Bus terminals in a shaky environment

[sbrooke]

I'm putting together a PCB design (my first) for a project that will go in a car. Some of the "best practice" issues are proving difficult but I'm trying to get through it. For a shaky environment like this will be (race car, not a luxo barge) I have a concern about bringing wires from other devices into the usual blue bus terminal https://www.adafruit.com/products/725. I'm worried that the screw connections will shake loose.

Anyone have ideas on alternatives? I'm considering mounting molex type plugs instead of the bus terminal. Sound like a good idea?

[lyndon]

I would also be concerned about vibration working the screws loose and also about corrosion if there is any moisture. Screw terminals don't do too well when exposed to weather. I have had a few projects that were mounted on fuel delivery trucks and I used standard header pins with locking ramp like Molex 22-23-2021. I have never received any feedback about them working loose. I'd expect higher vibration on a race car, so I would recommend using CPC connectors like these: http://search.digikey.com/us/en/product ... 5-ND/15602 That connector uses a locking ring to secure the cable to the socket. I really like them for passing cabling through enclosure walls.

CPC connectors are used in a lot of military and aerospace products and there is a huge span in cost and ruggedness. They can get a bit expensive once all the bits are added (plug, socket, pins, receptacles, cable shrouds, tooling, etc) but for reliability they're hard to beat.

If you don't have to pass cables through an enclosure, then rectangular locking header pins/sockets would be cheaper than going the CPC route and they work very well. Some high-vibration applications use a zip tie around the connector for extra security.

[franklin97355]

I would look at how other connectors are made on this type of vehicle and try to match that as close as possible. Solder where you can, strain relief and loctite where you can't.