IEC power connector

- an overview, and information about the IEC power connectors with specifications and details of these IEC connectors.

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Connector Technology Includes:
Connector basics Connector types Specifications Selecting the right connector D-type connector IEC power connector Jack connector XLR connector IDC connector PCB edge connector DIN 41612 connector

IEC connector is the common name for the set of thirteen power line connectors. They are defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) specification IEC 60320, and these IEC connectors are widely used for the power connections on electrical and electronic equipment.

There is a total of thirteen different types of IEC power connector that are defined. The IEC power connectors include variants with two and three conductors as well as different current variants to enable power to be connected into different types of electrical and electronic equipment.

These power connectors are widely sued for domestic equipment ranging from products including small mains powered radios through computers to items such as electrical kettles and the like. The fact that there is a wide range of IEC connectors means that the same series can be sued for a very wide variety of applications while still having an overall specification to detail the connectors.

Basic IEC power connector types

The main types of IEC power connectors are outlined below:

Connector designation	Basic description	Current capability (A)	Further details
C1	2 conductor	0.2	Non-polarised
C3	2 conductor	2.5
C5	3 conductor	2.5
C7	2 conductor	2.5	Non -polarised although there is also a polarised version.
C9	2 conductor	6	Non-polarised
C11	2 conductor	10
C13	3 conductor	19
C15	3 conductor	10	120 �C maximum temperature
C15A	3 conductor	10	120 �C maximum temperature
C17	2 conductor	16
C19	3 conductor	16
C21	3 conductor	16	155 �C maximum temperature
C23	2 conductor	16

Most common forms of IEC Power Connector

IEC power connector summary

IEC power connectors are now the standard form of power connector used on electronic and electrical equipment. Being a standard format, it is easy to buy ready constructed leads and this makes them very attractive for equipment manufacturers whoa re able to buy off the shelf items very cheaply because the quantities that are manufactured overall. In addition to this the connectors themselves are freely available and low cost. Additionally a wide variety of filtered connectors is available, again at low cost, enabling filtering and other functions to be incorporated using standard components. These and many other advantages mean that IEC power connectors are an ideal choice for many electronics equipment design applications.