Connector

A Connector joins electrical parts, allowing easy connection and disconnection of circuits. It serves as a termination point in the harness. Connectors can be assigned a Connector Part.

The following parts can be assigned through a Connector Configuration and are automatically applied to any Connector Component when that Connector Part is assigned. A configuration can include several of each.

• Contact Part - Connectors can have multiple cavities, and each cavity that has a connection is assigned a contact. Rules on each contact can pick a different one by cavity size or wire gauge.
• Cavity Plug Part - A cavity plug seals each cavity that has no connection, chosen by the same rules.
• Lock Part - Some connectors require a lock to secure the contacts in place.
• Dust Cover Part - A dust cover can be added to connectors to protect the contacts when unmated.
• Boot Part - A boot, which is soft, mounts to a connector for strain relief and sealing.
• Backshell Part - A backshell, which is rigid, mounts to a connector for strain relief and sealing.
• Mount Part - A mount is the clip or bracket that fixes the connector in place when the harness is installed.
• Covering Part - A covering, such as heat shrink over the back of the connector. To cover only some of the connectors using a part, give them a configuration of their own. See Assigning Coverings.

Adding a Connector

right-click on the canvas in the Schematic or Layout view and select Connector.

Adding and Removing Cavities

Select a connector in the Schematic view, then click the or buttons to add or remove cavities. Type in the number of cavities you want directly into the cavity count box to quickly set the number of cavities.

Reordering, Inserting and Deleting Cavities

right-click on the cavity you want to reorder and select Move cavity up, Move cavity down, Add cavity below or Delete cavity.

Not Connected Cavities

Cavities that are intentionally left unused can be marked N/C. right-click the cavity and select Mark as not connected. The cavity shows a dimmed N/C label in place of its signal, its connection handle is disabled, and it is skipped when tabbing through signals. An N/C cavity is treated as unwired everywhere: it takes the configuration’s cavity plug rather than a contact, raises no “unconnected cavity” warning, and is shown as N/C in the Connections view, the wiring table and the PDF.

A cavity with a connection has to be disconnected before it can be marked N/C. To use the cavity again, right-click it and select Clear not connected.

Connecting to the Shell of a Connector

right-click on the connector and select Add Shell

Shells can be connected to just like cavities.

To move a cavity’s connections to another cavity, hold ⌘ (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) and left-click-drag from the cavity to the new one. See Moving Connections.

Editing Connector and Cavity Names

left-double-click any Connector Name or Cavity Label to edit it. Pressing tab will move to the next label, pressing shift tab will move to the previous label.

The connector name is the connector’s label, which can also be set from the Label field at the top of its right-click menu. It is used in place of the connector’s component ID (C1, C2, …) wherever the connector is named, and with Show component IDs on, the ID is shown beside it in the header.

To label many cavities at once, paste a column of names copied from a spreadsheet into a cavity’s signal field. Each line fills the next cavity down.

Editing Cavity Designations

Cavity Designations are the labels used to identify each cavity in a connector (the pin numbers, e.g. 1, 2, 3 or A1, B2).

How you edit them depends on whether a Connector Part is assigned:

• No part assigned - left-click a designation label and type any value. Each cavity can be set individually.
• Part assigned - the connector inherits its designations from the part, so they can no longer be edited directly on the component. To change them, edit the part’s Designations property — see Cavity Designations.

Adjusting the Width of a Connector

If the name or cavity labels are too long to fit, right-click the connector and use the - / + buttons on the Width row to set its width in grid units (2 to 12; the default is 5). To change the width new connectors start at, see Harness Settings.

Rotating a Connector

Connectors can be rotated 90° in the Schematic view to improve complex layouts. To rotate, right-click a Connector and select Rotate or select a connector and hit the R key.

Connector Drawings on the Layout

In the Layout view, a connector whose part has drawings is drawn as a to-scale top or side drawing of its housing instead of the connector symbol. Bundles meet the drawing at the back, where the wires leave the housing, and you can drop a new bundle or mate anywhere on it. Choose Symbol, Top drawing or Side drawing for the harness in Harness Settings → Layout. See Connector Drawings.

Adding Inline Connectors to Wires

You can add inline connectors by selecting the Wires you would like add the inline connectors to, right-click, and selecting Add inline connectors.

This will add inline connectors to all selected wires.

Adding Inline Connectors to a Bundle

You can add inline connectors by selecting the Bundle you would like add the inline connectors to, right-click, and selecting Add inline connectors.

Mating a Connector

To mate a Connector to another connector see Mates.