Schalksmühle, 27.6.2014. Initially installed exclusively in heating technology, yet at home around the world and on just about every printed circuit board to guide electrical currents through cables to another PCB, or out: combined tab headers and socket boards with neutral and/or protective conductor bridges in insulation displacement technology (IDT) ‒ practically “male and female” in a single casing. 3680 is the upright, 3683 the angular version.

As diverse as these connectors at pitch 5.0 mm (.197″) have become, their applications have evolved in pretty much the same way: starting from what can be described as an almost classic application in heating technology, the combined tab and socket board is becoming increasingly popular for use in building technology systems, such as refrigeration and A/C equipment, as seen recently at the ISH fair in Frankfurt, Germany.

With this robust and highly reliable connectors Lumberg has been the standard in the market for years and boasts a large range of varieties. While the tab header part is often designed to accommodate three poles, Lumberg can customize the socket board in the same casing for the respective application to feature up to 22 poles ‒ and with the RAST 5 standard keying that prevents mismating, even with an absolutely free configuration: with upright or angular contacts, with partitions inside the casing, with pre-mating contacts and locking features; with neutral and protective conductor bridges and a readily selectable position for connected neutral and protective contacts.

The diversity of these glow-wire resistant combined tab/socket boards for indirect mating turns them into highly talented all-rounders, teamed up with tin-plated contacts for rated currents of up to 10 A at T_amb 70 °C and when used in ambiance temperatures ranging between -40 and +120 °C.

The equally diverse mating plugs also comply to the RAST 5 standard and are available with insulation displacement or screw clamp termination in a wide range of colors and casings. They can come with customer-specific imprints or labels attached. One of the most commonly referred to combinations in heating technology relies completely on the RAST-5 standard, which ensures operational safety and protects against mismating. A 3618 connector with screw clamps ‒ designed as lift clamps featuring protection against misplacing ‒, with test holes and an optional pre-mating protective contacts, is used with the cable. Also among the variety of available mating plugs, the indirect RAST 5 connector 3611 with screw clamps (straight) and the 3615 (angular) are the top-selling products. Both can be placed consecutively without loss of pitch. In IDT, the 3623 and 3647 are the most common.

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