Testing of electrical connectors and cables
Experior Laboratories offers a full range of experienced qualification, design verification and reliability test services for electrical connectors, cables and systems. Experior Labs is approved to MIL-STD-790 by the Defense Logistic Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime for testing of MIL-DTL-38999 connectors. Experior Labs also qualifies other connector styles, i.e. AS50151, ARINC600, MIL-DTL-26482 as well as electrical contacts, i.e. EN 2997, SAE AS39029, and electrical wire, i.e. MIL-T-81490A, MIL-DTL-17, ASTM D 4566 and many more.
All testing is conducted in strict accordance with standardized test methods including the EIA 364, IEC 512, IEC 60512 and MIL-STD-1344 series of electrical test methods.
Other supported standards include NASA EEE-INST-002, EIA 625, MIL-DTL-83723, MIL-STD-750, MIL-PRF-32535 and MIL-PRF-6106
David Ascension sharing some of Experior Laboratories’ fiber optic and electrical cable mechanical testing equipment.
EIA-364: Electrical Connector Performance Test Standards
EIA-364 establishes a uniform set of industry standards for evaluating the environmental performance of sockets and electrical connectors in controlled environment applications. Controlled environments are classified as no more severe than class number G1.2 according to the latest revisions.
| Method | Name | Description |
EIA-512 |
IEC-60512 |
MIL-STD-1344 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acceleration | Acceleration Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
6a |
06-1 |
2011 |
| 2 | Air Leakage | Air Leakage Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
14d |
14-4 |
1008 |
| 3 | Altitude Immersion | Altitude Immersion Test Procedure For Electrical Connectors |
14e |
14-5 |
1004 |
| 4 | Normal Force | Normal Force Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
None |
| 5 | Contact Insertion, Release and Removal Force | Contact Insertion, Release and Removal Force Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
15d |
15-4 (P) |
2012 |
| 6 | Contact Resistance | Contact Resistance Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
2b |
02-2 |
3004 |
| 7 | Contact Axial Concentricity | Contact Axial Concentricity Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
16g |
16-7 (P) |
2001 |
| 8 | Crimp Tensile Strength | Crimp Tensile Strength Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
16d |
16-4 (P) |
2003 |
| 9 | Durability | Durability Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Contacts |
9a |
- |
2016 |
| 10 | Fluid Immersion Test | This standard creates test methods to assess how well electrical connectors/connector assemblies resist degradation in exposure to certain fluids. |
19c |
19-3 |
1016 |
| 11 | Resistance to Solvents Test | This test looks at the ability of connectors to withstand solvents that may be used for cleaning components. |
None |
None |
None |
| 12 | Restricted Entry |
16b |
16-2 (P) |
None |
|
| 13 | Mating and Un-mating Force Test | This test determines the forces required to mate and un-mate electrical connectors or protective caps with connectors, connectors/sockets. |
13b |
13-2 |
2013 |
| 14 | Ozone Exposure | Ozone Exposure Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
1007 |
| 15 | Contact Strength (bend) |
16c |
16-3 (P) |
None |
|
| 16 | Stripping Force (wrapped connectors) |
16k |
16-11 |
None |
|
| 17 | Temperature Life with or without Electrical Load Test | This standard creates a testing method for gauging electrical connectors and sockets’ ability to withstand elevated temperatures with or without electrical loading. |
9b |
- |
1005 |
| 18 | Visual | Visual and Dimensional Inspection Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors, and Sockets |
1a |
01-1 |
None |
| 19 | Torsional insert retention |
15c |
15-3 (P) |
None |
|
| 20 | Withstanding Voltage | This method is to evaluate the dielectric withstanding voltage of electrical connectors, sockets, and coaxial contacts. |
4a |
04-1 |
3001 |
| 21 | Insulation Resistance | Insulation Resistance Test |
3a |
03-1 |
3003 |
| 22 | Simulated Life | Simulated Life Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
1015 |
| 23 | Low-Level Contact Resistance Test | This method is to evaluate the low-level contact resistance of current-carrying members such as pin and socket contacts, relay contacts, wire and crimp connectors, or printed circuit board and contact. |
2a |
02-1 |
3002 |
| 24 | Maintenance Aging | Maintenance Aging Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
9d |
- |
2002 |
| 25 | Probe Damage | Probe Damage Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
16a |
16-1 (P) |
2006 |
| 26 | Salt Spray Corrosion | This standard sets up testing methods for determining the effects of a salt-laden atmosphere on electrical connector components, finishes and mechanisms. |
11f |
11+6 |
1001 |
| 27 | Mechanical Shock (Specified Pulse) Test | This standard creates a test method for assessing the ability of electrical components to withstand mechanical shocks. |
6c |
06-3 |
2004 |
| 28 | Vibration Test | This test looks at the ability of electrical connector components to withstand specified severities of vibration. |
6d |
06-4 |
2005 |
| 29 | Contact Retention | Contact Retention Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
15a |
15-1 (P) |
2007 |
| 30 | Capacitance |
22a |
- |
None |
|
| 31 | Humidity Test | This test evaluates the impacts of high heat and humidly on connectors and socket assemblies. |
11c and 11m |
11-3 and 11-2 |
1002 |
| 32 | Thermal Shock (Temperature Cycling) | This test is to determine how well a connector or socket resists exposures to extreme high and low temperatures and to the shock of alternate exposures to those extremes |
11d |
11-4 |
1003 |
| 33 | Inductance | Inductance (100nH-100mH) |
None |
None |
None |
| 35 | Insert Retention | Insert Retention Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
15b |
- |
2010 |
| 36 | Gas Tight Characteristic |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 37 | Contact Engagement and Separation Force | This method is used for measuring the engagement and separation forces on contacts. |
13a |
13-1 |
2014 |
| 38 | Cable Pull-Out | Cable Pull-Out Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
17c |
- |
2009 |
| 39 | Hydrostatic | Hydrostatic Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors, Contacts and Sockets |
None |
None |
1006 |
| 40 | Crush Test | Crush Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
None |
| 41 | Cable Flexing | Cable Flexing Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
2017 |
| 42 | Impact Test | Impact Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
7b |
- |
None |
| 43 | Cable Clamping | Cable Clamping (bending moment) |
17a |
- |
2015 |
| 44 | Corona |
4b |
04-2 |
None |
|
| 45 | Firewall Flame | Firewall Flame Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
20b |
20-2 |
1009 |
| 46 | Microsecond Discontinuity | Microsecond Discontinuity Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors, Contacts and Sockets |
2e |
02-5 |
None |
| 47 | Conductor Unwrapping | Conductor unwrapping (solderless wrapped connection) |
16m |
16-13 (P) |
None |
| 48 | Metallic coating thickness |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 49 | Ultraviolet Radiation | This standard creates a test method to determine how direct solar radiation effects connector and contact materials and to identify the photodegradation effects of direct solar radiation on those materials. |
7b |
- |
2015 |
| 50 | Dust (Fine Sand) | This standard sets up a method to determine how well fully-wired connector assemblies resist the effects of dry dust (fine sand). |
11h |
11-08 |
None |
| 51 | Ice Resistance | This standard creates test methods for determining mated electrical connectors’ ability to resist the effects of ice build-up due to splashing water or brief immersion in water. |
None |
None |
None |
| 52 | Solderability of contact terminations |
12a |
12-1 |
None |
|
| 53 | Nitric Acid Vapor | Nitric Acid Vapor Test, Gold Finish Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets |
None |
None |
1017 |
| 54 | Magnetic Permeability | Magnetic Permeability Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors, Contacts, and Sockets |
None |
None |
3006 |
| 55 | Current Cycling |
9e |
- |
None |
|
| 56 | Resistance to Soldering Heat | Resistance to Soldering Heat Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets |
12d |
12-4 |
None |
| 58 | Temperature Life | Temperature Life (with mechanical loading for connectors with removable contacts) |
None |
None |
None |
| 59 | Low-Temperature | Low-Temperature Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets |
7b |
- |
2015 |
| 60 | Porosity of Contact Finishes | General Methods for Testing of Contact Finishes for Electrical Connectors and Sockets |
None |
None |
None |
| 62 | Terminal Strength |
16f |
16-6 (P) |
None |
|
| 65 | Mixed Flowing Gas |
11g |
11-7 |
None |
|
| 66 | EMI Shielding Effectiveness |
23c |
23-3 |
3008 |
|
| 67 | Transmission line reflections (canceled) |
23d |
23-4 |
None |
|
| 68 | Actuating Mechanism |
8c |
- |
None |
|
| 69 | Inductance (10nH-100nH) |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 70 | Temperature Rise Versus Current | Temperature Rise Versus Current Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Socket |
5a and 5b |
05-1 and 05-2 |
None |
| 71 | Solder wicking | Solder wicking (wave solder technique) |
None |
None |
2019 |
| 72 | Hydrolytic Effects (Canceled) |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 73 (P) | IDC Reusability |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 74 (P) | Corona |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 75 | Lightning Strike |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 76 | Toxicity (Canceled) |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 77 | Solder Cup Strength |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 78 | Cavity-to-Cavity Leakage | Cavity-to-Cavity Leakage Bonding Integrity Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
None |
| 79 | Bond Strength | Insert Bond Strength Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
None |
| 82 | Corrosivity of Plastics | Corrosivity of Plastics Test Procedure for Electrical Connector and Socket Housings |
None |
None |
None |
| 83 | Shell-to-Shell and Shell-to-Bulkhead Resistance | Shell-to-Shell and Shell-to-Bulkhead Resistance Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
2f |
02-6 |
3007 |
| 84 | Not Assigned |
- |
- |
- |
|
| 85 | Wear and mechanical damage of contact finishes |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 86 | Polarizing/coding key overstress |
13e |
13-5 |
None |
|
| 87 | Nanosecond Event Detection | Nanosecond Event Detection Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors, Contacts and Sockets |
None |
None |
None |
| 88 | Residual Magnetism |
24a |
- |
None |
|
| 89 | Space Application Connectors | Space Application Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets |
None |
None |
None |
| 90 | Crosstalk Ratio |
25a |
25-1 |
None |
|
| 91 | Dust | Dust Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets |
None |
None |
None |
| 92 | Wire Bending for insulation displacement contacts |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 93 | Repeated wire connection and disconnection for insulation displacement contacts |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 94 | Transverse wire extraction force for insulation displacement contacts |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 95 | Full Mating and Mating Stability | Full Mating and Mating Stability Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
None |
| 96 | Plating through Hole Integrity |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 97 | Housing Panel Retention |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 98 | Housing Locking Mechanism Strength |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 99 | Gage Location and Retention | Gage Location and Retention Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
2018 |
| 100 | Marking Permeability | Marking Permanence Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets |
None |
None |
None |
| 101 | Attenuation | Attenuation Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors, Sockets, Cable Assemblies or Interconnection Systems |
25b |
25-2 |
None |
| 102 | Rise Time Degradation |
25c |
25-3 |
None |
|
| 103 | Propagation Delay |
25d |
25-4 |
None |
|
| 104 | Flammability | Flammability Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors |
None |
None |
1012 |
| 105 | Altitude – Low Temperature Test | This standard establishes a test method to simulate service usage by inducing low temperatures and applying test voltage at simulated altitudes. |
None |
None |
1011 |
| 106 | Standing Wave Ratio | Standing Wave Ration (SWR) |
None |
None |
3005 |
| 107 | Eye Pattern |
25f |
25-6 |
None |
|
| 108 | Impedance, reflection coefficient, return loss and VSWR |
25e and 25g |
25-5 and 25-7 |
None |
|
| 109 | Loop Inductance Measurement |
None |
None |
None |
|
| 110 | Thermal Cycling Test | This standard sets up a testing method for exposing connectors and sockets to extreme high and low temperatures at a specific ramp-up and ramp-down rate. |
None |
None |
None |
The user of the standard must also decide interdependently of the standard, how much additional test margin to allow for the uncertainty of test conditions and measurement in each test.