The basic performance of connectors can be divided into three categories: mechanical performance, electrical performance and environmental performance. Today we will talk about the mechanical properties of the connector.

1. Mechanical properties

As far as the connection function is concerned, the plugging force is an important mechanical property. Insertion and pull-out force is divided into insertion force and pull-out force (pull-out force is also called separation force), and their requirements are different. There are provisions on maximum insertion force and minimum separation force in the relevant standards, which shows that from the perspective of use, the insertion force is small (so there are structures with low insertion force LIF and no insertion force ZIF), and if the separation force is too small, the contact reliability will be affected. The insertion and removal force and mechanical life of the connector are related to the contact structure (positive pressure), the coating quality of the contact part (sliding friction coefficient) and the dimensional accuracy (alignment) of the contact arrangement.

2. Electrical performance

The main electrical properties of the connector include contact resistance, insulation resistance and dielectric strength.

① The electrical connector with high contact resistance shall have low and stable contact resistance. The contact resistance of the connector varies from a few milliohms to tens of milliohms.

② The insulation resistance is an index to measure the insulation performance between the contacts of electrical connectors and between the contacts and the shell, and its order of magnitude ranges from hundreds of megohms to thousands of megohms.

③ Dielectric strength, or withstand voltage and dielectric withstand voltage, is the ability to withstand rated test voltage between connector contacts or between contacts and shell. ④ Other electrical properties.

The electromagnetic interference leakage attenuation is to evaluate the electromagnetic interference shielding effect of the connector, and the electromagnetic interference leakage attenuation is to evaluate the electromagnetic interference shielding effect of the connector, which is generally tested in the frequency range of 100MHz~10GHz. For RF coaxial connectors, there are also electrical indicators such as characteristic impedance, insertion loss, reflection coefficient, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), etc. Due to the development of digital technology, in order to connect and transmit high-speed digital pulse signals, a new type of connector, namely high-speed signal connector, has emerged. Accordingly, in terms of electrical performance, in addition to characteristic impedance, there are also some new electrical indicators, such as crosstalk, transmission delay, time delay, etc.

4. Environmental performance

Common environmental properties include temperature resistance, humidity resistance, salt spray resistance, vibration and impact resistance.