Parameters/Performance II Contact Normal Force In my last article I commented on specifying a contact plating or contact finish in terms of parameters, such as plating thickness or performance. For example, a typical performance-related requirement would be to evaluate the effect of mixed flowing gas exposures on a contact. The plating thickness requirement is generallyRead More

Dr. Bob on Specmanship – Parameters or Performance?  I recently had an interesting experience discussing contact finish specifications with a working group of a major standardization organization. The subject was basically whether to specify finish parameters or performance requirements. The discussion regarding “parameters or performance” has been ongoing for decades. Of all the connector design/materialsRead More

Dr. Bob on A Guide to Connector Specsmanship I opened my last article, “To Fail or Not to Fail, That is the Question,” with the following statement: “It is probably not necessary to say that the opinions Max Peel and I express in our articles for ConnectorSupplier.com are our personal opinions, but opinions based onRead More

To Fail or Not to Fail, That is the Question – Act II Dr. Bob reviewed the issue of failure criteria in the previous issue of ConnectorSupplier.com. He said that two different types of failures have to be addressed: catastrophic and systematic. He attached definition to both, noting that catastrophic failure results from quality issuesRead More

To Fail, or Not to Fail, That is the Question It is probably not necessary to say that the opinions Max Peel and I express in our articles for ConnectorSupplier.com are our personal opinions, but opinions based on our many years of experience in dealing with the design, materials, testing, and failure analysis of connectors.Read More

Acceleration Factors – How long do we have to wait? In his recent article, Dr. Bob touched on some of the major factors dealing with acceleration factors. Discussion of this issue is timely. In our world, the acceleration question has been raised with increasing frequency when test programs are considered. There’s always someone who asksRead More

Dr Bob on Acceleration Factors and Connector Testing The first article in this series on connector testing programs, “The How and Why of Connector Testing,” included the following comments: Moving to “why,” there are several reasons for testing connectors. They include: Design verification Qualification/specification Performance verification Reliability assessment Each of these purposes uses the sameRead More

More on Supplementary Testing – Now, what else do I want to do? In the prior articles of this series, the test groups described were for the determination or susceptibility of connectors to basic failure mechanisms: Vibration/Shock—Fretting Corrosion Discontinuity or Nanosecond Events Mechanical Integrity Humidity/Thermal Cycling—Fretting Corrosion Wet Oxidation Process Degradation of Plastic Housing MixedRead More

Supplementary Tests – Oh yeah, I need this too! EIA 364D Test Group 5, or Supplementary Tests, covers a variety of testing purposes and procedures. There are many reasons supplementary tests may be necessary, and EIA 364D contains several tables (tables 4 through 7) that define some categories of supplemental tests. Many supplemental tests doRead More

Dr. Bob on Test Group 5: Stress Relaxation EIA364D Test Group 5 is a “temperature life” test. The complete generic test sequence for EIA 364D was shown in the first article in this series. “Temperature life” refers to an exposure of mated connectors to an elevated temperature for a specific amount of time. The intentionRead More

MFG—A Corrosion Oriented Test Dr. Bob outlined a harsh environment test called mixed flowing gas (MFG) in his last article. Here’s my take on that subject. The MFG test was a sponsored program initiated by the Battelle Institute and funded by over 70 companies from the private sector. Interest in this topic was high. ThisRead More

Dr. Bob on Test Group 4: Let’s Not Be Too Harsh Test group 4 of EIA364D includes testing in a harsh environment, or corrosion based on exposure. The complete generic test sequence for EIA 364D was shown in the first article in this series. Test group 4 calls out a “harsh environment,” and that descriptionRead More