Banana plugging question...

Do the bannna pins turn? They have a hex nut machined into them that would appear to serve no other purpose.

If you push down hard on the plastic case will it slide and then lock into place?

Ah yes, the Viking helmet icon folks.

Did you know the city of Baghdad was named after a Viking? After the fall of Rome and Constantinople, there was a bit of a power vacuum in the Middle East, so much so a bunch of wandering Vikings kinda took over the place.

But I digress.

Maybe you can unscrew the pins and slip a wire in somehow?

Or then again I've seen some like these, unmarked in any way, but they're just shorting plugs.

If they are like the old Philips type, they have a clutch in the top. Turn the hex nut anti clockwise to release the clutch. Insert the wire, turn clockwise to lock the clutch on the wire.

I can't seem to find anything like CCW clutches or places to put a screwdriver.

The plastic part is threaded. The contacts appear to be one piece that screw into the plastic part. There are no sideways holes in the contacts. Only the top hole that seems to want to accept a stacked plug.

Turning the pins upside down does not seem to help at all.

Still mystified.

This HAS to be a standard part with a simple answer.

You unscrew each plug and wrap a stripped conductor around the smooth section (above the hex part and below the threads). You then screw the plug back in and the wire is held in by being pinched between the plug and the plastic housing.

You have to strip the wire based on a little trial and error. If the strands are thin, it might take a couple of turns around the plug to provide a tight grip. Otherwise strip enough to make one turn.

...

Show us more pictures from other perspectives - you might have to solder the thing. The notches in the plastic at the shoulder of the plug thingies look suspiciously like they're intended to accomodate leads.

Good Luck! Rich

Thank you.

I pretty much figured the same thing out at 3AM last night.

Only I believe the strands have to go between the plastic threads and the metal ones.

I guess what I would really like to see are the EXACT instructions from Johnson over what size wires work and how to properly prepare them.

Not clear how this would work with a lot of test leads you might like to attach. Such as coax.

Maybe there were patents on such tremendously non-obvious ideas like having setscrews to hold the wires as in Pomona or WE plugs, or wrapping the wire around the plug body., like those cheap 60's plugs, or....

We used to have jumper cables with those dual banana plugs/jacks, and attached the wires with the setscrews at the bottom of the jack holes. Even coax isn't so bad: you can either tease open the braid and pull the center conductor through, or just comb the braid out - in either case, it's easy to twist it together and tin it.

Cheers! Rich

I think Michael has the answer. The following image shows the units when taken apart. That should give you a clue.

There should be little set screws accessible with a small screwdriver from the opposite end from the banana contacts.

Considering patents have only 20 years life these must be 20 years dead.

Nope. no set screws. Apparently you just mash the strands into the plastic and screw the plug part in.