OT: connector terminology

Ken Roach

Lifetime Supporting Member + Moderator
Join Date
Apr 2002
Location
Seattle, WA
Posts
17,445
I have been trying to figure out how one of my technicians managed to obtain a "mini style" 18mm 5-pin T-tap that had crossover wiring inside that smoked our sensor network.

And in doing so, I've found a whole Allen-Bradley connector catalog (889-TD002) that routinely and consistently refers to connectors as "concave" or "convex".

From what I can see, the "pin" or "male" connector is the "convex" one and the "sleeve"/"socket" or "female" connector is "concave".

Have I just missed a whole shift in terminology where those words, which apply to curved geometry, are used to describe connectors ?

Could this be a matter of an EU catalog translated without review for use in North America ?

I'm willing to have missed a whole shift away from literally gendered terminology, but I don't think I've read those terms applied to electrical connectors before.
 
As much as just over 50% of voters here in the UK blamed the EU for everything in the Brexit Vote back in 2016 o_O, I don't think you can pin this (pun intended) on us/them. I tried Google Translate to and from various European languages, and 'female connector' came back to 'female connector' in each case, even in Chinese. Yes, I do know that Chinese isn't European :). Besides we are far less worried about calling things by male and female here in Europe than you are in the US. They even go naked on the beaches in Europe, displaying their male and female connectors for all to see :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:.
 
Huh....I searched for "female" and it took me to the same places. It was probably finding the "male" that was part of "female".

I'm actually kinda surprised they still use "straight"...

Also....which is it? Why would concave and convex be listed on the same column?

Screenshot_WokeAB2.png
 
That 889 cordset catalog is exactly what I was looking at: the whole thing seems to have replaced "pin" and "socket" with "convex" and "concave".

Lots of that manual seems very poorly edited and maybe this was just one business unit attempting to switch to non-gendered language.

My question isn't "what do you think of inclusivity in technical language" but rather "is the use of convex/concave to describe pin and socket connectors common elsewhere" ?
 
Get woke, let out the smoke.
This one got me. :ROFLMAO:

The concave/convex terminology is new to me here, and I've never even noticed it on the Rockwell literature before. I've started to use plug/socket thanks to the likes of IFM and Balluff.

I'm willing to wait until whoever is trying to re-name everything gets to non-binary configurable connectors.
 
I had never seen the use of convex/concave to describe pin and socket connector. Worked for a connector company for many years and have seen lots of datasheets and manuals for connectors, not only industrial connectors but connectors for surface mount printed circuit boards and what not.
Whether we need an inclusive/neutral terminology I do not know, but I do harbor some doubts. I remember many years ago I was explaining something to my wife (who is not a technician or engineer) and mentioned the male and female connector of some product I had at home for some reason, and she thought I was doing a bad joke. She seemed shocked that such was the standard way of referring to that kind of components.
I think this forum may be biased when it comes to a discussion of the appropriateness of this kind of terminology as it seems to me (and I could be wrong) given the names and aliases of the members of this forum, that the vast majority of us are homo sapiens beings with XY karyotype.
 
Lets face it, it's US, AB, what do you expect, AOI, should be Function, XIC, XIO should be N/O, N/C, Color instead of colour,

Tires instead of Tyres, ;) Then again I'm English lol.
 
Yeah it's those Frenchies & Roman influence for the british language, although the british dictionary was written in 1755 Noah did not do his till 1828, Some say it was because he was lazy & had trouble spelling & made the phonetics match the words (makes it simpler), others say it was the Irish,Duch & German influence, or even due to the cost of printing per letter.

As for our spelling it was to keep the french & spanish happy in the hope they would not invade 🍺




 

Similar Topics

Hi, I was noticing that Profibus connectors have 2 ports on them that can house 2 separate cables. Can I use 2 cables with Profibus signals...
Replies
4
Views
135
Is it possible to connect a PC to the mini console's RJ12 connector? use an RJ12/DB9 cable?
Replies
1
Views
959
Do someone have wiring diagram of SLC 5/04 DH+ Channel 1 ( 8 pins round connector ) to CHA NETWORK of DL3500 ?HOW to set parameter of DL3500? I'm...
Replies
19
Views
1,783
Hello, I'm looking for a source for the white connectors in the picture below. This controller has 6.3mm spade connectors potted into it in rows...
Replies
4
Views
1,403
I am missing one of these connectors. Three positions with locking features on the sides. Does anyone know what this is called and where I can...
Replies
5
Views
1,097
Back
Top Bottom