GIMOTA AG
Product Safety
Information and advice given in the followingis applicable in connection with the use of our products and data contained in our data sheets and catalogue. Failure to comply with the advice can put people and equipment at severe risk.
1. Materials
Electrical plug-type connectors contain no substances that could be dangerous in normal operation. The connectors consist of conducting and non-conducting materials.
Data signal connectors:
The insulators are generally made of a fiber glass-reinforced plastic in a metal frame; covers can be made of diecast metal (zinc, aluminium) or of plastic.
Circular connectors:
Insulators and gaskets are made of rubber, synthetic rubber compounds or of plastic. The shells are generally made of metal. Accessories can be made of metal or plastic. The contacts consist of copper or copper alloys with a galvanic coating of gold or silver. Other alloys and surface coatings are also used for special applications.
2. Hazards
When plug-type connectors are correctly wired and are used and handled with due regard to the given parameters, there will be generally no risk.
Incorrect wiring or assembly of connectors can lead to electric shock, burns or fire. The same applies to careless handling of metal tools or conductive fluids, as well as to the use of defective parts, e.g. damaged during transport or storage.
Live circuits may not be made or broken by means of plug-in connectors. This can lead to ionization and arcing, causing electric shock, burns or fire. Such manipulations can also cause electronic circuits to be destroyed.
Only contacts in correctly assembled plugin connectors may be energized. Abnormal rises in resistance in a plug-in connector can cause it to become overheated. An increase in resistance can be caused by cracked, broken or deformed contacts or by broken wires in the conductor strand, as well as by badly made crimps due to the wrong or defective crimping tool being used, by poor solder joints or by screw connections not being properly tightened. Oxide films and the presence of contamination on the contacts or crimps can also lead to rises in resistance and therefore to local overheating. Overheating can further be caused by the formation of creepage paths or short circuits in the plug due to:
• water entering through badly sealed cable clamps or due to the capillary effect along the conductor wires.
• contamination of the insulator or residues left over from processing (e.g. bits of wire) in the connector.
We warn against exceeding the continuous currents given in our documentation, as this too can cause overheating of the connector.
Overheating of a plug-type connector causes the insulator to be destroyed. This can result in spurious signals; also, there is the danger of electric shock or of fire, with toxic gases formed in combination with other materials. Since overheating is not necessarily visually apparent, there is a risk of burns being
caused if overheated parts are touched.
3. Handling
Components of electrical plug-type connectors must be carefully handled during transport, storage and use to avoid damage. Although these parts normally have no sharp edges or corners, care should be taken to ensure that no injury to fingers can occur. Plug-type connectors can be damaged in transit to the customer. Such damage can be a source of danger. These products should therefore be checked before installation or use, and damaged ones removed.
4. Disposal and scrapping of waste
Dangerous or even toxic gases can be formed when certain materials are burned. Such materials must therefore be disposed of in the proper manner.
5. Application
Plug-type connectors with accessible contacts should not be used on the supply side of the electric circuit.
Touching the exposed contacts of an unconnected plug-type connector can result in an electric shock. Voltages above 30 V AC or 42.5 V DC are generally dangerous. It must be ensured that such voltages cannot under any circumstances reach the accessible metal parts of the connector housing. Before energizing with voltage, plug-type connectors and the wiring should be checked. It must be ensured that metal parts and insulators are not damaged, and that no soldering jumper, loose wire strands, conductive fluids or other conducting materials can form an electrical bond. The circuit should be checked for insulation resistance and electrical continuity. It is essential that the correct working tools are used, in accordance with our data sheets. Only qualified personnel should be allowed to wire, assemble or modify plug-type connectors.
The pertinent national regulations should be referred to in order to determine the permitted operating voltage.
6. Important general note
6.1 Product design
We are committed to a policy of continuous improvement and further development of our products. Because of this, our products may differ from the descriptions, technical data and figures in this catalogue and in the data sheets.
Unless otherwise stated, all dimensions in this catalogue are approximate values in mm.
6.2 Insulation clearances, ambient conditions
The permitted operating voltages depend on the specific application and on the applicable national safety regulations. For this reason, the clearances and creepage distances are given as reference values. Attention should therefore be given to reductions in the clearances and creepage distances due to the circuit board and/or wiring.
All voltage data are valid at sea level and a temperature of 20°C.
The given temperatures are temperature limits. The permitted operating temperature will depend on the actual application.
6.3 Fabrication instructions
Our detailed fabrication instructions should be referred to when processing work is carried out.
6.4 Final Provisions
These Product Safety have been released on 1997. This version is a translation. Definitive is exclusively the current German version.