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
Test Method

IEC-60512
Test Method

MIL-STD-1344
Test Method

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.

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