M12 connectors on a panel

[gleblanc]

Hi folks. I'm trying to figure out how I can wire up one of my panels here so that I don't break it again (amazingly enough, I broke this one without any help from the operators. Oops). I have a test instrument that is mounted to a mobile cart. 99% of the time, this cart sits under the bench at the operator's workstation. Tucked away under there, it's hard to see the OK/NG lights. I had a stack light mounted to the workstation, with the wires attached to the phoenix connector on the back of the instrument. This worked well until I tried to roll the cart away for testing elsewhere. I'd like to mount the stack light to a small junction box (4"x4" or so), and have something like an M12 connector on the side of the box. Then I'd just wire up a cable from the phoenix connector to the M12 connector, making it easy to disconnect. I can't just use the phoenix connector for this because it's also wired in to a pushbutton enclosure mounted on the front of the cart. The only thing I've found so far that looks promising is this from automation direct: http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Wiring_Solutions/Multi-Port_Junction_Blocks/M12_socket_(4-port)/ZP-JBH45-00-FW But I'm not sure if it's suitable, as it's hard to tell from the photos. Any tips? Greg

[JRoss]

I'm not quite sure I follow, but is this what you are looking for? Mencom manufactures a wide variety of receptacles, cables, etc. The only confusing thing is their descriptors. What you and I call "M12" or "M8", they call "Micro DC".

[gleblanc]

Yep, that looks like just the thing. I'll give them a call when they wake up a bit later. Thanks, Greg

[drforsythe]

"Micro", "nano" and "pico" were the commonly used terms for these small connectors when they were first developed. The problem came from manufacturers confusing the names (they did not match from manufacturer to manufacturer). Now they are called out by their thread size. Not that this bit of trivia helps you solve your problem, but it could help ensure you get the right product in the future.