The Major Components of Automotive Connectors

In the modern day, many assemblies within an automobile rely on the use of electrical power for functionality. Whether power is being routed to an engine system, dashboard electronics, or other such assemblies, components known as connectors are essential. With an automotive connector, a sort of bridge is established for electrical current to be transferred between components, wiring, and other such electrical assemblies. In this blog, we will discuss the four basic components of any automotive connector, allowing you to have a better understanding of automobile electrical systems.

The contacts of a connector are one of the most important elements, serving to complete an electrical connection with other connectors and systems. Contacts are small pieces of conductive material, and they often come in sets that are negative or positive. To establish a secure electrical connector, positive contacts will need to be connected with negative contacts. Positive contacts are often made from materials like brass or bronze, and they may be cylindrical, square, or flat. Negative contacts, also known as the jack, are designed to mate with a matching set of positive contacts.

In order to safeguard the contacts from physical forces and trauma, connector housings are used. Also known as a shell, the housing of a connector is the outer cover that offers mechanical protection and built-in insulation mounting plates and pins. To better secure the connector to various equipment, the housing will also offer alignment guidance for insertion. While connectors are regularly made from plastic, they may also take advantage of other materials as well based on the type of protection that is required. For example, some connectors may need to be shielded from specific environmental conditions, making it important that one considers their needs before making a purchase.

While the housing of a connector may protect contacts from physical stressors, insulation is necessary for proper resistance. Insulation within automotive connectors will generally come in the form of an automobile connector base or an installation plate, and such elements will act as spacers between contacts for proper spacing while also ensuring ample insulation performance between contacts and the shell. While many materials may be used to implement insulation, the exact choice will come down to factors such as how much voltage is traveling through a system and how sensitive components may be.

Accessories serve as the final major element of an automotive connector, and they generally assist the assembly in various ways. Generally, the most common types of accessories are clamping rings, positioning keys, guide pins, cable clamps, sealing gaskets, sealing rings, and positioning pins. While screws, nuts, spring rings, and other such components also may be considered accessories, they are more commonly defined as fasteners that may be used alongside a connector to support it in some way.

If you are in the market for automotive connector parts or their various subcomponents, look no further than Part Orbit for all your operational needs. On our database, we have over 2 billion new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find items that source from top manufacturers that we trust, and all are ready for purchase at any time. Upon finding an item of interest, be sure to fill out and submit an RFQ form as provided on our website for the means of requesting a quote for your comparisons. By offering our team information such as your desired price and shipping time frame, we can best tailor a solution that caters to you. You may also give us a call or email at any time, and we would be more than happy to assist you however we can! See why so many customers depend on Part Orbit when you kickstart the procurement process with us.

1. martin taylor
2. Posted on December 12, 2022
connectors

Related Blogs