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Neutrik cable and chassis connectors |
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 Appl. conn. |
other specials |
| Neutrik*
PowerCON connectors
are sealed couplers with locking device that guarantee a safe power
connection in rugged conditions. Among others they are used for on
stage performances and applications in harsh outdoor environment. 250V
connectors, appliance inlets and outlets exist for 16A, 20A and 32A. Image no. 14 shows the original XLR connector designed by Cannon Electric Co. in the 1950s. Image nos 15 and 16 show a Neutrik XLR connector based on the Cannon original. * Neutrik A.G. in Schaan, Liechtenstein, designer and manufacturer of appliance couplers for audio, video, lighting, power and data applications. |
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| 1, 2 | Neutrik PowerCON TRUE1 TOP* cable
connectors rated at single phase 16A - 250V (USA: 20A - 120V). (a) NAC3MX-W-TOP locking male connector; (b) NAC3FX-W-TOP locking female connector; (c-d) NAC3PX TOP appliance inlet (c) and outlet (d) combination. Rubber, flexible covers for in- and outlet can be added. Separate inlet and outlet units exist also. Female connector fits in inlet 'c'; male connector in outlet 'd'. Neutrik PowerCON TRUE1 TOP 16A connectors and appliance in-/outlets fully comply with IEC 60320 standard specifications, which among others means that connection and disconnection under load or live is allowed. * TOP stands for True Outdoor Protection (IP65). |
| 2 | Exploded view of male (top) and female (bottom) connectors. Neutrik logo and TOP mark are shown bottom right. |
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| 3 | Front view of NAC3FX-W-TOP. Line, neutral
and earth contacts are located in confined spaces. Female connectors and appliance outlets (image 1d) have four cams (green arrows). The top left cam is wider than the other three. Male connectors and appliance inlets have corresponding notches. The wide cam serves to position a male connector correctly, see image 4; any other position is impossible. |
| 4 | (a) Procedure to connect and lock
male (right) and female (left) connectors. (b) As explained in the caption to image 3, there is only one position in which the male connector fit. (c) Male and female connectors are nearly fully plugged into each other, but electrical contact has not yet been made. (d) Press male connector further inwards and rotate 30 degrees clockwise to lock and make electrical contact. To unlock, shift the metal clip of the female connector backwards and rotate male connector counterclockwise. |
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| 5-7 |
NAC3FCA
lockable cable connector, assembled (5) and the four
separate connector components (6). Rating: single phase 20A - 250V.
Image no. 7 show a front view of the connector. Rating: single phase
20A - 250V. 20 and 32 Amp devices are designed for professional use of audio, video and power appliances, and should not be connected or disconnected under load or live. |
| 8 |
NAC3MPA-1 chassis inlet. To plug in the connector, the wider
cam (see image no. 7; blue arrow) has to be positioned in the top
notch. |
| 9 | To make contact, the connector has to be fully plugged into
the inlet and then rotated 30 degrees clockwise. The tip of the yellow
clip springs automatically in large notch of the inlet and locks the
connector fully.
To remove the connector, the yellow clip has to be moved backwards
manually whereafter the connector can be rotated counterclockwise and
pulled out. |
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| 10 | NAC3FCB lockable,
power-out cable connector. Rating 20A - 250V. |
| 11 | NAC3MPB-1 appliance
chassis inlet (grey) and outlet (blue). Chassis parts are
nearly identical to each other, but there is one crucial difference:
the
position of notches and cams. The different position makes it
impossible to mix blue (power-in)
and grey (power-out) components. |
| note |
Neutrik lockable cable connectors and in/outlets (images 5-11) have a striking similarity to Hubbell Twist-lock devices shown on North America heavy duty page,. See images 22 and 23. |
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| 12, 13 |
NAC3MP-HC chassis connector power-in (12) and NAC3FC-HC
cable connector (13). Rating: 32A - 250V, single phase. |
| XLR connectors |
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14 |
In
1950 the Cannon Electric company in Los Angeles, California
introduced the Cannon X series connectors for audio, video and stage
lighting applications. In 1955 a latch was added to lock connectors. The series was
renamed XL. The original model had 3 poles, but 4 - 7 pin models have been added to the range: XLR3, XLR4 ..... XLR7. See Wikipedia for more information about XLR connectors. Classic XLR LNE (Line, Neutral, Earth) "female" connector made by Cannon in the Melbourne, Australia plant. Rating: 5A - 250V AC. {DF} |
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15 16 |
XLR LNE-FC (female) connector, made by Neutrik. This older model is rated at 5A - 250V. Modern Neutrik XLR series are rated at >50V. See XLR link below for details. The Swis +S electro-technical certification mark was introduced in 2002. {DF} Exploded view of XLR LNE-FC components. a. Female Connector part with solder contacts. After inserting into an appliance inlet the earth clip locks the connector. To unlock, press the black button down. b. Sleeve to avoid contact of wires, joined with solder, with housing 'c'. c. Metal housing. d. Screw to fix connector part 'a'. e. Cord grip; when cap 'f' is screwed on, the three cord grip projections fasten the cord. f. Cap with flexible cord exit (orange). |
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| Find additional information on web
pages PowerCON TRUE1 TOP / PowerCON 20A / PowerCON 32A / XLR
series |
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D i g i t a l M u s e u m o f |  |
P l u g s a n d S o c k e t s |  |