Table of Contents
Advertisement
•
Oily films.
Making Initial Connections
Exercise caution when mating cables. Poor connections lead to poor system performance. They can
also damage not only the cable assembly, but more significantly, front or rear panel connectors on
the equipment itself which may be more difficult to repair.
Aligning Connectors
Align the center lines of two connectors before actual mating. Male retaining nuts contain a small
amount of necessary play which may make it possible to mate the threads without the pins being
properly aligned. Pin misalignment can damage pins and dielectric inserts.
Mating Connectors
Gently mate the connectors by hand, taking care not to force the coupling nut at the slightest
resistance. It is often possible to feel whether the pins are mated. If the coupling nut is difficult to
turn, either the pins are not mated, the coupling nut is cross-threaded, or one of the connectors has
been damaged by excess torque.
Never hold a male connector coupling nut stationary while screwing a female connector into it.
This rotation can erode the plating and damage both the outer interface rim as well as the pin. If
the pins become locked, serious damage can result to both the equipment and the cable assembly.
Gaging Connectors
Use the following guidelines to gage connectors:
•
Always inspect and clean the gage before use.
•
Zero the gage before use.
•
DO NOT hold the gage by the dial.
•
DO NOT use a connector that is out of specification.
Over-Torque
Once connectors have been properly mated, apply only the proper amount of torque. Over-torque
damages both connectors involved. Also, a connector which has been damaged by over-torque, in
turn, damages every connector to which it is subsequently mated. It usually leads to poor system
performance as well. Over-torque can cause:
•
Bent pins.
•
Recessed or protruding pins.
•
Recessed or protruding dielectrics.
•
Chipped plating.
•
Damaged coupling threads.
•
Coupling nut retaining ring damage.
•
Mushroomed outer interface shells.
•
Mushroomed pin shoulders.
2818A-900 Revision AB
RF Power Transfer Standard
14
Advertisement
Table of Contents
