Two (three?) pin, inline power connectors

apple would not have had this problem if they had an intelligent designers and stuck with normal connectors.

good laptops don't have the power connector break free from the power supply board. it's not hard to make this part last- just don't do something stupid, or try to be apple.

This sort of thing might work. Have to be careful what is on each (bare) connector, though.

This looks like it would be hard to mate without being able to see what you are doing.

Hmmm... that might work! A bit bulky but I think there would be enough tactile feedback for you to orient the two halves successfully. Might have to build a shell around it to get a better grip on each half...

I've used those before. I think they aren't very easy to mate -- nor intuitive in that mating! Think about plugging a phone (or phono) plug into its mate... even a toddler could figure out how to do it!

Ick! I've seen these used and cut them off whenever I encounter them. Flimsy, hard to orient, etc. I think the last thing I had that used these was the illuminator for the stereomicroscope.

Yeah, has the same mating problem as most of the Molex connectors.

Same problem as the "illuminator" connectors, above.

Yeah, I looked at those (I started my quest by digging through the various connectors I have "stocked" over the years). I'm not sure how eaasily someone unaccustomed to them would find encountering them (again, without a fresh image of them in their mind at the time). Many of mine have a high "mating force" to overcome the springiness. I'm not sure if that is a characteristic they ALL have -- or, just the ones that I've stocked (by chance).

Thanks!

Yes. I just had to tear down a Dell laptop two weeks back for this reason. Thankfully, they had learned NOT to install the connector on the motherboard; but, had failed to adequately secure it to the case! So, still had to invest all that time for what should have been a simple repair.

Exactly. And, no guarantee that the replacement part will be available for purchase, etc. E.g., I ended up having to modify the case to make provisions for the "new" replacement part -- having the same part number as the old part but a different/incompatible mechanical design.

Think about trying to describe how to mate/unmate this to someone over the phone -- where the connectors are not in an easily visible or accessible location. Sure, they *probably* can eventually do it; and, hopefully not end up tugging (too hard) on the wires as they "will" the two halves apart.

Now, think of how you would describe the similar actions for a phone/phono plug ("grab the two pieces... pull apart/push together"). Most connectors are hard to mate without direct observation -- good eye-hand coordination.

Yeah, I use them as "disconnects" for large lead-acid battery packs. No real "finesse" required in assembly! :>

Thanks! My first look for these left me with, "Oh, my! Lots of choices!". So, I'll have to spend a bit more focused time sussing out what they have that's of interest...

I have an old Toshiba with the barrel connector for power. It worked fine and didn't pull off the circuit board because it wasn't soldered to the circuit board... it was mounted in the case on very small ears which broke off eventually. At least partially. I had to use a piece of leather compressed under the case to hold the connector in place using the tiny bit of ear that was left. I plugged the power cord in very gently after that.

In a car, the half that's attached to the car is almost always wired so that the bare terminal is ground. It is possible for this connector to conduct even though it's not seated all the way, so some of the "hot" terminal might be exposed.

Random tip: if you decide to connect to one of these with individual bullet connectors, note that the bullets come in at least two different pin diameters. The ones you get today at the car parts store are almost always 0.156", but there is also an 0.180" size. I found this out the hard way when I needed to connect to an existing connector that was

The main thing for the flat ones is getting them the right way around (the USB problem). There are some notches and keys on the individual circuits, so it's hard to start them together if you've got them 180 degrees out. Also, once you've seen one, you know to feel for the lock tab on one half and the lock bump on the other half to know when you've got it right. The locking tab might be hard to negotiate for some people, though.

I have found that new BNCs of any quality have a little higher mating force. Better-quality BNCs retain this over most of their life. (Where I used to work, a lot of test leads for the lab were made with the same connectors they were using in the product, which was expected to last at least a few decades, so they tended to have good connectors.)

Standard disclaimers apply; I don't get money or other consideration from any companies mentioned.

Matt Roberds

Yes. And, in a car, you tend to only have one "source" to worry about (Battery).

Yes. And, if you've ever watched someone who doesn't FREQUENTLY mate USB (A) connectors, the "effort" is pretty obvious.

Again, my favorite example are the phone/phone plugs: you can easily align and "drive home" the two ends of such a connection -- with little more than a fingertip as a tactile guide.

I find that I have to use two hands to mate a pair of BNC's "inline"; one hand if one is a bulkhead/panel connectors affixed to something large/heavy (so I can push against it with the one hand).

When I have to access things in tight places "at arm's length", I find I end up having to twist so my head is pointed *away* from the direction in which I am reaching. As if this gives me a bit longer reach (?). So, vision and two-handedness become problems in those encounters.