Ethernet connectors

[mr at racal-itd.co.uk]

Further to the various comments on Ethernet connections (and why there
so frequently isn't one), here is a note from our chief h/w honcho:

----- Start -----
I tackled the problem by trying to determine what the problem really
was. We have seen the problem on other Sun equipment in addition to the
3/60. It was clear to me that the problem lay in the fact that the drop
cable's connector did not go fully home into the mating half on the Sun
equipment. The slidelock pillars on the drop cable were butting up
against the Sun, preventing the two connectors from engaging further,
so I started by removing the slidelock hardware from the drop cable.
This enabled the drop cable's connector to fully seat in the half on
the Sun (it actually went in 2mm more than it would do with the
slidelock hardware fitted). However, I wanted to provide a solution
which still had the slidelock hardware available, so that some method
of retaining the drop cable would still be available to the user. The
slidelock hardware attached to the drop cable merely consists of a pair
of hex pillars. The pillars each have a groove around them to give the
slidelock something to hold onto. What I required was a pair of these
pillars which did not project so far out from the D connector itself.
Fortunately, the drop cables which we use have packing washers under
each of the pillars. These washers push the pillars out by almost 2mm,
so all I needed to do was to remove the packing washers from under each
pillar. This simple modification allows the drop cable to make a
positive connection to the connector on the Sun. It has the added
advantages that the slidelock mechanism can still be used to provide a
more robust mechanical connection and is compatible with the style of
connection used for Ethernet, so there is no hassle when you need to
change to another machine. All of the installations which have had this
modification are working fine and I am unaware of any instances of
people accidentally dislodging the connection.
----- End -----

Hope this is of use to someone,
        Martin Reed, Racal Imaging Systems Ltd
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