New Industry Products

Wire-to-Wire IDC Connectors with Extended Wire Range

January 08, 2017 by Jeff Shepard

TE Connectivity is introducing a new generation of CoolSplice connectors. This wire-to-wire insulation displacement connector (IDC) splice solution combines reliability with ease of termination. The wire size range has been extended to enable a splice of larger wires. Applications for CoolSplice connectors include lighting in outdoor sign and building facades, in commercial refrigeration, in displays and cabinets, as well as in HVAC and security and alarm systems.

TE’s new connectors leverage a push button design to ease wire termination and the body of the connector is made from a clear material to allow visual inspection of the termination. Gel-filled sealed versions meet an Ingress Protection IPX8 standard, which means they withstand up to two hours under water at a depth of one meter.

The splice can be made quickly and easily and requires no special tools. The user inserts the insulated wire into an insulation displacement crimp contact and pushes down the button of the connector with standard pliers. Movement of the wire into the insulation piercing contact can be easily seen through the clear housing sidewall.

CoolSplice connectors have two independent buttons that allow users to pre-assemble a single wire and complete the splice later, making it possible to preterminate a wire in the factory and then finish the installation in the field.

The new connectors are suitable for splicing solid and stranded wire between 22AWG and 18AWG (0.34 mm2 to 0.75 mm2). Standard connectors have green buttons, while sealed connectors have blue buttons. All are rated 3.5- to 5-A maximum at 450V ac or dc. Their compact size enables them to fit through holes as small as 16mm.

TE’s CoolSplice connector portfolio has also been expanded to include IDC connectors suitable for splicing larger wires from 18AWG to 12AWG (0.75 mm2 - 4.0 mm2). The connectors have clear bodies with red, yellow and blue color-coded termination buttons to make matching wire size to the appropriate connector an easy task. There are three variants that collectively can splice eight different combinations of wire sizes. Both standard and sealed versions are available.

CoolSplice Large Wire is suitable for use in many types of outdoor public lighting such as roadway, bridge and tunnel lighting, and in home automation applications. Versions accepting 18AWG wire are rated 10A max at 600V ac and dc, while versions accepting 16 and 14 AWG wire are rated 15A max at 600V ac and dc. All CoolSplice connectors can be used in temperatures from minus 40 and up to 105 degrees C.