Micro-plug connectors


MikeOwnby

MikeOwnby

Active Member
I'm wondering if anyone can point me to some micro-connectors that I could use to connect wires in an N-scale locomotive. Most of the plugs I've found are simply too large to practically fit in most N-scale installs, and after all the decoder wires are quite tiny and carry very little current so they certainly don't need a huge plug.

The reason I need these is that there are times when I need to install lighting or other wiring that has to be attached to or permanently run into the shell. I'm left then with having to put in a length of wire that allows me to remove the shell far enough away from the chassis to actually be able to work on it if need be, which is considerably longer than I'd have to leave just to get to a small connector. And of course I can't completely separate the shell from the chassis without desoldering or cutting wires if I ever did in fact need to do that.

I've tried looking around at Tiger Direct (I'm sure they have something), but their website is incredibly difficult to find anything on without knowing exactly what you need and what the exact name (if not the actual part number) is. Otherwise you're just browsing thousands upon thousands of random things that kinda fit your idea of what you're looking for. I'm not even really sure where else to look, and when you search for micro-plugs that turns out to be a relative term. What's small in the automotive biz would barely fit in an empty N-scale shell WITHOUT the chassis getting in the way.

BTW, to be useful for N-scale, the plugs would need to accommodate 3 or 4 wires and still not be much larger than a 3mm (5mm at most) LED.

Any ideas or links would be appreciated.
 
CMMR said:
Mike - these are available at Micro-Mark:

http://www.micromark.com/32-pin-micro-connector-set,12332.html
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Thanks. That's better that anything I've found online so far. I'd still like it to be thinner, but that 3mm thickness it has would probably work for a lot of things.

I actually found a very wafer-thin connector at a LHS a couple years ago that was nearly perfect, but I've since been unable to find anything else like it. It had wires already attached to the plugs, but they could just be cut down, joined to the decoder/lights/etc. and then shrink wrapped that way. I've also seen plugs like that in things like PS4 consoles, blu-ray players etc., but they usually attach to a circuit board rather than having a mate, so even scrounging old electronics isn't particularly useful. The LHS had exactly one package of them, and never restocked. I'm told they're still in business, but it's been a year since I've managed to find the door unlocked during their very erratic business hours. Since they're not my primary LHS, I just gave up & quit trying to check.
 
fcwilt said:
Hi,

There are the small connectors I know of:

http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=4

but they are not cheap.

Frederick
Click to expand...

Yeah, they're not, but they do look like they'd be perfect. I wish that site had pictures that would enlarge so you could see detail. Do you know if those wires are easily separated and stripped, or are the individual wires also wrapped in an outer round jacket?

EDIT: I found a good picture on eBay, and I see the wires are easily separated and stripped. Unfortunately, it also seems that they're a little thicker than I'd have thought at first glance. The two-conductor plug looks to be almost square, which means it's as thick or thicker than the one at Micromark. That may be what I have to go with.
 
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CMMR said:
Ok Mike - how about these:

https://www.tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Products/Supplies/Connectors/Micro_Conn/index.html
Click to expand...

I hope you'll all join me in a moment of silence to mourn the passing of the last of my intelligence. I cannot believe I didn't think to check DCC manufacturers. Wow.
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Okay! So...ding ding ding! I think we have a winner. Those are barely over 1.5mm thick, which is nearly half that of the Micro-Mark connectors. Thank you guys for pointing me in the right direction. VERY much appreciated.
 
Don't forget that it'd be smart if you consider some method of keying any connectors so they can't be connected backwards......
 
I guess what you are after are jst connectors, if you do a google search you will find they come in different sizes from very small to large also from 1 pin to multiple pins.
 
crusader27529 said:
Don't forget that it'd be smart if you consider some method of keying any connectors so they can't be connected backwards......
Click to expand...

Yep. Hopefully I'll never have to unplug them anyway, but sooner or later it's probably inevitable.

peroni said:
I guess what you are after are jst connectors, if you do a google search you will find they come in different sizes from very small to large also from 1 pin to multiple pins.
Click to expand...

The JST are thicker than I'd like (the smallest I've found are still about 3.5mm overall in height), though their length & width is good and similar to both the Micro-Mark & TCS. They're actually over-engineered for this application, where there's normally no strain or movement and they'll only rarely (or ideally never) be disconnected or handled. The big difference is how tall (height or thickness) the connectors are. The Micro-Mark plug is right at 3mm and not much improvement, but the TCS plug is around 1.6mm tall. My only complaint is that I wish they came in a 3-lead configuration, but the extra fourth lead can be cut off if it's necessary in a tight fit. Though they're not cheap, that's what I'll be going with. That difference in thickness/height doesn't mean much in HO, but in N-scale it's the difference between a Clydesdale and a Shetland Pony ;)
 
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