August 13, 2019 by Sam Holland
Wire-to-wire connectors are always best known for their simplicity and reliability. They have been used in the industrial market for years with traditional 2-piece (plug and socket) connector systems that require crimp and poke-wire terminations to connect electrical or electronic components.
The key features of the Poke-Home contact technology include high-wire capture strength, reusable twist-and-pull wire extraction and simple strip-and-poke-home wire insertion.
In the past, AVX, a leading manufacturer and supplier of advanced electronic components and interconnects, designed these wire-to-wire connectors to be the only light industrial wire gauge ranges—of 18AWG to 24AWG—to date.
Recently, AVX has expanded its wire-to-wire (WTW)e portfolio by launching a new 300 Series (namely AVX 9286-300) of connectors to address the heavier 12 American Wire Gauge (AWG) to 18 AWG applications. These 300 Series connectors are specially designed to simplify the connection process in a broad range of industrial market applications that require high-current or large-gauge wires.
The AVX 9286-300 Series of connectors employ a single, phosphor bronze contact technology with high force contact beams and a centre wire stop. The 1-piece contact with high-force contact beams provides mechanical stability and wire retention, whereas the centre wire stop prevents over-insertion.
The high-force dual beam contact systems provide maximum retention and performance—accepting both solid and stranded wires, pre-stripped wires can easily be inserted, and then there is twist-and-pull for removal. The connectors are easy to use, as they require the said strip-and-poke-home insertion. They will accept both 16 AWG and 18 AWG solid and stranded wires.
A wire-to-wire, aka WTW 9286-300 connector. Image courtesy of AVX.
The AVX 9286-300 series connectors feature high-strength phosphor bronze contacts with pure tin-over-nickel plating. It accepts 12 to 18 AWG solid and stranded wire, although more than 19 strands per wire is not recommended.
The connectors have a 600V voltage rating and operate from a −40ºC to 65ºC temperature range. The current rating of the 18 AWG wire gauge is 10A, whereas a 12AWG wire gauge can withstand up to 15A.
These connectors have 5 cycles of durability and feature a glass-filled thermoplastic flame-retardant housing (UL94 V-0-rated) that protect connections from potting and coating materials. It measures 17.5 mm long by 6 mm square and is available in 8 colours—red, green, yellow, orange, blue, black, brown, and white—to match wiring insulation colours for quick assembly.
Due to its simplicity and reliability, the AVX 300 Series connectors can be used in a variety of industrial applications, as covered below:
As covered, the AVX 9286-300 Series connectors offer simple strip-and-poke-home insertion, twist-and-pull extraction, and reliable wire retention—in a small, sleek, colour-coded, flame-retardant, reusable, and portable package.
The technology provides simple strip-and-poke-home assembly and high-strength wire retention, relevant to heavier 12 to 18 AWG industrial applications.All in all, these 300 Series connectors offer several significant benefits over their competing solutions—not least of which being that they help designers to include space savings of up to 80%.
