in the same grid with push-in spring connection and spring openers that were previously available on the market were twice as high. Both connectors follow the trend of miniaturization – and the associated trend towards a high contact density in a small space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0C_x4vATnI

It is designed for automated soldering processes (SMD and THR soldering processes). The two product families’ pin headers are made of LCP (liquid crystal polymer) plastic to withstand the high temperatures in the convection oven.

The applications for the two new connectors are extremely versatile. Possible target groups include measurement and control technology, automation technology and energy technology. Conceivable applications include controllers and inverters. The focus of the application areas is on industrial applications where signals are transmitted to the PCB.

Conclusion – the answer to new market requirements

The new FMC 0.5 and DFMC 0.5 plug connectors and the associated pin headers from Phoenix Contact meet the market requirements in the field of printed circuit board connection technology. Device manufacturers now get powerful connectors that require little space on the circuit board and in the device. For the end customer, the connectors also provide a quick, easy and convenient connection option. Processing in highly automated SMD processes is not a problem, and a gold-plated contact system provides additional security for the transmission of signals in industrial environments.

If you would like a sample board, or would like to know more, don’t hesitate to contact us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg!

Your Partner in Connector Solutions

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As our global industry is growing fast, our company recognizes that one of the most important features in this particular field is connectivity and innovation. That’s why we continue to make new innovations to be the leading manufacturer of Connectors.

We develop new solutions, such as connection technologies, mounting techniques, contact techniques and transmission methods.

We have confidence that we have a wide range of products to meet your requirements.

We will be your best partner for Connector solutions.

Here’s why:

  • “Quality” – We make sure that our customers receive the best quality products, through intensive quality tests before production and fully automated inspection during production.
  • “Wide range of products” – Whatever you need, we have products to support you.
  • “Delivery” – With our innovative automated factories, worldwide production and local warehouses, prompt delivery to you is our commitment.

Last but definitely not least, the most important trait we have confidence in is “Service”. Our Phoenix Contact Staff, and not just our sales personnel, are ready and willing to support you to meet your needs.

Be it Customer Service, Sales, Technical staff or our Management, even you don’t know anybody, just give us a call, we will try to find the best solution for you. At minimum, we will follow up with the people who are best suited to support you.

We promise, we will not leave your request unanswered.

PCB Terminal Blocks

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Phoenix Contact is known worldwide as a manufacturer of industrial products where quality is never compromised and reliability is undeniable. One of the “bread and butter” products of Phoenix Contact is the PCB Terminal block. For more than 80 years, with continuous innovation of its products, Phoenix Contact never fails customers and has gained a high satisfaction rate and integrity through the years. From this Phoenix Contact will surely continue to satisfy its customers through innovative products and good services.

Here’s a glimpse of a one-of-a-kind PCB terminal block product range. It consists of metric pitches or pitches in inches from miniature PCB terminal blocks, with 2.5mm pitch through to power-level terminals with 20mm pitch. With easy-to-maintain connectors, from two to 24 positions, the comprehensive COMBICON product range offers the right connection technology for transmitting signals, data or power for almost every application.

Main Features:

  • Varying conductor cross sections from 0.14 mm2 (AWG 26) to 95 mm2 (AWG 3/0)
  • Current up to 232 A (IEC) / 200 A (UL B, C)
  • Voltages up to 1,000 V (IEC) / 600 V (UL B, C)
  • Screw, spring and insulation displacement connection for various connection directions
  • For pitches from 2.5 mm to 20 mm
  • Assembly method: Wave, THR and SMT soldering

If you would like to know more about our products, don’t hesitate to contact us!

PTSM – Phoenix Contact’s most versatile and powerful low pitch connectors

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PTSM Connector

PTSM Connector

Phoenix Contact is well known for the high current terminal blocks and connectors which are widely used in the power devices such as frequency converters, inverters, power supplies & many more.

These connectors are able to support large size wires such as 10mm cross-section, 10mm pitch and high current capabilities. However, many are not aware that in the market of 2.5mm pitch connection, Phoenix Contact has a versatile product family, PTSM, and they are available as  Terminal Blocks and Plug-able Connectors.

The PTSM series offer

PTSM PCB to PCB Connection

PCB to PCB Connection

PTSM Wire to Wire Connection

Wire to Wire Connection

PTSM Wire to Board Connection

Wire to PCB connection

Furthermore, it has Through Hole Mounting and SMD mounting as well. So what is so special about this series of connectors? When should you choose such connections?

  • PTSM are the only 2.5mm pitch connectors capable of handling up 6A/pole.
  • These are small connectors, only up to 5mm in height.
  • The small size is critical when there is limited space on the PCB.

LED Lighting Application

LED Lighting Application

The PTSM series was initially developed for the LED Lighting market in 2012. Since then, the product has seen much improvement and has expanded its range within this Product family.

Recently, we managed to introduce the PTSM to a multi-national OEM company in Penang, Malaysia. They used to produce Test Measurement system that was well known globally. But have since re-focused their products to the areas of Life Sciences/Health and Medical solutions.

Every year, Phoenix Contact Sales personnel will arrange product road-shows to our existing and potential new customers. With 15 sets of sample boxes and 8 pieces of Demo PCB, I paid this customer a visit.

During the roadshow, one particular customer showed a specific interest in the PTSM. Which prompted him to ask what was this connector developed for? According to our product brochures, the PTSM was designed for T8 lighting or down lights.

Instinctively, I continued our probing and explored ideas with that R&D Specialist.

Eventually, he began to share his worries and concern for his design, and now that he has found the PTSM, he was relieved. He had been looking for a 3~6 pin connections to a DC Stepper encoder board that he was developing. This DC stepping solutions would be used in certain robotic functions in the Medical/Healthcare solutions.

He had been looking at conventional connectors of most of the known brands. All of them only offered up to a max current of 1.5 or 2 A per pin and were also not designed for reflow process.

This customer had been under the impression that we only had the FK-MCP or SPT series which they have been using in their solutions. The Road-shows has proved to be effective in bringing the new products and solutions to the customer.

The PTSM provided the solutions to this customer’s problem despite being originally designed for lighting applications. Finally, this connector has become a standard library solutions, that is adopted in this MNC for most of their DC Stepping/Encoding application.

The message I’m sharing is that, opportunities are created by having the right product and the right attitude. Even if the product was not develop for a particular industry, it does not mean that there will not be a demand for it. Create the Demand!

If you would like to know more about Phoenix Contact’s PTSM connector, check out our website or leave us your contact and I will get in touch with you shortly.

Importance of choosing the right PCB enclosure

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What is considered important when it comes to choosing the right PCB enclosure. Let us guide you through the process.

Price? Style? Service & support? Reputation of the supplier?

In the matter of fact, all of above are essential. The engineers should select the enclosure at first and then choice the mechanical & electronic components to suit the enclosure.
We need to consider

Material
The 3 common plastic enclosures are ABS, Polycarbonate, Polyester which are high functionality, light weight, flexible in design.

The Ingress Protection
The ingress protection classification DIN EN 60529 determines and rates protection against solid particle (e.g. dust) as well as liquid incursion.

The letters IP (ingress protection) is followed by a two-digit number; the first digit indicates the level of Solid particle protection and the second digit indicate Liquid ingress protection. IP Code

Environmental Considerations
How the enclosure will last over many years of operation depends on how well you evaluate the environmental impact of elements such as UV rays, temperature, airborne debris, etc.
Different materials offer varying degrees of impact resistance.

Dimensions
The internal and external dimensions of a PCB enclosure is extremely important. Sadly, in many cases, the PCB is chosen first and this makes it difficult for the engineer to source the best fit enclosure solution.

Modification of Standard Enclosures
The enclosure supplier may need to support modifications with value-added services that include drilling, milling, printing, color, etc. Some suppliers can even provide advance services like fitting membrane keypads, displays on the enclosure, etc as a complete solution.

Ease of Assembly
A complex PCB design may make it difficult to assemble electronic and mechanical components in the enclosure, which make is an important point to consider when selecting an enclosure.

Range of PCB Enclosure

Check out Phoenix Contact’s range of enclosures here

We, at Phoenix Contact, understand your problems and offer a wide range of options for shape, color, and function when it comes to choosing the right enclosure. Whether on a wall or on a DIN rail, from light gray to sky blue, narrow or wide, many many to choose from. With the two new enclosures, Universal case system (UCS)  and Environment case system (ECS) added into the selection, it is much easier to choose your enclosure.

Please view the Enclosure brochure.

Want to find out more? Feel free to contact us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg!

Electrical Safety Starts from the Connector

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High Voltage WarningDo you know one common challenge for devices used in areas such as filter and inductor construction, energy distribution and power supply production is Electrical Safety i.e. how to lead the high power through the panel wall safety.

Finding the right wall feed-through terminal block to address electrical safety is a challenge as there are not many suitable solutions for high current and large wire cross-section. It is also unlikely that the manufacturers  will choose the feed-through terminal blocks as early as the design stage. This often leads to manufacturers designing their customized solutions out of sheer necessity; thus resulting in problems such as maintaining touch protection or insulating the current bar from the device housing.

The device manufacturers may also face problem obtaining the necessary certification for their devices. If the device is to be used worldwide, IEC 61800-5-1 and UL 1059 certifications are required. Many solutions in the market are unfortunately not adequately certified.

High Current Feed-through Terminal Blocks

Phoenix Contact offers an extensive range of high-current feed-through terminal blocks for various applications. You can find both pluggable feed-through terminal blocks and feed-through terminal blocks for permanent connections. The pluggable feed-through terminal blocks permit quick replacement and are thus service-friendly. In addition, the conductors can be preassembled. However, feed-through terminal blocks for permanent connections are more economical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCv-bhu7Hzg

Do you know Phoenix Contact has been providing these feed-through terminal blocks for almost three decades?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQro-OA3pNE

Device manufacturers can choose the connection option to fit the application: fast push-in connectors, T-lox, conventional screw connectors, or simple bolt connectors. The connection areas range from 4 to 150 mm2 and the current-carrying capacity is up to 309 A.

These connectors come in standard and moulded designs, either with horizontal or vertical connection directions. The moulded version ensures high leakage resistance, even when a small amount of moulding compound is used. The product range provides various connection options for space-saving connections in all installation locations. This means that device manufacturers can flexibly select the connection type, direction, and cross section.

Interested to find out more? Get in touch with us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg!

Reduce the Cost of Manufacturing A Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) with THR technology

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Pick and place machine

‘Pick and Place’ Machine with THR components.

Do not judge a connector’s cost-effectiveness just by its price. Its ability to improve the overall efficiency of the manufacturing process counts as well. This is where THR technology shines.

The most common method of manufacturing  a PCBA (Printed circuit board assembly) typically requires 2 process flows. Reflow soldering is used to mount the Integrated chip (IC) and passive components in the first process flow. This is then followed by a second flow utilizing wave soldering to mount the terminal blocks and connectors.

The process can be optimized but that usually comes at a cost, e.g. installing a new machine. Hence, that eventually translates into a higher manufacturing cost in the short term. Is there a way to achieve higher efficiency in PCBA manufacturing without the accompanying costs?

Higher efficiency at Lower Or No Cost?

Yes. It can be done.

This is achieved by introducing connectors that are suited for the existing process line yet reduce the process flows to just one.

This is made possible by the integration of Through Hole Reflow (THR) components in Surface-mount technology (SMT) installations, which dominate today’s assembly manufacturing process.

Through Hole Reflow (THR) – Assembly In Just One Process

The benefit of THR is to use the existing Surface-mount device (SMD) machines and remove the 2nd process, the wave soldering, thus reducing the manufacturing a complete PCBA into a single process.

While it is the ideal situation to switch to an all-THR component solution, some components will still require wave soldering. Even so, there can still be a significant cost savings to make the switch.

Through Hole reflow Connector (THR)

Through Hole Reflow Connector (THR)

While there will not be a need to make changes to the existing equipment, some modifications will be required. For example it may require a change in the PCB design, an adjustment in the reflow profile, etc.

These changes, however, will reduce the amount of man-hours required for wave soldering. Based on a typical PCBA consisting of 80% of ICs and 20% of terminal blocks & connectors, the switch could achieve up to 20% of cost savings as THR components fully supports ‘pick and place’ machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY8jEz2AiWo

If you would like to know more about Phoenix Contact’s THR connectors, get in touch with us at marketing@phoenixcontact.com.sg.

T-LOX – The new dimension in power transmission

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Device connection for high currents

Device connection for high currents

Improve efficiency and productivity is a common mission all companies want to achieve.  A company with high efficiency can produce more results while maintain it’s overhead, thus increase its profit margin. Through a switch of screw to spring connection technology,  it is possible to achieve the desired result.

Let’s take a look at the connectivity trends, the demand for quick-connection technology is steadily growing. Today, the spring-cage-based connection technologies allow convenient conductor connections within seconds, and the defined contact force makes them safe as well. In addition, terminal failure due to improper torque can be avoided this way. Until now, there is no device connection with quick-connection technology for cross sections of more than 35 mm².

https://youtu.be/vyOhe1wVD_c

The panel feed-through terminal blocks TW 50 and TW 95 with the new T-LOX connection technology from Phoenix Contact, connectivity has been comes simple and convenient. It even can support multi-strand connectors still ensuring a flexible and safe connection. The T-LOX connection principle is based on a spring that generates a programmed contact force with just a conventional screwdriver.

TW 50 TW 95
Cable Cross-section 16 mm² – 50 mm² 25 mm² to 95 mm²
Current capacity Up to 150 A Up to 232 A
Voltage capacity Achieve a voltage of 1000 V according to IEC 60947-7-1 and unlimited 600 V UL approval in Use Group C according to UL 1059.
Wall thickness 1 mm to 5 mm 1 mm to 5 mm

To find out more about our TW 95, click here

SKEDD – A Solder-free Way to Connect

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With the ongoing technological advances, the demand for a cheaper and better way of manufacturing electronic devices is a perpetual challenge.

The PCB industry, the backbone of electronic device manufacturing, certainly feels the heat of this constant demand.
While devices, and their corresponding PCBs are getting ever more compact, it also results in the need to fit an increasing number of functions into as small a space as possible. This coupled with the demand for lower manufacturing costs presents a daunting challenge.

This is where Phoenix Contact’s new SDC 2,5 SKEDD PCB connectors come into its own.

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