Characteristics and Basic Structure of Circular Connectors

The circular connector is a type of connector with a cylindrical basic structure and a circular connection surface. In the classification of interconnection, it belongs to category 5 and is used for interconnection between equipment. Broadly speaking, it includes low-frequency circular connectors, radio frequency coaxial connectors, and audio connectors. The cylindrical structure of the standard circular connector has natural sturdiness.

1. Characteristics of the circular connector

There are many types of circular connectors and  most of the plugs and sockets of circular connectors are connected by screw threads, and the connection terminals can range from two to hundreds. They have the characteristics of small size and high reliability, which can meet the need of cable connection between electronic equipment.

2. The basic structure of the circular connector

(1) Contacts

The contact is the core part of the circular connector to complete the function of electrical connection. Generally, a contact pair is composed of a female contact and a male contact, and the electrical connection is realized by the connection of the female contact and the male contact.

(2) Accessory

It is divided into structural accessories and installation accessories. Structural accessories include positioning pins, clamp rings, coupling rings, sealing rings, guide pins, positioning keys, cable clamps, sealing gaskets, etc. Install accessories include spring rings, bolts, screws, nuts, etc. Most of the accessories have common parts and standard parts.

(3) Insulator

The insulator is also often called a base or a mounting plate. Its function is to arrange the contacts according to the required position and spacing, and to ensure the insulation performance between the contacts and between the contacts and the shell.

(4) Shell

The shell, also called the outer shell, is the outer cover of the circular connector. It provides mechanical protection for the built-in insulating mounting plate and pins, and provides the alignment of the plug and socket during connection so as to fix the connector to the equipment.