High-durability, low-cost Mil-DTL 38999 series II connector

ITT Interconnect Solutions is a renowned manufacturer of Mil-DTL 38999 connectors for military applications, with a track record stretching back over 30 years during which time it has supplied more than 40million interconnects to this important market. As well as the standard Mil-DTL 38999 qualified connectors, ITT ICS regularly works on custom and value-added designs and is now qualified to offer drawings for quotes. The company's value-added service modifies products to suit customer needs, as ITT ICS engineers are skilled at creating customised connectors to provide innovative solutions to customers' interconnect problems.

A customer recently requested a high-durability, low-cost Mil-DTL 38999 series II connector that included a contact for a printed circuit board and a rear seal for use in corrosive environments. In addition to the requested custom features, the customer wanted the connector to withstand thermal cycling and be air pressure sealed to 5psi. The specified connector had to be created as a modified existing product, as the customer was unwilling to carry additional tooling expenses and also required the custom interconnect to be intermateable with standard Mil-DTL 38999 connectors. ITT ICS engineers redesigned the rear insulator and shell of an ITT ICS Mil-DTL 38999 series II series connector to incorporate an epoxy compound.

The project had to run on a tight timescale during both the design and manufacturing stages, which was achieved through very close co-operation between ITT ICS design engineers and its manufacturing facility. The teamwork proved flexible enough to cope with two customer design changes during the project. The ability to respond and provide this customer's custom interconnect has resulted in a qualification to customer drawing that is valued at $500,000 per year.

Applications for the custom MIL-DTL 38999 connector with printed circuit board contact include military communications systems, such as portable radios and military vehicle radios. Further details are available in an Applications Note downloadable from www.ittcannon.com.