Contact Part
A conductive element installed in a connector housing that forms the electrical interface between mating connectors. This is often crimped or soldered to a wire and has a specific shape to fit into a corresponding connector housing.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Part Number | Unique identifier for the contact part |
| Manufacturer | Company that produces the part |
| Description | Description of the contact part |
| URL | Link to datasheet or manufacturer website |
| Price | Unit price of part |
| Type | Connection method between the wire and contact — crimp, solder, or other |
| Gender | Gender of the contact — pin or socket |
| Min Gauge | Minimum wire size the contact supports |
| Max Gauge | Maximum wire size the contact supports |
| Cavity Seal | Optional Cavity Seal Part assigned to this contact, counted in the BOM whenever the contact is used |
For gauge, you can enter the following units (set the default unit under Main Menu → Settings → Harness settings):
mm²- Millimeters Squared (Metric)AWG- American Wire Gaugecmil- Circular Milkmil- Kilo Circular Mil
Assigning Contacts
Contacts can be assigned through a Connector Configuration and are automatically applied to any Connector Component when that Connector Part is assigned.
Manually Assigning Contacts
To manually assign or override contacts, left-click the terminal part button in the connector cavity within the Schematic View and select the desired terminal.
The visibility of parts can be toggled on the Layout and Schematic screens by left-clicking Show parts in the bottom right hand corner of the view.
Remove/ Assign No Contact
To remove a Contact part from a particular cavity that has been assigned a contact automatically from a connector part being applied, left-click the Contact Part you wish to remove and select Don’t use default part
Cavity Seal
A contact can carry a Cavity Seal Part—a per-contact seal for environmental sealing where the wire enters the connector cavity. To assign one, edit the contact part and left-click the Cavity Seal field, then select or create the seal.
Once assigned, the cavity seal is counted in the BOM wherever the contact is used, so its quantity always matches the total usage of that contact.