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Hey all,
Can anyone help in identifying these terminals?
I haven’t come across these before, and it’s not clear how the retention mechanism works. I’ve already broken and lost the orange clip from the AUX terminal by playing around.
I need 0V and OSC to connect a smart relay to my garage door. I can’t afford to break another…
Thank you!
Those are 100% spring terminals as the other person mentioned. I use these in my designs, you'll need to press the orange buttons quite hard as they're meant to work even in rocketry applications where bolted electrical connections may loosen.
When you press the button, you'll still need to apply mild insertion force. These work either with solid core wire, or stranded if the stranded wire has a ferrule crimped on.
Shows how pressing the button bends a metal tang away from where the wire comes in, the little area with a squiggle.
Thank you! Something concrete to go on. Is there a specific name these go by? I couldn’t find them by searching.
I think I have two issues to work through. I’m not sure I applied enough pressure to actuate the spring (access may be a limiting factor in-situ), and I was using an extremely fine gauge of wire. I doubt it would have the stiffness to push in.
Would a stalk lug work to provide added stiffness to the conductor, or does this terminal expect something malleable?
The green and orange colors are quite typical of the phoenix contacts brand. It's not a perfect match, but this model is very close: https://www.phoenixcontact.com/en-us/products/printed-circuit-board-terminal-sptaf-1-7-35-il-1861988
These are made by te connectivity, horrendous datasheets, but pretty good products. I'm more a Phoenix man myself but you work with what you've got in stock: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/1-2834011-4/5872966
The drawings are found towards the bottom of that page, scroll way down to see "product drawings".
I don't think these care about malleability too much, they'll pinch whatever you can fit into its maw.
This is what people in my field mean re ferrules:
Good luck, glad I could help 👍
That’s great. Thank you again!
Since they're on a garage door opener, they're probably designed to be very simple to operate. Not to malign electricians or general contractors, but they don't have the time to deal with fussy mechanisms - they'll deal with it once, then never use that brand again.
Since the hole is at an angle I'd guess they're spring loaded but manually operated. That little slot on the top of the orange buttons looks designed for a flat screwdriver to push it down, opening the clamping mechanism, and it's spring loaded to come back up and clamp the wire.
Also, looking at the shape of the body and orange parts, they can only move in/out.
Just my guess. Can you shine a light into the hole and see the mechanism at all?
Try pushing an orange piece in with a small screwdriver and little pressure.
That looks like be a push-in terminal.
The orange pushers are only needed for release.
Could be from Phoenix contact, could be from anyone else who likes green. Search for phoenix push-in pcb terminal
Good luck
Are they spring terminal blocks? You push down on the orange button, insert your wire and let go on those.
That was my initial thought, but there’s little to no give in the orange button. If anything it only felt like a little play you get between loosely coupled mechanical pieces. That’s when I tried operating it like a clamp and broke one off.
Have you tried inserting (solid core) installation wire? My guess is that it's some sort of spring clamp, that is triggered by pushing in a wire. The orange things are only used when taking a wire out.
Looks like a spring loaded or push in terminal block