The Connector Design

A Connector design has three tabs:

• Assembly - the part details (Part Number, Manufacturer, Description, Internal Part Number, Location, Links, and Datasheets) and the list of cavities.
• Configurations - sets of related parts, such as contacts, wire seals, and backshells, that are added automatically when the connector is used. See Design Configurations.
• Rule Checker - common mistakes in the design, such as a connector without any cavities.

Cavities

Cavities are the labeled positions in a connector's housing. Each cavity accepts an optional contact (pin or socket) into which a wire is terminated.

To add cavities, type their names in the "Type to add cavities" box on the Assembly tab and press Add (or Enter). You can add many at once by separating names with commas or spaces, or by typing a range such as 1-5 or a-e. Cavities that already exist are skipped.

• Right-click a cavity and select Rename (F2) to rename it, or Delete cavity (Del) to remove it.
• Cavity names can't be blank, can't be used twice, and can't contain a period. "Housing" is reserved and can't be used as a cavity name.

Wire Insertion Depth

The Wire Insertion Depth column sets the length of wire inserted into the connector at each cavity. Right-click a cavity and select Edit Wire Insertion Depth... to set it. Insertion depth is added to the length of every connection made to the connector; see Editing Lengths.

Images

A connector can have up to 3 images. Right-click the drawing and select Add Images..., then choose images from the Octopart Database or from a file. Right-click an image to change, rename, scale to 100%, save, or delete it.

When the connector is placed in a Harness, right-click its image to flip it horizontally or vertically, or turn Show Images on or off for the drawing.

Contacts, Wire Seals, and Sealing Plugs

Contacts and wire seals are assigned to each cavity in the Edit Contacts and Wire Seals dialog. You can open it:

• In the Connector design's Configurations tab, by right-clicking the Connector or its Contacts or Wire Seals folder and selecting Edit Contacts and Wire Seals..., so they are added with the configuration.
• In a Harness, by right-clicking selected connectors (on the drawing or in the Design Assembly) and selecting Edit Contacts and Wire Seals..., or with the Contact and Wire Seal buttons in the Insert ribbon.

In the dialog, choose which connectors (or configurations) to show, then use Specify Contact Design... and Specify Wire Seal Design... to assign parts, or the Clear options to remove them. Open Contact Design... and Open Wire Seal Design... open the assigned part. In a Harness, cavities that have connections are marked with an icon.

A sealing plug is a Contact design with a termination of Sealing-Plug, so it is assigned the same way as any other contact.

Backshells, Boots, Locks, and Other Accessories

Backshells, Boots, Locks, Heat Shrinks, Custom Parts, and Tools can be attached to a connector in a Harness. Select the connectors, then use the buttons in the Parts section of the Insert ribbon, or right-click and select Add Backshell..., Add Boot..., and so on. To add them automatically every time, include them in a Configuration.

Backshells can also carry a Wire Entry Length, which is added to connection lengths; see Editing Lengths.

Connectors in a Harness

• Rename - right-click a connector and select Rename... to change its Reference Designator. Reference designators can't be blank, can't be used twice, and can't contain a period.
• Change Design - right-click a connector and select Change Design... to swap it for a different part. If the new design has different cavities, the Remap Connections dialog lets you Use new cavities, Keep original cavities, or Assign custom cavities, mapping each Original Cavity to a New Cavity before you press Change Connector.

Pigtail Connectors

Connectors that come with wires already attached are modeled as Pigtail Connectors.