Connectors for Military Electronics

Background

Audio

Separate web page for Audio connectors.
My main source for the U-183 (6 pin version of the U-229) has been surplus cables sold on eBay. But they are available from Newark.

Antenna

Many field radios use what amounts to a threaded hole to mount the antenna.  In order to connect a coaxial cable you will need some type of adapter.
PRC-68 series radio antenna adapter.

Battery

Contact Pins

Circular Multi-Pin

In almost all cases the part number is printed on the connector or a partial p/n on the insulating body.  You may need a magnifying glass or need to look at the front or back side, but in 99.9% of the cases it will be there.

Although there are as many of these as there are stars in the sky, most come from a few families and do not use many of the options.
Most of these are very modular.  For example there is a shell that comes in a number of standard sizes and for use on cables or panels.  Some shells use a screw on coupling and others use a lug and twist lock connection.  There are what would be called wards (Wiki) in the locksmith trade, ridges on one shell and groves on the mating shell to both get the correct rotation and to be sure that two connectors with the same insert but different applications will not be cross connected.  It is not often that the optional warding is used, only on large boxes were there are many of these connectors.  Into the shell you can put either pins/plugs or sockets into an insert.  There are a limited number of inserts for each shell.  Then for cable applications there is the cable clamp/strain relief.

There are a number of families of similar connectors.  One of the most common is the MS series (Mil Spec).  There are many manufacturers that make these.

Another common type is the Bendix series.

The connector can be made with the pins and sockets captured or the pins and sockets may be separate parts so that they can be crimped or soldered to the wire, then pressed into the insert. This is almost mandatory for an insert with a large number of contacts because of the difficulty in soldering with nearby contacts.  It's pretty easy to attach a contact to a loose wire using the proper crimping tool. A crimp type connection is superior to a soldered connection in a number of ways and for many high reliability programs are mandatory.

In all of these cases you need to be careful when ordering that you get all the bits and pieces that are needed.
The type of connector shell is determined by the 4 digits that follow the "MS" and control if you get a receptacle or plug and other factors.

Receptacle

This connector shell has no moving parts and is typically found mounted to a panel

Plug

This connector shell has a sleeve that moves to join to a receptacle.

DIY

It is possible to make your own connector using the loose pins/sockets and epoxy or hot melt glue.  The idea is to connect the pins/sockets to the wires, spray a very light coat of WD-40 as a mold release agent, and apply the epoxy or hot melt glue.  I have not yet tried this method, but there are a number of web references to doing this.  In some cases I have just used the pins/sockets from connectors sold at my local Radio Shack and connected to the connector without any molding.  This works well for indoor bench type work, but would not be good for outdoor use.

Amphenol Catalogs and Series

Catalog	Title	Style Coupling	shells	Shell Sizes
12-022	97 Series Std Cyl	MIL-C-5015 Threaded	MS3100A MS3101A MS3102A MS3106A MS3106B MS3107A MS31-7B MS3108A MS3108B	8S-1 to 36-403
12-023	67 &  165 Series Miniaturized	"Mini E" MIL-C-5015 Bayonet all about size 16	-00E -00P -00C -01E -01P -01C -02E -03E -06E -06P -06C -06J ?	12-7 to 22-69 16-5 to 16-24
12-026	MIL-C-5015	MIL-C-5015 Threaded	MS3450 MS3454 MS3456 MS3459	8S-1 to 40-62
12-053	QWL Cyl Heavy Duty Industrial	MS type shells Threaded plugs & receptacles	0 1 2 3 4 6 7 9	10S-2 to 48-62
12-070	Miniature Cyl MIL-C-26482 Series 1	MIL-C-26482 Series 1 Bayonet or Threaded	solder cup PT00 (MS3110) PT01 (MS3111) PT02 (MS3112) PT06 (MS3116) PT07 (MS3114) PT08E SP08E PTB, SPB PT1H (MS3113H) PT02H PT07H (MS3114H) crimp (add E suffix)	6-1 to 24-79
12-071	MIL-C-26482 Series 2	MIL-C-26482 Series 2 Bayonet	Crimp MS3470 MS3472 MS3471 MS3474 MS3476 MS3475	8-33 to 24-61
12-073	MIL-C-83723 Series III	MIL-C-83723 Series III Bayonet, Threaded or  Quick Disconnect	Crimp /71 & /72 /73 & /74 /75  /76 /77 /78 /82 & /83 /84 & /85 /86 /87 /91 /92 /95 & /96 /66 & /67 /68 /69	0803 to 2842
12-091	SJT Miniature	MIL-DTL-38999 Ser 1 Lengths MIL-DTL-38999 Ser 3 dims Bayonet	Crimp SJT00RT SJTP00RT SJTP02RE SJT06RT/SJTG06RT SJT07RT Hermetic SJTIY SJT07Y	8-6 to 24-61
12-092	Tri-Start Subminiature	MIL-DTL-38999 Ser 3 Metal or Composite Threaded	TVP00R (38999/20) CTVP00R (38999/20) TVP02R CTVP02R TV06R (38999/26) CTV06R (38999/26) TV26/MTV26 TV07R (38999/24) CTV07R (38999/24) TV01R CTV01R TV09R TVPS02Y (38999/21) TVS07Y (38999/23) TVSIY (38999/25) TVSHIY (38999/27) C prefix = Composite	9-5 to 25-97 non Mil 25-16 to 37-5
MS-102	Amp /Pyle Hi Temp M83723 Pyle BT Boeing BACC Pyle BSK Pyle ESC11 AECMA EN 2997 SOBAC/RR ESC10 Aerospatiale ASN-EO	MIL-C-83723 Series 3 Threaded	71 72 73 74 75 76 82 83 84 85 86 87 95 96	08-98 to 28-42
62GB Plugs 62GB Recp	62 GB- Series Plugs CE-2Pa 62 GB- Series Recp CE-2Ra	MIL-C-26482 Bayonet	Solder 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7	8-2 to 24-61

GB for Great Britain

For more on the cables and connectors used with the VINSON series (KY-57) of voice security equipment see the USM-481 Cable Tester web page.

Amphenol - Aerospace -
Bluefeather - Special Connectors for Military Surplus and Aerospace Hardware -
Digi-Key - has some mil type connectors
Encyclopedia of Connectors by Edward's Publishing Co - 10 volumes, very pricey
ITT (Cannon) -
Newark - has many mil type connectors
Spacecraft Components Corp. -
William Perry Co in Louisville, KY - Connectors:Amphenol, Bendix, Cannon, Burndy, Cinch and Winchester
Plug List by Ray Robinson - some have drawings

Rectangular Multi-Pin

Cinch - Jones

D-Sub (Wiki)

These are the popular connectors used on computers for RS-232 serial and many other applications.  They can be built with coax connectors intermixed with the normal pins and sockets.
Conec - D-Sub Combination Connectors -

Micro Miniature D Connectors

This is the connector used on the PRC-68 Family of Squad Radios for the Secure Voice Module.
It is made by Microdot Connectors who is part of Tyco Electronics - Micro Minature D .
MCK series has a metal shell and MCD has a plastic shell.

Coaxial

Pasternak Coax Connector ID Chart.pdf - handy way to ID coax connectors.

N (Wiki), BNC (Wiki), TNC (Wiki)

Note: you can mate a male from any of these to a female of any of these, but it may require removing the male nut.  I say this not for some practical reason but to make the point that they have identical electrical interfaces.

2540012 Electrical Connector, Salati Octavio M, Jan 30, 1951, 333/260, 174/89, 333/33, 439/314 - developed to allow constant impedance connectors for coax cables 1/4" or less diameter.  Done by stepping up and down the impedance is such a way as to maintain the line impedance when two connectors are mated.  Patent is for the BNC connector.

The N, BNC & TNC connectors all have the same 50 Ohm interface. Adapters: Nf-HNm,  BNCf-Nm,  TNCf-Mini_UHFm

The Nm on left and the HN (High Voltage N) on the right. The N O.D.of the ground sleeve is close to 0.325".  For the HN the ground sleeve O.D. is about 0.555".

2540012 Electrical connector, Octavio M Salati, Hazeltine Res, App: 1945-05-19, W.W.II, Pub: 1951-01-30, - connector for 1/4" coax, stepped Z rather than taper.
6609925B1 Precision BNC connector, James Edward Cannon, Agilent, 2003-08-26, - makes it suitable for use up to 18 GHz in precision applications.

SMA (Wiki)

In the 1960s when I was working with these connectors the male connector was made by starting with some 0.141" OD simi-rigid coax cable which was similar to a copper pipe with Teflon insulation and a copper center conductor.  50 Ohm impedance.  The shield and insulation were cut without nicking the center conductor and a nut assembly slipped over the coax outer conductor and soldered in place.  The center conductor acted as the male pin.  Pasternack Enterprises PE4007 is an example.

The female center pin has springy fingers that grab the male pin.

I learned a number of ways of making microwave male and female SMA connectors to be part of a number of products like detectors (Shrike missile) or the ALR-54 front end limiter-detectors and many other products that used SMA(m) microwave input connectors and SMA(f) output connectors.  The key things were to get the spring into the female center contacts by choosing the metal alloy and heat treatment and capturing the male and female center contacts so that they did not move.

The antenna connectors for the AS-2108 DF antenna are not there, anyone know what these are (one has 2 lugs, the other 3 lugs)?
Most of these are standards, except for the antenna connector on field radios, which are much more rugged than normal connectors.
Amphenol coax web page with drawings for most types
Kings Electronics - aerospace & RF -
Pasternack Enterprises - Good Connector ID info - Minimum PO is $100 and $10 per line.
Pomona Electronics -
S. M. Electronics - On line, photos and 1 each pricing
The R.F. Connection - RF and other connector types + adapters
Tower Electronics - carries the 3.5mm to SO-239 needed for the BK radios RF jack.
Trompeter -
Also see my distributors web page for more sources.

GR 874 (Wiki)

Like the ARES configuration of the Power Pole DC connector, the coaxial connector is hermaphroditic and also 50 Ohms.
The General Radio Experimenter, Vol XXIII, No. 5 Oct 1948: A Radically new coaxial connector for the Laboratory. (GenRad_Experimenter_Oct_1948.pdf) - Test data up to 4.5 GHz.


2548457 Coaxial connector for high-frequency transmission lines, Harold M Wilson, General Radio, App; 1947-01-10, Pub: 1951-04-10, -

Telegraph era

USB

2024 Jan YouTube: If not properly used. Make USB-C work (Connector, Cable, PD, Data Transfer, Devices), 26:07

On Order:
ChargerLab.com Power-Z KM003C USB C Tester - YouTube Review, 19:11 - 0 - 50 V, 0-3A,

C2C CABERQU - USB-C Cable Tester with case

    Connectors

Width	USB 1	USB 2	USB 3 Wiki: USB-C USB 3.2
Type-A: 12 x 4.46mm Type-B: 8.45 x 7.26 mm USB 2.0 Mini-B 6.8 wide x 3 mm Micro-B 6.85 wide x 1.8mm		USB 1.x/2.0 Miniplug/Microplug Pin Name Color Description 1 VCC Red +5 V 2 D− White Data − 3 D+ Green Data + 4 ID none permits distinction of Micro-A- and Micro-B-Plug Type A: connected to Ground Type B: not connected 5 GND Black Signal Ground
	A = 12 mm wide          4.46 mm thick                             B = 8.45 mm wide	Micro-B= 5.2 mm wide                             Mini-B = 6.8 mm wide	C:  8.25 x 2.4 mm LG-998T G6 phone USB Data Cable, DC1709 The USB 3 Micro-B is like two connectors side-by-side and is used on external USB hard drives.

There are (July 2009) three connectors:

• A is the computer connector
• B is the large (first) device connector
• Mini-B is the (second) medium sized device connector
• Micro-B is the (third) smallest sized device connector

USB-A to Multi Phone Charging Cables

This would be a good match with a Solar Phone Panel.

Left to Right: USB-A input USB Micro-B phone connector USB-C phone connector Apple Lightening? (Wiki) phone connector marked "down" the other side marked "up".

USB Power Delivery (Wiki)

The maximum current for a USB device (Wiki: Allowable Current Draw) varies between 0.1 and 5 Amps at 5 Volts.  But Power Delivery devices for USB-C 1, 2 or 3 it is up to 20 Volts & 5 Amps (100Watts).  For the newest USB-C 3.1 Power Delivery devices it's 48 Volts & 5 Amps (240Watts).  Note Starlink uses PoE (Wiki) with 56 Volts @ 1.6 Amps (89 Watts).

While the Wiki page says Power Delivery was made part of the USB spec in 2012, it's only in 2023 that I learned about the "ZYPDS ZY12PDN USB-C Type-C PD2.0 3.0 to DC USB Fast Charge Trigger Poll Detector".  This device can be used to test a USB power source to see what voltages it can deliver and also be used to make up power cables from USB-C to 9, 12, 15 or 20 Volts. 

2023 June 23 (Wiki): Voltages: 5, 9, 15, 20, 28¹, 36¹ & 48¹ Volts with up to 3 or 5 Amps. (240 Watts max).  This applies to Power Delivery certified USB-A, USB-B (and USB-C?) cables.
Note 1: Requires electronically marked EPR 5 AMp. cables.

NOTES ON USB PD TRIGGERS (AND ZY12PDN INSTRUCTIONS) -
ZY12PDN The colors indicate:

1. Red; Selectable mode, 5V present
2. Yellow: 9V
3. Green: 12V
4. Ice/Teal: 15V
5. Blue: 20V

Git Hub: manuelbl / zy12pdn-oss -

HDMI

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (Wiki) replaced the old analog video cabling.  It's required in order to get high-definition images since it includes High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (Wiki).  If you use prior art analog cable to connect a DVD player to a monitor the HDCP will limit the output quality to that of a VHS tape.  The people that use Yellow, White & Black RCA cables, or other analog cables on their DVD players are degrading the image quality.

My Nikon D800E camera has a mini HDMI jack so I'm learning about the three sizes of HDMI connectors: full size, mini and micro.  Not all eBay sellers properly label their products.

Fig 1 HDMI (standard) male to HDMI mini male cable The correct one to connect my D800E to the monitor

Fig 2 Showing mislabeled adapter. It is an HDMI mini female to HDMI micro male

0.1" Headers

First generation printed circuit boards used DIP (Wiki) packaged parts where the pitch was 0.1" and the separation between rows of pins was an integer multiple of 0.1".  This means that the board would be laid out on a gird that's 0.1" x 0.1".  Most through hole components (Wiki) fit nicely on this grid.  One of those components is the Pin Header (Wiki).  The first generation have a pitch of 0.1" and have many uses.

Metric Note that 2.54mm is exactly the same as 0.1"  So you will see Molex KK 254 and Molex KK 0.1" which are identical parts.  It's very common to see this sort of exact conversion of an inch unit to a metric unit where both parts are interchangeable. But what is NOT identical are parts that have a pitch of 2.5mm.  Note these parts are not interchangeable with inch parts!

LCD modules typically have the interface connector laid out for a header or ribbon cable, for example see: PIC 16F88 LCD Interface.
The hole pattern for an 8-pin header is on the 6 digit 7-segment display board of 22 Feb '03.
Sometimes jumpers are used in combination to select options.  Either the jumper is installed or not installed to choose.

On YouTube: BigCliveCom: Crimping tool test that I screwed up. (Read description.) - uses 2-contact versions for wiring up low voltage battery and solar circuits that typically involve LEDs.
 Example of using these: salvaged lithium cells to power LEDs directly. (with protection test) -

Parts on order (2020 March 9):
22-01-3027 Housings
08-50-0114 plain Terminals
11-01-0185 CR2262C crimp tool
08-50-0032 cat's ears terminal
22-23-2021 2-pin locking header

Hints The Molex tooling is dependent on the actual terminal part number.  So you will NOT find crimp tooling information on their web pages associated with the housings. Not only is there tooling information on the terminal web page and there is also information on previous tooling that's very handy when searching eBay for used crimp tools. The black resin parts seem to be stocked mostly in the EU, probably because of ROHS (Wiki) requires higher soldering temperatures.

Wire Termination, 2-circuit housing Molex 22013027 (eBay: 22-01-3027)

Headers that mate with 2222-01-3027 Housing-01-3027 Housing

Header	Polarized	Material	Pins
42375	no	Black resin	Straight
42376	no	Black resin	Right Angle
42377	no	Black resin	Right Angle
4030	no	Nylon	Straight
6373	yes	Nylon	Straight
6410	yes	Nylon	Straight
171856	yes	Black resin	Straight
171857	yes	Black resin	Right Angle

Terminals

KK 254 (0.1") Crimp Terminal

Series	Terminal p/n Note 1	Pin Metal/plating	Crimp Tool	Previous Tools	Cat's Ears	Wire U Width	Insulation U Width
2759	08-50-0114	Brass/Tim	638118200	11-01-0185 69008-0955	no	1.8	2.1
6459	08-52-0123	Phosphor Bronze/Tin	638118200	"	no
41572	08-65-0805	Phosphor Bronze/Tin	638118200	"	no
4809	08-50-0032	Brass/Tin	638118200	"	Yes
8088	97-00-0225	Phosphor Bronze/none	638118200	"	Yes

Note 1: there are other terminals in each Series, I'm just showing one of them.  See the Series page for a list of terminals.
Note: Phosphor Bronze has more springiness than Brass so may offer a better mechanical & electrical contact.  Need to check the spec sheets to see.
Note: There are versions of the terminals that have gold plating on either the wire crimp or both the wire and insulation crimp.
Note: Have an open question to Molex about "Cat's Ears".

Mating 2-circuit Headers

Note these are designed to be soldered on a PCB, not terminated on a wire.  But Big Clive is just soldering wires to them to end up with a wire-wire connection.

p/n	Polarized	Angle	Lock	Body Material
42375	no	straight	none	Black Resin
42377	no	straight	none	Black Resin
42376	no	Right	none	Black Resin
4030	no	straight	none	Nylon
6373	Yes	straight	Friction	Nylon
6410	Yes	straight	Friction	Nylon
171856	Yes	straight	Friction	Black Resin
171857	Yes	Right	Friction	Black Resin

Crimp Tool

While (as of March 2020) the current tool is the 638118200 older tools still work and can be used such as the 11-01-0185 and the 69008-0955.  I found this 11-01-0185 on eBay for a fraction of the cost of a new tool.
Markings: Molex, 11-01-0185, ENG# CR2262C,
A 22-24 AWG
B 26-30 AWG
Made in Sweden
J455255
999129
This tool includes both wire crimp and insulation crimp on each cycle.  The optional Locator Blade that helps position the terminal did not come with it.
The maximum insulation diameter is 1.57mm (0.0615" or about 1/16").

Photos

Fig 1

Wire

For the "A" notch in the crimp tool the range includes 22 & 24 AWG.  The "B" notch includes 26, 28 & 30 AWG, so I have some 28 AWG wire on order that complies with Mil-W-16878/1.  The specs are:

Part Number	Construction	Insulation	Insulation (in)	Nom. OD (in)	Temp.	Volt.	Product Type

9302

28 (7x36) TC

PVC

.010

.035

105

600

Mil-W-16878/1

The nominal OD of 0.035 is about half the allowed the maximum diameter.

Unknown - Wanted

They all are coax connectors with a male pin for the center conductor and have 2 or 3 lugs for the mating connector.
Looking for the mating connectors to make up cables.  Manufacturer might be Dage.
 

Where Used	AS2108/ARN-89	C-7392/ARN-89	AN/URC-68
O.D.(inch)	0.285	0.285	0.264
Photo	2-lug & 3-lug	2-lug
ID	inside the white dielectric is about 0.143"	DAGL 1-531-1 5935-783-7232 SM-B-597016-1

Links

RS Components - Connectors and Cable -
William Perry Co in Louisville, KY - Connectors:Amphenol, Bendix, Cannon, Burndy, Cinch and Winchester
PEI-Genesis -
Brian, at Prime Connectors Inc. recommended on the Army Radios list-server (no web presence)
Voice line is 1-215-658-0700,    FAX is 1-215-658-1495
Nexus - Audio Plugs & Jacks
Spacecraft Components Corp - circular and Coax - ARC-114A
Cooper Interconnect - Mil Connectors
Pasternack Enterprises - many coax connectors including a connector ID helper