Information on Molex and JST Wire-to-Board Connectors

Wire-to-board connectors are a special type of electrical connectors that use mechanical assembly as an interface to join electrical circuits.

What to look for in a wire-to-board connector?

Wire-to-board connectors are classified based on following attributes:

· Pitch size

· Physical construction

· Resistance to vibration

· Size

· Insulation between pins

· Resistance to entry of contaminants

· Contact resistance

· Resistance to pressure

· Ease of connecting and disconnecting

· Reliability

· Lifetime

Most of the well-recognized wire-to-board connector manufacturers provide a simple keying mechanism in connectors that prevents the connection of wrong pins. Moreover, it does not allow the user to insert the pins in wrong orientation. This makes sure that the wire is inserted properly and will not fall out of the board.

The connectors must be easy to identify visually, easy to assemble and should be inexpensive. They should have a simple wire to board mechanism, vertical and horizontal headers and a mechanism to avoid wrong mating. Sometimes, an equipment manufacturer willfully chooses a connector design just because it is not compatible with equipment from other sources; this allows the manufacturer a control over what may or may not be connected. It is interesting to know that, despite a wide variety of connectors available in market, a single wire-to-board

connector is not good enough to meet the requirements of different electrical appliances with varying specifications.

Molex and JST wire-to-board connectors

Molex connectors were pioneered by Molex Connector Company. They were widely acclaimed in the market and served as a standard for early electronic connectors. Their pitch size ranges from 1.25mm to 5.08 mm for which current rating ranges from 1A AC,DC to 5A AC,DC, voltage rating from 150V AC,DC and wire from 28-32 AWG to 16-24 AWG respectively.

JST connectors are manufactured by Japan Solderless Terminal Manufacturing Corporation and are commonly used in consumer products. They are available in pitch size range of 0.8 to 3.96. These connectors are available in the current rating ranging from 0.5A to 7A AC,DC, and voltage rating ranges from 30V AC,DC to 25-V AC,DC. In addition, the wire size ranges from 32-36 AWG to 18-22 AWG.

Molex and JST are two most popular manufacturers of wire to board connectors whose products are used and liked over the entire globe. Both manufacturers offer a large assortment of creative and cheap electrical connectors that help a great deal in solving many engineering problems. They produce high quality items that show high resistance to vibration, heat and other environmental factors. These connectors are considered the best in the market and are often used not only for domestic and small-scale projects, but also for commercial and large-scale projects where it is not possible to compromise on quality.

Resource box: Molex and JST are two most popular wire to board connector manufacturers who offer inexpensive, innovative and high quality electrical equipment.