[TowerTalk] Bulkhead Rotor Connection?

[Jim Lux]

Depending on how many wires and how much current, here are some
alternatives:
1) Circular MIL type connectors. Kind of pricey if new, but available
surplus from many places at lower prices. There's a variety(!) of
configurations available along with feedthroughs etc. If you use the larger
pin sizes, they're very rugged and tolerant of crud and mismating.. The ones
that pack 100 pins in a 1" shell are less so.
2) Plastic circular connectors (from AMP) which are functionally very
similar to the metal ones, but much, much cheaper. (<$10 for a pair). You
can make these waterproof with silicone in the backshell and/or gasketing.
Places like Digikey, Mouser and Newark stock these. Even though plastic,
they're pretty rugged (you can step on them and they don't break)
3) XLR connectors are available up to 8 pins, but they get kind of pricey
for the 4 pin and greater configurations.

The above three are designed for lots of mate and demate cycles, and are
quick to operate (particularly the XLR), which is important if you're going
to be connecting and disconnecting the cables a lot for stowing/etc.

There are some specialized connectors made for industrial control equipment
in a variety of configurations. Check the Daniel Woodhead or Hubbell
catalogs. Lemo also makes nice (but expensive) connectors.

I'd stay away from D-sub type connectors, which aren't really designed for
lots of mate/demate cycles.
RJ45 type modular connectors (as used on network and phone cables) are
another possibility, but I'm not sure about the current carrying capacity.
They're also prone to having the little locking tab come off and not very
good in a wet/dirty environment.



----- Original Message -----
From: "David Jones" <djones449 at cogeco.ca>
To: "TowerTalk" <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 6:20 AM
Subject: [TowerTalk] Bulkhead Rotor Connection?


> Trying to pass rotor cable through a bulkhead and would like the best idea
> for providing a quick disconnect at that point (jack/plug surface mount
> combination)?
> Same combination would work for a switchbox/cable on the tower, etc.
>
> David VE3STT
> ve3stt at rac.ca
>
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