Panel mount terminal block

I think Pheonix contact makes plugable terminal strips.

Cheers

--
Prob'ly not, but if you need 'em, you'll have to spring for 'em...

What about using this style connector. They can be unplugged with has the advantage of the board not being stressed when the wires are screwed in. They need a simple square hole cut out. We use them & they look professional.

Those are the ones I had in mind. Perfect for edgemount, not so sure abouut panel mount.

Cheers

$4 per contact down to $3 Q1000?

Many trophy shops are now set up with laser engravers. Just draw your cutout in Visio and give them the file and a pile of boxes, and let them cut perfectly shaped holes for you.

e outside.

ough a hole.

.)

)

Thanks Glenn, those do look nice.

George H.

OK, I'm assuming you've effectively got a cable assembly of sorts (even if it's just two loose wires) terminating at an LED, etc. I.e., you are NOT connecting the component directly but, rather, two "conductors" that you could space at whatever distance is convenient for you/students.

I look at each solution in terms of something you could mount on the

*outside* of the box so that *it* would "hide your (fabrication) sins". I.e., so you can drill an *approximate* hole to feed the connection on the *back* side of the connector to your PCB.

First thought was a small (fine pitch) SINGLE ROW barrier strip with longish pins on the back side ("long" being defined by how far behind the enclosure your PCB sits). For example:

(I'm not endorsing any of these components -- just giving you an idea of what I'm trying to describe)

Note that you should be able to let the *enclosure* provide the mechanical support (instead of transferring those stresses onto the PCB) as well as "hiding" the holes you drill through the enclosure.

[Your PCB can have oversized holes through which the "pins" on the back of the barrier strip protrude so a dab of solder holds it electrically]

Along the same lines, someone makes what is essentially a "spade lug" that is 'L'-shaped. I.e., if you fastened it onto a barrier strip, you would end up with a ~3/4" metal *bar* sticking straight up (a "wire" would typically be wrapped around the bar -- not "wire wrap" -- and secured with solder). You could use these with a regular barrier strip but flipped over (so the "bar" goes down into the enclosure and provides the means by which your signals come *up* to the barrier strip's contacts -- to mate with the individual conductors fastened there).

[Sorry, I can't find a reference -- I'm sure I have some in my parts cache so perhaps I'll drag out a camera...]

The problems with "wire under a screw" approach are:

- captive screws so students aren't chasing down screws that they've backed out too far ("Ooops! Where did it go??"

- getting wire around CAPTIVE screw in the presence of any "barriers" (can be alleviated by some side entry connections)

- *strands* of wire bridging any barrier between connections

Another approach is to use binding posts. But I am not sure how small they make these -- all of mine are intended for "rugged" use and tend to be VERY large. These, however, tend to be easier to use -- eliminating most of the above drawbacks.

The "push terminals" on the back of some "stereos" and speaker enclosures also could be of interest. Push, insert wire, release.

You can also consider a pair of test leads terminating in "EZ Hooks", minihooks, etc. and let students clip those to the *legs* of the LED. (this would make it easy to try different LEDs to see how they perform)

A lot depends on the *specifics* of your application -- how heavy the wire will be, how sensitive the signals, how "clumsy" the students, etc.

Too early in the morning -- I'm fixating on the "color gizmo" and trying to imagine a bunch of students "experimenting" with them. :<

If, instead, you want a *product* with a "tethered" sensor, consider a minijack with the "sensor" a prefabricated, replaceable assembly.

HTH. Time for my morning tea...

--don

I'' have the slot machined for a snug fit on the TB.

That helps keep it from rotating.

Yeah I looked at some of those that John F posted. (I'll comment below)

No, Don't bother. I think I see it.

The other issue I have with screws is the wire gets stressed and then break s as it wraps around the screw. I really like these little Weidermuller terminal blocks we have. They've g ot a nice machined action, and just 'grab' the wire top and bottom.

Yeah too big. I feel required to put binding posts at 3/4" spacing.

Ohh, those last are 'sexy' looking. (If binding posts turn you on :^)

Again much thanks,

George H.

Use a punch/hot knife? Alternatively, deliberately *round* the corners of the terminal block??

OK. :> I try to cheat to make cosmetics less of an issue (i.e., front mounting things so ugly/misaligned holes are hidden)

Yup. I really only like screw terminals for things you are going to access infrequently. All of the above have bitten me *frequently* (esp with household wiring -- e.g., #12AWG on a switch/receptacle)

Yes, that's what I meant with my "side entry" comment (then I thought about it and realized they're *all* "side entry" in some sense :< )

Learn to break those preconditioned responses! :>

If you are truly dealing with "students" (i.e., like a school "lab"), then the cheapest and most effective (?) solution might be those "springs" that served as quick wiring points in the electronic kits of our (?) youth.

I.e., a tightly wound spring (one that can not be compressed any further but, instead, can be *extended*) that is connected to your circuit and mechanically supported thereby. User "bends" the spring to one side thereby causing a gap to form between adjacent coils of the spring. Insert wire into this gap. Then, release the spring which causes it to bite down on the wire between those coils (as they try to return to their original side-by-side position).

Sorry, verbose description that isn't very visual. If you know what I mean, then you KNOW what I mean! :>

OTOH, I have no idea if something like that is made commercially. IIRC, the "kits" just pressed those springs into a sheet of cardboard with the components "wired" to their undersides. Not very robust yet still managed to survive lots of abuse!

--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to 
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.

--
These were/are hard to beat for student use: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahnestock_clip 

http://www.abbatron.com/PDF/SD-539.pdf? 

and are readily available: 

http://www.newark.com/abbatron-hh-smith/539/fahnestock-clip-brass/dp/96F9060

Den onsdag den 16. oktober 2013 22.49.02 UTC+2 skrev Don Y:

-Lasse

Yes, very similar (the ones from the "kits" had one end at a slightly smaller diameter that would wedge into a hole in the "cardboard". The "shoulder" formed where the coil diameter *increased* to its nominal size acted as a stop to prevent the coil from being pushed too far into the cardboard.

I guess the components mentioned in your reference are intended to be surface mounted? Seems like it would have been easy for them to have one end of the coil terminate in a "pigtail" on the central axis of the coil (for ease of thru-hole soldering).

TPC used to have batteries (24V?) with these as terminations. As a kid, I didn't like them because continued use could result in the "button" assuming a position "too depressed" to bite into the wire. And, if you tried to remedy this by pulling up on the "button" to return its "normal" position to something closer to intended, you could overshoot, etc. The connector body just didn't seem to retain its "springiness" as much as, for example, the "springs" I cited.

[Though I recall the "dry cells" that I used had threaded studs coming out for connections. And, knurled nuts that would secure any wire wrapped around the stud... Last time I saw cells that big was more than 20 years ago (courtesy of Gates, IIRC) ]

Nice ideas. We have all our panels made by a small company in NJ..(long story). And we'll just let them do it however they think best. (Ya gotta take care of your vendors!)

Chuckle... Well I figure a binding post should have banana plugs built into the top and that *does* need a 3/4" spacing. (If there is some standard I find it best to use it.)

Uugh... No It's got to have a bit more 'class'.

We make 'high end' lab stuff. (Though this is a pretty low end product.)

George H.

Understood. At the very least, make it REALLY OBVIOUS if you're doing something different (i.e., don't use 5/8" spacing and piss off all those folks who *try* to cram a dual banana plug into them!)

I have a wireless telephone whose base unit has the same sort of "slotted holes" on the back that a regular wall telephone has. As such, I *assumed* it would mount on the traditional "wall jack" (with the two "rivets"/studs to engage these slots).

Nope. Bozos opted to use a different spacing (for no apparent reason). As a result, I had to fabricate my own "custom" mounting plate once I discovered this screw-up! :<

Understood. Put racing stripes on it! ;-)

OK. That wasn't apparent from your initial comment (I assumed something like a school project).

I remeber those, "Phone batteries" or IIRC "H cells" popular for starting glow-plug model engines in the days before NiCd cells.

--
?? 100% natural 

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---

The "dry cells" (#6 IIRC) were large cylinders with threaded lugs on top (one in the center, one out on the perimeter). As the name states, it was a single "cell" (i.e., ~1.5V).

(there was also a "double lantern" battery -- more rectangular like two lantern batteries glued side-by-side)

The phone battery of which I spoke was, IIRC, 12 D cells in a 3x4 array. One end of the string was brought out to one of these "push-spring" connectors. The other end of the string was similarly brought out -- along with "taps" for each of the top 3 or 4 (?) cells in the battery. (i.e., you could adjust the potential available by picking a different tap)

AFAIK, they were a WE product solely for CO use.