panel-mount DC barrel jack specs

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nchidsey
 
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panel-mount DC barrel jack specs

Post by nchidsey »

I have two questions about this panel-mount DC barrel connector: https://www.adafruit.com/product/610. The page says 2.1mm inner diameter, and the datasheet says 2.0mm. Are those compatible?

Also, is it really only capable of 0.5 amps when the tiny breadboard connector (https://www.adafruit.com/product/373) is 5 A?

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: panel-mount DC barrel jack specs

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

The sizes are compatible. The pin is slightly smaller than the bore of the hole for ease of connection.
nchidsey wrote:Also, is it really only capable of 0.5 amps when the tiny breadboard connector (https://www.adafruit.com/product/373) is 5 A?
What a part is capable of, and what the part is rated for, are two different things.

Current ratings are generally based on heat: how much the contacts heat up as current flows through them, and how easily they dissipate heat rather than storing it up and continuing to get hotter. The panel-mount connector's contacts are enclosed in a lot of plastic, and go through an impregnated paper PCB. Its thermal dissipation probably isn't great.

500mA is the value guaranteed to work by the manufacturer. For higher currents, you'll need to take your own measurements.

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