In addition to the existing front connectors with screw and spring-loaded terminals, two new 20-pole and 40-pole front connectors with insulation-piercing technique (FastConnect) are now available.

This type of connector has proven itself in industry and has the following features:

Advantages:

1. Very simple handling saves time and money

With this type of connection the conductor (wire) only needs to be cut. It is then inserted into the connector and the wire is fixed inside the terminal by a mechanism with a screwdriver. Two knife contacts thereby pierce the insulation and automatically establish electrical contact with the copper of the wire. Tests have shown that this mounting technique can bring a time saving of up to 60% compared to conventional screw terminals.

2. Very simple handling helps to avoid wiring errors

The conductors are only cut to size. No insulation stripping is required. Crimping of wire end ferrules as used for conventional wiring is also not necessary. Typical errors, e.g. wire stripped too short or too long, or wire end ferrules not properly crimped, are thus a thing of the past.

3. Insulation-piercing connectors guarantee reliable connections

This statement is true in several regards. Reliability is firstly improved because the connection cannot come loose by itself, as is the case with incorrectly tightened screws. The insulation is pierced upon connection. The wire makes contact on the contact surface of the terminal. The connection formed is comparable to cold welding. The contact point is sealed  gas tight, so that no corrosion can occur. The contact is safe for years and decades.

4. Insulation-piercing connectors have proven themselves in practice

The insulation-piercing connectors as used for the two new S7-300 front connectors have already proven themselves over many years with other Siemens products. Examples are ET 200S terminal modules, PROFIBUS connectors and the Diagnostic Repeater. We specially point out the Diagnostic Repeater, because this is a high-tech measuring device requiring extremely good contacting of the PROFIBUS wires, so that connection faults do not corrupt the results of measurement.

Technical data and limiting conditions:

·         Opening hole for 1.5mm sq. test probe.

·         Connectors are available in 20-pole and 40-pole versions.

·         They can be used in conjunction with all S7-300 I/O modules and compact CPUs.

·         Both solid and stranded conductors can be used.

·         Permitted core cross-sections: 0.25mm sq. to 1.5mm sq.

·         Max. no. of connection cycles: 25 if the core cross-section remains the same; (10 cycles, if the largest cross-section is used 9 times and the smallest at the 10th)

·         Note: the max. no. of connection cycles is reduced to 10, if conductors with the max. cross-section of 1.5mm sq. are used.

Ordering data:

 

Type	Order No.
S7-300 Front connector, FastConnect, 20-pole	6ES7 392-1CJ00-0AA0
S7-300 Front connector, FastConnect, 40-pole	6ES7 392-1CM00-0AA0