Shock, Rattle, and Vibrate with the EIA 364D – Group 1 Test per Dr. Bob  This article will begin the discussion of the generic test groups identified in EIA 364D: Electrical Connector/Socket Test Procedures Including Environmental Classifications. For reference, you can find the 364D generic test program in the first article in this series, “TheRead More

Measure Twice, Test Once In the first article in this series on connector testing, I stated that a test is a combination of conditioning/exposures and measurements. All test sequences begin with a measurement to establish the baseline for the parameter of interest, e.g. electrical resistance, prior to a conditioning or an exposure intended to simulateRead More

Dr. Bob Asks – Devil or Angel? Connector Testing Connector testing is generally viewed as a nuisance type of activity. So let’s try to set the record straight. The basic purpose of testing is to demonstrate the capability of a connector to meet the specific design characteristics called for and/or to determine the susceptibility, orRead More

Dr. Bob on The How and Why of Connector Testing Programs This article will provide an overview of connector testing programs in terms of procedures and purposes—the “how” and “why” of connector testing. Future articles will expand on this discussion to provide specifics and rationale for the test programs and individual test groups. Beginning withRead More

Dr. Bob Relates Connector Degradation Mechanisms to Connector Testing New Connector Series Begins The last article on loss of contact normal force completed the series on connector degradation mechanisms. (For completeness, the series included an introductory discussion of degradation mechanisms, two articles on corrosion—one on fretting corrosion and one on corrosion in noble metal contacts—anRead More

Degradation Mechanisms – Loss in contact normal force In the previous article on wear as a degradation mechanism, I noted that wear is an indirect degradation mechanism. Wear of the contact finish, if it exposes the underlying base metal of the contact spring, introduces additional sources of corrosion directly at the contact interface. Similar commentsRead More

Dr. Bob Q&A on Ferrules The following question didn’t fall into Dr. Bob’s area of expertise, but Bishop & Associates’ Karl Jalbert, offered this response. Dear Dr. Bob, Why hasn’t the industry considered moving away from the ceramic ferrule to the borosilicate glass ferrules? Working as a DOD contractor, we have almost exclusively used theRead More

Connector Degradation Mechanisms – Wear This is the fourth article in a series on connector degradation mechanism, and it addresses connector wear mechanisms and processes. The previous three articles in this series discussed corrosion as a connector degradation mechanism; fretting corrosion in the case of tin contact finishes and general corrosion due to exposed baseRead More

Dr. Bob Q&A about Corrosion Dr. Mroczkowski, my question is this… In your recent articles in ConnectorSupplier.com (and in similar papers from your AMP days) you have basically stated that the reason interface resistance is lost when corrosion enters the picture is because corrosion films and contaminants compromise the asperity interfaces. However, I’ve never beenRead More

Connector Basics: Connector Degradation Mechanisms—Corrosion Part II This is the third article in a series on connector degradation mechanisms and the second article focused on corrosion. Tin-to-tin contact interfaces and fretting corrosion, as the dominant degradation mechanism in such systems, was the focus of the previous article. Now, we will address corrosion effects on contactRead More

Connector Basics: Connector Degradation Mechanisms—Corrosion Part I This is the second article in a series on connector degradation mechanisms. Corrosion, in general terms, followed by a discussion of a particular corrosion mechanism, fretting corrosion, will be the focus of this piece. Last month, we studied the asperity or a-spot model of a contact interface. InRead More

Dr. Bob on Connector Degradation Mechanism This is the first in a series of articles about connector degradation mechanisms. The purpose of this article is to provide a rationale as to why they are important to connector performance. Following articles will discuss degradation mechanisms in additional detail. At the end of this article, you willRead More