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Looking for waterproof connectors !? (14way / 18-20 AWG)

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iso9001

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Like the subject says...

I'm having a hell of a time finding them. I found one company (Lemo) that has some in a spiral cylinder connector but they are close to $30 each for the cheap plastic ones. (Metal ones are damn near $50 per side)

Molex crap does not apear to be even close to waterproof.

This is an automtive application and just being splash-resistant is not enough.

I like the cylinder style cause it seems to be spce effiecent.

I'de like to be under $8 per side if possible. Anyone know where to get such a connector?
 
hemically sealed connectors are not cheep - Amphenol do a range
 
iso9001 said:
I'de like to be under $8 per side if possible. Anyone know where to get such a connector?
If you find something, let us know, because like Styx said, they ain't cheap. I haven't found anything in a half decent automotive connector that I would call cheap.

I'm using some Deutsch connectors right now. 12pin male/female is $25.00USD. They're resold through MSD ignition.
 
There's a commonly available automotive connector called "Dry Lock". It's waterproof, but as far as I know it's only available with far less pins that you ask for, more like 4 or so. Maybe the mfg makes a bigger & better one that doesn't get stocked at auto parts places?
 
The whole reason I'm looking for a new one is that the automotive one now I get through my dealer is like $18 per side and its huge.

$8 per side does not seem cheap to me. I know i can get away with enviorment resistant instead of waterproof.

They have different classes like IP65 and IP67. Althought I dont know what they mean or which I sohuld be looking for.

This is what I want:
**broken link removed**

But able to take at 18-22 AWG and have at LEAST 12 contacts.
 
Sure Seal connectors have a line that goes up to 10 connections, http://www.suresealconnections.com/index.html
these are very reasonable, I pay a few cents per pin, and about 2 dollars a boot, male or female ( the boot, you can put whatever gender pins in either side.) . These are very durable, similar to a spark-plug boot, never had any sealing problems. I use them on heavy equipment and transport trucks. If need more than 10 positions I often just use 2 plugs. Generally I will separate power and signal into plug sets. Often this ends up saving space, believe it or not, since you can place two 3/4" plugs side-by-side, so vertical space is saved, in the over all diameter.

For more poles, I usually go with a Packard type connector. These are the ones you see on cars today. They come in every combination you can think of, from 1 to 100 or more pins. They can be a hassle with all the parts involved, pins, boots, seals, grips, shells, bodies, tails, etc, but they are completely sealed, guaranteed.

Common types of these are Metri-pak, Weather-pak.

AMP and ITT canon also do a line of CPC ( circular plastic connector, aka the old military style bayonette type plug ) connectors that have a myriad of pin options. They come in a sealed version also. Lots of places carry them. They are not too bad in price. This is what is in the picture above, basically. You can always just get a plain old CPC plug, and smear a load of dielectric grease on both sides, and you get a sealed plug. Not the nicest thing to work with , but tried, tested and true. :D

Mouser does these:

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2004/11/797.pdf
 
Those CPC connectors look pretty good. It's hard to see from the diagrams and descriptions exactly what it is you need for a full male/female set.
 
Have you tried silicon grease? A lot of manufacturers put that on the connectors to keep moisture out..
 
A CPC connector is what is pictured in iso9001 post above, well, that is a variation of the same anyways. All you really need in this style of plug is the male and female pins, and the 2 shell halves.

They are sized by connector body type, and pin series size. The AMP CPC catalog is well over an inch thick, so imagine the possibilities, LOL.

Basically what you do is decide how much current you need to handle, this will determine the pin size. Multiple pin sizes are available in one shell, if needed. From this, you will know what shell/plug body you can use that takes these pins. Then you choose the options such as mounting type, cord treatment such as boot or clamp, and you have your part numbers. For basic sealing, they supply a small silicone o-ring inside the plug, then you just use dielectric grease on the backside of the plug.

The only tools you really need are a crimper that can handle the pins. The open barrel pins can be done with many common crimpers. You can always choose solder cup pins and then you pretty much dont need any special tools. OK, well a pin removal tool is handy ( don't ask how I know) Depending on the pin size, you can get creative and use various objects to remove pins, such as ink refill tube from pens, RCA plugs with the round tip ground off, you get the idea.

If you decide to use the Sure Seal type plugs, don't use any dielectric grease on them. They are self sealing, and grease will actually prevent air from "burping" out of the plug on insertion, and a rise in air temperature can cause the trapped air to expand, pushing the plug off. It also makes the plugs too easy to shake themselves unplugged. They are meant to be a tight , dry fit. One product I make uses these plugs, and the last test before shipping is to imerse the electronic control box into a tank of water while connected and running for 24 hours. We have had no failures during test since 1998 when we started using them.
 
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