Overview
Tyco Electronics Corporation (formerly Amp, Inc), needed a way to test connectors for a product being produced for the automotive industry. The variety and large quantity of connectors that needed testing required Tyco to quickly set up two production lines (that would run 24 hours a day/7 days a week) for building and testing over a million parts, in order to satisfy customer demand.

We helped them develop a procedure for testing the proper assembly and characteristics of the connectors prior to shipment to the end user. Working on an accelerated schedule, our team efficiently designed, fabricated and delivered two test stands within six-weeks of request. The test stands deliver up to 125 Amps of current at 12V DC to each connector for a specified period of time. Testing the connectors at a higher current enabled Tyco to significantly decrease the amount of time required for testing. Each connecter type is designed to trip within a specific range of time and a connector that trips too fast or too slow is considered unacceptable. At the end of each test, a label is printed and affixed to the connector indicating the results of the test.

Features/Benefits
• Portability—Test stands are NEMA-rated console style enclosures mounted on lockable casters, that can easily be transported within the facility when production line configuration requirements change.
• Durability—The heart of the unit is a 1750 Watt DC power supply, capable of delivering up to 125 Amps instantaneously in 5-30 second durations. Each unit is estimated to cycle in excess of 1200 times per day.
• Visual—An analog and digital display of Volts and Amps for each test can be seen, as well as the current test status.
• Safety—Electrical interlocks and enclosed test compartment isolate the operator from the energized parts.
• Cooling—Ventilation system generates airflow directly across the power supply and resistor bank while still allowing for proper cooling of the computer hardware.
• History—Test history (indicating lot number, piece number, test duration, test results, volts and amps) is logged to an MSDE database.
• Reports—Test results based on date, shift and/or part type can be printed for analysis.
• Analysis—Laptop PC provides for easy removal and remote analysis of test information

Development Tools
• DirectSoft by PLC Direct
• Visual Basic 6.0 & MSDE

Client Comments: "The project team helped me meet my customer's aggressive delivery schedule by quickly designing and building a custom connector test station. They met my technical requirements and my customer's schedule with a solid design that has ensured that we deliver a quality product."

Tyco Machine Development Engineer