How do I make a feed-through connector?
I see there is a device type called "Feed-Through Connector" as an option when creating new components. Is this for bulkhead connectors such as http://www.l-com.com/coaxial-75-ohm-coaxial-adapter-bnc-female-female-bulkhead
And/or for adapters such as connecting an SMA plug to a TNC jack?
Or is this device type intended for other types of feed-through devices such as a port through which wires are passed and subsequently permanently epoxied?
We use bulkhead connectors and adapters and would like to create symbols for them that accept connections on both ends. However, when I try to create a symbol, I usually get an error that connector type symbols can have only one connection node.
Am I doing something wrong?
Is there a better way to create bulkhead connectors than making a block device with separate connectors?
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I have defined a feed-through component for this type of connector:
And this is what my symbol looks like for one of the pins (on the right you see the structure of the feed-through component)
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YES. The Feedthrough connector device type is used for this.
Zuken should already have a symbol in the default library. If you are creating the new symbol like the one shown above, the symbol type is Normal, allowing you to add more than one connection node.
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Which database is the default one and what is the symbol called?
I would like to use the MilSymbol style, but get errors that I can't have more than one connection point. If I can see how another style (other than Mil) works, maybe I can figure out how to create a mil-style symbol.
Are the pins set up to pass signal in the default library?
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actually, the symbols may have been part of a special MilAero symbol database I got from Zuken.
My complete connector symbol looks like this:
As I said above, when creating your own, use a symbol type of Normal NOT Connector.Passing signals is done on the component sheet, by setting signal equivalency.
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Thanks Paul and Paul,
Ah, SYMBOL type of Normal...I missed that on your previous post. Thanks for pointing that out. I will try that. To create both the individual pin-view symbol as well as the full-device-view symbol, both views would be of symbol type Normal?
Is there a way to have the functionality of Mil Symbol characteristics for the individual pin views? Such as automatically changing to the top or bottom end symbol? Or does that have to be a manual symbol change/addition?
When I try to add pins to the component, the "add pin" command is greyed out. Is this related to the "number of symbols" box when creating the component? Or is there some other way of adding pins?
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Darryl,
To answer your last question, instead of using the "Insert pin" command, you need to use the "Insert Symbol" command.
Thanks for the help to everyone in this thread. I just tackled this problem today, and I don't think I would have got it figured out as soon without the examples in here.
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Thank you too Jason.
I think I have added the symbols and pins, but I am now stuck on adding valid mating connectors.
The receptacle to which I want to mate the feedthrough tells me that my feedthrough is "not a valid mating connector" when I select it as the active mating connector in the database editor.
Is there something I must do to make the feedthrough the active mating connector?
How do I add a backshell pin to the feedthrough?
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I haven't had any success adding a feedthru as a Valid Mating Connector, though I haven't tried too hard. It wouldn't surprise me if the tool won't allow it. Feedthrus don't use regular connector symbols, having more than connection node. Therefore, the tool won't know which end to auto place the valid mate You should still be able to manually mate the feedthru to the connector.
Why would you need to add a backshell pin to a feedthru connector?
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Hmm...that's what I was afraid of, Paul.
Yes, I manually mated them, and was able to auto place mates from the feedthru, but can't autoplace from feedthrough to connector (because I can't add a valid mate).
We have a custom blindmate connector which is blindmate on one side of a feedthrough, but accepts a mil-circular on the other side. The Mil-circular would have a backshell pin, so I'd expect what mates to it to have one as well, so the drawing shows continuity of shields through backshell and connector shells.
However, if there is a better way than using backshell pins to show shield connections to backshells using Mil connector symbols, I'd like to hear about that (might call for a different post, though).
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I thought I remember hearing that feed-through support is being added to the Mil-style connector symbols. Does anyone have any information on this?
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