Looking for 1.27mm Single Row Connector

Molex comes to mind .. but can you give the dimensions of the free part (width, length & depth, plus key (if any)) - a drawing would be good, if you're up to it.

Just sketch it on a sheet of paper (with dims), take a photo & post like you did the pic in the OP.

... also have a very close look (at as much of both of the parts as you can get at) - use a magnifying glass - there should be some markings somewhere on one or both parts which will make ID-ing easier.

Yes. Good call.

I've examined both connectors very carefully, under magnification. Other than some mold tooling marks, there is nothing to identify the manufacturer or part number. There is not even a Pin 1 locator.

Les

John,

I've looked at the Molex website, but searches for 1.27mm connectors do not produce anything close.

Here is a quick sketch (actually about three hours with an optical comparator and AutoDesk Inventor to create the 3D model) of the cable plug that I am looking for:

The dimensions are in inches. In case the dimensions are difficult to read in the image: Starting from the top, main body .216L x .090W, contact opening .035L x .015w, center to center spacing .050. In the middle view: .157H x .265L. In the bottom view: .127 overall width. Despite appearances, I have omitted a lot of detail. This is just the shell; the contacts (female crimp) are not shown.

Thanks for your help,

Les

Hi Les LaZar,

Specific connectors are, IMHO, always a challenge to find. I would call/contact DigiKey, Mouser, or other comparable electronics supplier (disclaimer). With the faxed/attached photo, they should be able to hook you up.

I was on DigiKey for a while looking. I would almost bet that they have something, but unless you get the right descriptors, you can be in search hell for hours.

Having been inside a considerable number of electronic assemblies, this looks to be a fairly common item. It's out there and available!

Best of luck, and welcome to CR4!

Mike

Hi Mike,

Digi-Key (or Mouser or Newark or Allied or ...) probably has what I am looking for, but, as you say, without the right descriptor terms you are lost. I have spent hours trying different terms (board to wire, header, 1.27mm, .050 pitch, etc.). Sometimes I get back a lot of matches, sometimes nothing. When I do get matches, they are not what I want (there are a lot of board to board connectors out there).

If I don't get a hit by Monday, I will send the drawing I made off to the connector application engineers at the distributors.

Thanks for your suggestions,

Les

I think you are onto something, if you convert back to inches, you get 0.05" which must be a standard to my mind.....Molex could be a good call as well.......

HI Mike,

I took another look at my Molex catalog and the connector I am looking for bears a striking similarity to the Molex 51021 series. These are 1.25mm pitch connectors (0.49"). I could have mis-measured...trying to match the pitch to a standard that I am more familiar with.

I will get some samples of this connector, Molex P/N 51021-0400, along with the requsite contacts, and see if they fit.

Thanks for the push in the right direction.

Les

Interesting. With only 4 pins, I believe it would fit nicely. The pitch is only one hundredth of an inch off. I say go for it. Hopefully you can find stock in single piece purchase.

To All,

Thanks again for your suggestions, especially Mike. The Molex 51021 series was indeed the match I was looking for. The photo shows the original connectors (on the PCB and the cable) with the new connectors for comparison.

While the nylon socket housing and the individual contacts (really tiny!) cost only a few cents each, the hand crimping tool we will need is over US$200! Such is life for a small scale manufacturer.

Problem solved. Thanks again,

Les

Welcome to the world of pricey crimp tools. Some are like $400.

Glad you found it.

Crimp tools are always a killer, particularly for small manufacturers.

I've recently been trying to find an alternative to buying a PLC back-up battery assembly from a certain manufacturer. They charge £45 (plus £10 delivery, one-off) for the device, which is a standard £2 lithium 'camera' battery plus a £0.20 Hirose connector and a couple of inches of wire. Crimps? £5/100. Crimp tool? £250. .

_{BTW - re: finding a Molex connector - did anyone notice the 1^st word in the 1^st post in reply to this thread?}

_{^{Just being a needy, grumpy old sod. Sorry}.}

Yeah, and I think it's amazing that there was not one even almost GA on this thread.

this appears to be a CD rom connector cable.

they are available at any PC shop for $1 or so.

http://www.cable-trader.co.uk/items/universal-cd-rom-audio-cable-05-mtrs

Hi Aurizon,

The rightmost connector in the photo looks similar to what I am searching for. But as I said in the original post, I want to avoid having to disassemble an existing cable for parts.

Thanks anyway,

Les

My bet is it is a Hirose/HRS (pronounced "her-o-see") which I believe is a Japan mfr. It's likely that there are other compatable.

http://www.hirose-connectors.com/

I believe I've sourced them, perhaps from DigiKey.

Good luck Les!

Hi Bill,

Hirose is a possibility as a compatible supplier, but the Molex (Japan) connectors seem to be the ones. I will let everyone know if they do the job.

Thanks for the tip,

Les

Hello. My #12 is the answer. Short and simple.

I give up.

Have you tried looking at Samtec <http://www.samtec.com/> they make just about every conceivable type of header and socket.

Regards

Bill

If you don't want to hack up your cable is it because you need it? If so buy another cable and hack that one up.

Hi DGCYS,

If I was doing a one-of, then hacking the cable I have would make perfect sense. But this is for a production product. Hacking the existing cable would involve more cost in terms of labor and reliability than simply starting with the right unused parts and building the cable I need from them.

Thanks for your suggestion, though.

Les