Connecting the Dots
The illumination Physics Push-to-Snap connector
The (not so) humble power and data connector – illumination Physics moulded – on push-to-snap connectors.
The commercialisation of the LED light fitting mandated the creation of connectors because LED luminaires would be used pervasively and repeatedly in the new lighting designs that were possible.
Continuous lines of pixelated light were suddenly possible, in either direct or indirect view applications.
LED “dots”, pixels or modules (pick a definition) are used in a matrix.
Either way, the consequence for installation is that a factory-fitted connector is essential. The number of connections is overwhelming and should not be made on site.
Reliable, repeatable and easy connections were required from the beginning of the LED revolution, which Illumination Physics would say took place around 2003.
So how can it be that it took almost two decades to get the connectors right?
The first generation of connectors solved the most obvious problem. It is far better to solder the conductors to the pins of a connector on a factory production line. Quality control and testing also accompany the process. The generation 1 connectors were a no-brainer.
Problems remained, however.
The generation 1 connectors could pass the IP65 ingress protection test when they were new but as the years passed, cables shrank and the grip that the grommets originally had declined. The generation 1 connectors also contained a small void filled only with air. Water could get in.
Air is a gas, and gases expand and contract with temperature. The ingress of water is inevitable, resulting in an electrical short circuit.
The solution is the moulded-on connector. The electrical connections between the conductors and the pins are made, and then the cable and connector assembly is injection moulded so that the completed connector is 100% solid. Water ingress is impossible because there is no void inside the connector.
Human error was the remaining problem.
A screw-threaded bezel was the obvious way to tighten the male and female halves of the connector together. The correct tension may be obvious to an engineer or skilled electrician, but less so to the worker making the connections. Training is no guarantee of the outcome.
If the bezel connection is not tight enough, the seal will not be complete, and water ingress may occur.
If the threaded bezel connection is over-tightened, the thread will strip, the seal will not be complete without pressure, and water ingress may occur.
The human error component must be eliminated.
