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

PCB to PCB Connection	Wire to Wire 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.

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.