Military Round Shell Connector

Circular connectors for electrical and electronic applications come in a huge variety of materials, sizes, contact layouts, contact types, and coupling designs, and – depending on the connector type selected – will satisfy the interconnection needs of everyone from the hi-fi buff to those designing fighting vehicles, offshore oil and gas installations, and racing cars.

Circular connectors will be most designers’ “go to” solution for simple applications that need many mating cycles on those applications where no amount of force will pull the mated connectors apart.

Systems designers specify circular connectors because they are easy to use, easy to mate and lock (and un-mate if required), and can be specified with many types and sizes of contacts for power and data and communications applications, including the latest fibre optic connector and USB and RJ45 connector specifications.

Users can choose from a coarse or fine threaded coupling, bayonet locking, and even a locking mechanism that uses a staple to add even higher shock and vibration protection. To increase their application’s spread, the connector shell itself can be made from a variety of materials including brass, stainless steel, aluminium or weight saving composite, and then finished according to the application.

As well as a variety of plated finishes including Cadmium Olive Drab, Zinc Cobalt, and the latest RoHS compliant black Zinc Nickel, connector accessories such as backshells, boots, and even hermetic sealing make circular connectors the only choice for environmentally demanding applications, where the need for absolute connection integrity is paramount.

As one of the industry’s leading connector specialists, our connector suppliers give us the capability to supply standard circular connectors for most applications from stock, or to assemble them to order on industry leading delivery times. Suppliers include SOURIAU, Weald Electronics, Neutrik, and Polamco.

Military and aerospace connector standards
Because of their use in military and aerospace environments, it will come as no surprise to learn that the military has developed standard circular military connector platforms such as MIL-DTL-38999 (formerly MIL-C-38999) to ensure that products are consistently designed and approved to meet the most stringent requirements demanded by high performance applications.

Although originally produced to meet the needs of the military and aerospace marketplace, the 38999 platform is now being used across many sectors where resistance to vibration, shock, water ingress and so on is important. Because electronic technology is now used everywhere, applications for 38999 connector systems can include industrial control, mining, oil and gas exploration, and refining, as well as motorsport in all its forms and also in many types of shipborne applications.