A pluggable terminal block is a screw terminal in two halves, so you can wire it once and then unplug it whenever the gear has to come out. This one adds two things an ordinary pluggable block does not have. The plug carries a captive screw at each end that winds into a brass threaded insert on the socket, so the two halves stay together under vibration or a tugged cable. The socket also has its own row of screw clamps on the back in place of solder pins, which lets it sit behind a panel and join wires on both sides with no circuit board.
You can use it to bring 12V or 24V control wiring, sensor leads or an RS-485 pair through the wall of an enclosure, or as a locking plug and socket in the middle of a cable. It is for low-voltage DC and signal wiring, not for 230V mains. Plug and socket are sold separately, and a working connection needs one of each with the same number of ways, so add both to your cart. The pitch is 3.81mm, which does not mate with 3.5mm or 5.08mm blocks. Because the socket has no solder pins it will not mount on a PCB, so to reach a board you run wires from its rear clamps to the board's own terminals.
Specifications
Wiring & getting started
- Check you have a matching pair
You need one plug and one panel socket with the same number of ways. A 4-way plug does not fit a 5-way socket. Push them together before you wire anything, so you can see which terminal on the plug lines up with which terminal on the socket.
- Wire the plug
Strip about 7mm of insulation and twist the strands so none stray. Back the clamp screw off, push the bare wire into the square opening under it, and tighten until the wire will not pull out. These are small screws, so stop when the wire is held. Forcing them further can strip the thread.
- Mark and cut the panel
Hold the socket against the panel and mark around its pin shroud, then mark the centre of each brass insert. Cut the rectangle for the shroud and drill the two holes so the plug's screws can pass through.
- Wire the socket and fit it
Wire the socket's rear clamps the same way as the plug. Terminal 1 on the plug joins terminal 1 on the socket, and so on straight across. Seen from the back of the socket the order runs the other way round, so number the terminals on both halves while they are plugged together. Then hold the socket behind the panel with its shroud through the opening.
- Plug in and lock
Push the plug on from the front until it seats. Turn each lock screw a little at a time, swapping between the two, until both are snug. That pulls the plug and socket tight against the panel.
- Check it works
Give each wire a light tug. None should move. If you have a multimeter, set it to continuity and check each wire end to end through the connector. A beep on the wrong terminal means two wires are swapped at the back of the socket.