Power connectors for the North American market

Binder offers K- and L-coded panel mount parts within its 824/823 product series, which are intended for power applications in the North American market in compliance with the UL 2237 standard. These include five-pin male and female panel mount parts offering screw locking that fulfil the protection degree criteria of IP68. Electrical and plant engineering and industrial controls are the main application areas for these M12 components.

The use of electromechanical interfaces for voltage and power transmission in control cabinets of the North American applications market needs approvals, according to UL 2237. This standard defines testing guidelines for connectors, cables, cable glands, and fuse elements, such as the Grounding (Bonding) Path Current Test: this procedure stipulates the PE path (protection earth) to withstand a current of 190A for the wire gauge AWG16 or 300A in the case of AWG14 for four seconds without interrupting. AC applications also need an abnormal overload test to be carried out at 1.5 times the rated current – where the PE path fuse must not blow – and an additional connection of the PE pin to the component housing.

According to the DIN EN 61076-2-111 standard, K coding indicates five-pin M12 connectors for power supply to AC applications such as drives or frequency converters. The rated voltage and current limits are specified at 630V(AC) and 12A, respectively. The L coding also refers to a five-pole mating face but is particularly designed for DC applications up to 63V(DC) and 16A. These include, for example, smaller motors or fieldbus devices in the industrial automation sector.

The five-pin panel mount parts of the binder 824 and 823 series with K coding (pin count 4+PE) and L coding (pin count 4+FE, functional earth) feature M12 screw locking. The termination types are single wires. The K- and L-coded components were created for wire gauges AWG16 and AWG14. For the AC components with K coding, the requirements of UL 2237 were implemented through a PE connection to the threaded ring. UL 2237 approval is currently being prepared. The mechanical lifespan of the panel mount parts is rated at >100 mating cycles. The temperature limits are -40C/+85C (Series 824) and -40C/+105C (Series 823).