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''PCB connectors with levers'' - Elektronik Industrie 4 from April 5, 2022

The advantages of lever-operated plug-in connection technology

With their wide available range, intuitive handling, and increasingly compact configurations in wire-to-board and wire-to-wire variants, PCB connectors with levers are used in many different applications.
 

Authors:
Patrizia Schmidtpeter-Lerch (WAGO)
and Annette Landschoof (Schukat)


The range of uses of PCB connectors with levers is diverse, and includes drive and control technology, power supply units, PV converters, and wallboxes. The connectors thus need to be able to withstand a range of demands and also have to adapt to the miniaturisation of machinery and systems. The trend towards miniaturisation also affects the installation of electronics: less space is available on the PCB, and the individual components have to move closer together. The performance of these individual components, however, has to remain constant. High currents still have to be carried, and it is crucial for the electronics to function reliably even under harsh environmental conditions, and that they withstand vibration and changing temperatures.

Easy wiring with lever technology

PCB connectors make field wiring particularly straightforward. Because users can easily unplug the connectors, equipment even in hard-to-access areas can be wired up without difficulty. The lever technology offers another advantage: thanks to the tool-free operation, wires can be connected quickly and easily by hand, with nothing else needed. The lever keeps the connection point safely secured at all times and the state of the wiring is visible at a glance. That is, a closed lever means the conductor is secure and no wiring maintenance is required.
Not only does a plug-in connector facilitate make connecting devices easier, PCB connectors also offer the advantages fast assembly. Solid conductors and ferruled stranded conductors can be inserted directly into connectors with push-in spring pressure connection technology. This reduces wiring time enormously. In industry and transport applications, spring pressure connection technology is considered the standard for secure, maintenance-free equipment connections.

Flexible, safe connection technology

Many PCB connectors are available on request with individual coding. Depending on the design, manufacturers of PCB connectors offer separate coding pins or the option of separating the coding pins directly from the female connector and inserting them into the corresponding male connector. Most connectors offer one hundred percent protection from mismating, thus ensuring a high level of safety when making connections in the field.
An optional locking mechanism also prevents unintentional disconnection. When choosing a connection technology, developers often have to be able to deal flexibly with different PCB designs. To meet these individual needs, many PCB connectors can be installed to allow either horizontal or vertical connection to the circuit board.

[Infobox] Key INFO
PCB connectors with levers can be used without tools, are easy to handle, and can be employed in a variety of ways. This article sets out the numerous advantages and focuses on one specific example.

Real-life application of PCB connectors

PCB connectors are used not only the circuit board. The also offer advantages for wire-to-wire connections. One example of how PCB connectors are used is in control and switch cabinet containers, like those offered by a US company that offers complex, integrated systems for the control and distribution of electrical energy. Such systems are used in a broad variety of markets and applications, including electrical substations for oil and gas projects, transport systems, and in countries with widely divergent environmental factors, from hot deserts to low-temperature regions.
In designing these control and switch cabinet containers, the lever-operated connection technology offered by Wago is used in addition to the maintenance-free, vibration-proof, push-in spring connection method. The lever offers a one-of-a-kind, tool-free connection that, in particular, makes wiring both at the factory and at the customer’s site easier, faster and safer. After all, some control and switch cabinet containers are so large that they have to be dismantled and shipped in individual sections.

No loose connections

During installation of a large control and switch cabinet container, the individual sections or rooms are physically joined together first. Then the connecting wiring between the individual sections has to be safely connected in junction boxes. The connections are then "disconnected" again before the control and switch cabinet container is once again dismantled to be sent to the user.
For cases like this one, PCB connectors with levers offer a suitable solution to prevent the possibility of connections becoming loosened during shipping. In our example, the manufacturer of the control and switch cabinet containers decided on WAGO’s 831 series. The products, with their spring connection technology, have accelerated processes in production as well as in connecting and separating the shipped sections, and ultimately have also reduced labour costs.

Advantages and availability

The connection technology using PCB connectors with levers thus offers several practical advantages. It helps to simplify the wiring process, and the lever provides a consistently secure, maintenance-free connection without the need for any additional tools. This makes the PCB connectors with levers particularly flexible as both wire-to-board and wire-to-wire variants. In many cases, they make wiring up easier, because the conductors simply push in and the lever is intuitive to use and needs no special tools. In selling its PCB connectors in Germany and Europe, Wago has been working for more than eight years with electronics distributor Schukat Electronic, from which a range of connector variants is available direct from stock.
The Schukat range includes multiconnectors and terminal blocks, installation and spring force terminals, and wire-to-board connectors, with additional variants available on request. The distributor’s technical sales team provides advice on selecting the right component for your individual application and can help with any customer-specific questions about PCB connectors.

[Image: Wago / caption]
PCB connectors with levers are used in control and switch cabinet containers, among other uses

[Image: Powell Industries / caption]
The lever offers a one-of-a-kind, tool-free connection, simplifying wiring both at the factory and at the customer’s site.

[centre feature]
PCB connectors with levers are available both in wire-to-board and wire-to-wire variants.


Authors:
Patrizia Schmidtpeter-Lerch is Content Manager at Wago.
Annette Landschoof is Product Manager PEMKO at Schukat Electronic.

_________________________________________________________
This article was published in the trade journal Elektronik Industrie 4 on April 5, 2022. The original version (in German) can be found here.




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