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Caplugs Dimensions and Associated RF Connectors

 

I'm looking to order Caplugs caps (or similar) for the RF connectors on
my instruments and test cables. I'm starting this thread for two
reasons:

1. to get advice from others about cap styles and sizing
2. to summarize my findings and make it easier for others buying caps
for the same application.

The caplugs style of having a small ridge on the edge of the cap seems
convenient as it should be easy to remove the connector. I have existing
round vinyl style caps that can be a bit cumbersome to remove.

My plan is to use conductive caps for instrument connectors and static
dissipative caps for cable connectors. The conductive caps are probably
slight overkill in most contexts, but, while I'll always leave them on
the equipment, I think they'd be particularly useful for things like
transport where the equipment will likely be exposed to blankets and
other possibly non static dissipative materials. So, the moderate degree
of electrical shielding provided by these caps could make a difference.

The CEC series ()
seems to be the appropriate choice for conductive caps and the SEC
series () seems to
the correct choice for static-dissipative caps.

The table below enumerates RF connectors, their dimensions and the
associated caplugs caps and dimensions (you'll have to view this in a
monospace font for it to be correctly spaced). Dimensions are in D/L,
where D is diameter and L is length. For caps, the diameter and length
refer to the inside of the cap. For connectors, the diameter refers to
the outer thread diameter. Two numbers separated by a dash (e.g., D1-D2)
can be given for connector diameter. This is useful in the case of e.g.,
bayonet connectors which have additional protrusions in addition to the
cylindrical diameter. All dimensions are in inches. The number of digits
is not an indication of significant figures; I've simply chosen it to
line up numbers within columns. Finally, many of these dimensions are
based on measurements I've made myself and may be slightly off.

Please correct any mistakes you find. In particular, I haven't tested
any of these caps, I've simply guessed which size I think would work
best. Also, please feel free to respond with dimensions/caps for any
other connectors. I've simply presented the ones most applicable to me.

| RF connector | dimensions | CEC | dimensions | SEC | dimensions |
| <l> | <c> | <c> | <c> | <c> | <c> |
|--------------+-------------------+--------+-------------+--------+-------------|
| SMA female | XXXXX-0.250/0.230 | CEC-04 | 0.244/0.490 | SEC-04 | 0.245/0.500 |
| SMA male | 0.312-0.350/0.335 | CEC-06 | 0.368/0.510 | SEC-06 | 0.360/0.500 |
| BNC female | 0.386-0.436/0.418 | CEC-07 | 0.430/0.630 | SEC-08 | 0.480/0.500 |
| BNC male | XXXXX-0.573/0.550 | CEC-10 | 0.607/0.500 | SEC-10 | 0.600/0.500 |
| N female | XXXXX-0.620/0.430 | CEC-10 | | SEC-10 | |

FYI caplugs offers free samples so in absence of information from people
who have tested various caps, I may get some samples, test them out and
report back here.

Other things to note: Mouser seems to be a better place to order these
than from Caplugs themselves. The per unit prices seem to be lower and
they allow smaller orders. Alternatively, I'm pretty sure the caps
listed on McMaster-Carr are caplugs
( and
) since the
sizes and styles appear to match up. Their prices also seem
reasonable. If anyone could confirm that these are indeed caplugs of the
CEC and SEC series that would be great. Otherwise, I'll probably clarify
this with them myself and post back here.

Matt
 

I should also mention that I contacted Caplugs and at least the person I
spoke to couldn't tell me which caps work best with which
connectors. Presumably, these caps were designed at least partly for RF
connectors, though that information doesn't seem to be well-disseminated
within the company.
 

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Thanks, Matt.? Very helpful.? ? ?Jim Ford?



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

-------- Original message --------
From: Matt Huszagh <huszaghmatt@...>
Date: 10/22/21 2:00 PM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] Caplugs Dimensions and Associated RF Connectors

I'm looking to order Caplugs caps (or similar) for the RF connectors on
my instruments and test cables. I'm starting this thread for two
reasons:

1. to get advice from others about cap styles and sizing
2. to summarize my findings and make it easier for others buying caps
for the same application.

The caplugs style of having a small ridge on the edge of the cap seems
convenient as it should be easy to remove the connector. I have existing
round vinyl style caps that can be a bit cumbersome to remove.

My plan is to use conductive caps for instrument connectors and static
dissipative caps for cable connectors. The conductive caps are probably
slight overkill in most contexts, but, while I'll always leave them on
the equipment, I think they'd be particularly useful for things like
transport where the equipment will likely be exposed to blankets and
other possibly non static dissipative materials. So, the moderate degree
of electrical shielding provided by these caps could make a difference.

The CEC series (https://www.caplugs.com/threaded-conductive-caps-cec)
seems to be the appropriate choice for conductive caps and the SEC
series (https://www.caplugs.com/static-dissipative-caps-sec) seems to
the correct choice for static-dissipative caps.

The table below enumerates RF connectors, their dimensions and the
associated caplugs caps and dimensions (you'll have to view this in a
monospace font for it to be correctly spaced). Dimensions are in D/L,
where D is diameter and L is length. For caps, the diameter and length
refer to the inside of the cap. For connectors, the diameter refers to
the outer thread diameter. Two numbers separated by a dash (e.g., D1-D2)
can be given for connector diameter. This is useful in the case of e.g.,
bayonet connectors which have additional protrusions in addition to the
cylindrical diameter. All dimensions are in inches. The number of digits
is not an indication of significant figures; I've simply chosen it to
line up numbers within columns. Finally, many of these dimensions are
based on measurements I've made myself and may be slightly off.

Please correct any mistakes you find. In particular, I haven't tested
any of these caps, I've simply guessed which size I think would work
best. Also, please feel free to respond with dimensions/caps for any
other connectors. I've simply presented the ones most applicable to me.

| RF connector |??? dimensions???? |? CEC?? | dimensions? |? SEC?? | dimensions? |
| <l>????????? |??????? <c>??????? |? <c>?? |???? <c>???? |? <c>?? |???? <c>???? |
|--------------+-------------------+--------+-------------+--------+-------------|
| SMA female?? | XXXXX-0.250/0.230 | CEC-04 | 0.244/0.490 | SEC-04 | 0.245/0.500 |
| SMA male???? | 0.312-0.350/0.335 | CEC-06 | 0.368/0.510 | SEC-06 | 0.360/0.500 |
| BNC female?? | 0.386-0.436/0.418 | CEC-07 | 0.430/0.630 | SEC-08 | 0.480/0.500 |
| BNC male???? | XXXXX-0.573/0.550 | CEC-10 | 0.607/0.500 | SEC-10 | 0.600/0.500 |
| N female???? | XXXXX-0.620/0.430 | CEC-10 |???????????? | SEC-10 |???????????? |

FYI caplugs offers free samples so in absence of information from people
who have tested various caps, I may get some samples, test them out and
report back here.

Other things to note: Mouser seems to be a better place to order these
than from Caplugs themselves. The per unit prices seem to be lower and
they allow smaller orders. Alternatively, I'm pretty sure the caps
listed on McMaster-Carr are caplugs
(https://www.mcmaster.com/dust-caps/conductive-round-caps/ and
https://www.mcmaster.com/dust-caps/antistatic-round-caps/) since the
sizes and styles appear to match up. Their prices also seem
reasonable. If anyone could confirm that these are indeed caplugs of the
CEC and SEC series that would be great. Otherwise, I'll probably clarify
this with them myself and post back here.

Matt
 

I confirmed with McMaster-Carr that the caps listed there (and linked in
the first message) are indeed from the CEC and SEC series.

Matt
 

Matt,

the CEC-4 fit SMA-F just fine and the CEC-10 fit N similarly.?

I used the CEC-8 for BNC and it worked, but was a tad loose.

Eric

On Fri, Oct 22, 2021 at 2:00 PM Matt Huszagh <huszaghmatt@...> wrote:
I'm looking to order Caplugs caps (or similar) for the RF connectors on
my instruments and test cables. I'm starting this thread for two
reasons:

1. to get advice from others about cap styles and sizing
2. to summarize my findings and make it easier for others buying caps
for the same application.

The caplugs style of having a small ridge on the edge of the cap seems
convenient as it should be easy to remove the connector. I have existing
round vinyl style caps that can be a bit cumbersome to remove.

My plan is to use conductive caps for instrument connectors and static
dissipative caps for cable connectors. The conductive caps are probably
slight overkill in most contexts, but, while I'll always leave them on
the equipment, I think they'd be particularly useful for things like
transport where the equipment will likely be exposed to blankets and
other possibly non static dissipative materials. So, the moderate degree
of electrical shielding provided by these caps could make a difference.

The CEC series ()
seems to be the appropriate choice for conductive caps and the SEC
series () seems to
the correct choice for static-dissipative caps.

The table below enumerates RF connectors, their dimensions and the
associated caplugs caps and dimensions (you'll have to view this in a
monospace font for it to be correctly spaced). Dimensions are in D/L,
where D is diameter and L is length. For caps, the diameter and length
refer to the inside of the cap. For connectors, the diameter refers to
the outer thread diameter. Two numbers separated by a dash (e.g., D1-D2)
can be given for connector diameter. This is useful in the case of e.g.,
bayonet connectors which have additional protrusions in addition to the
cylindrical diameter. All dimensions are in inches. The number of digits
is not an indication of significant figures; I've simply chosen it to
line up numbers within columns. Finally, many of these dimensions are
based on measurements I've made myself and may be slightly off.

Please correct any mistakes you find. In particular, I haven't tested
any of these caps, I've simply guessed which size I think would work
best. Also, please feel free to respond with dimensions/caps for any
other connectors. I've simply presented the ones most applicable to me.

| RF connector |? ? dimensions? ? ?|? CEC? ?| dimensions? |? SEC? ?| dimensions? |
| <l>? ? ? ? ? |? ? ? ? <c>? ? ? ? |? <c>? ?|? ? ?<c>? ? ?|? <c>? ?|? ? ?<c>? ? ?|
|--------------+-------------------+--------+-------------+--------+-------------|
| SMA female? ?| XXXXX-0.250/0.230 | CEC-04 | 0.244/0.490 | SEC-04 | 0.245/0.500 |
| SMA male? ? ?| 0.312-0.350/0.335 | CEC-06 | 0.368/0.510 | SEC-06 | 0.360/0.500 |
| BNC female? ?| 0.386-0.436/0.418 | CEC-07 | 0.430/0.630 | SEC-08 | 0.480/0.500 |
| BNC male? ? ?| XXXXX-0.573/0.550 | CEC-10 | 0.607/0.500 | SEC-10 | 0.600/0.500 |
| N female? ? ?| XXXXX-0.620/0.430 | CEC-10 |? ? ? ? ? ? ?| SEC-10 |? ? ? ? ? ? ?|

FYI caplugs offers free samples so in absence of information from people
who have tested various caps, I may get some samples, test them out and
report back here.

Other things to note: Mouser seems to be a better place to order these
than from Caplugs themselves. The per unit prices seem to be lower and
they allow smaller orders. Alternatively, I'm pretty sure the caps
listed on McMaster-Carr are caplugs
( and
) since the
sizes and styles appear to match up. Their prices also seem
reasonable. If anyone could confirm that these are indeed caplugs of the
CEC and SEC series that would be great. Otherwise, I'll probably clarify
this with them myself and post back here.

Matt







--
--Eric
_________________________________________
Eric Garner
 

"Eric Garner" <garnere@...> writes:

the CEC-4 fit SMA-F just fine and the CEC-10 fit N similarly.

I used the CEC-8 for BNC and it worked, but was a tad loose.
Interesting, thanks for the comments. If I try CEC-7 on BNC-F I'll let
you know how it fits.

Matt
 

Hi Matt:
One question I would have... (actually I have more.... but for now....
The M.C. link you provided to what M.C. calls "Conductive Round Caps" shows a side view, and gives the "surface resistance" of less than 1 Mohm.
Very good... but, how would such a device prevent static build up.. on say... a substantially long piece of coax, terminated in BNC connectors?
 

On 10/23/21 11:46 AM, Roy Thistle wrote:
One question I would have... (actually I have more.... but for now....
The M.C. link you provided to what M.C. calls "Conductive Round Caps" shows a side view, and gives the "surface resistance" of less than 1 Mohm.
Very good... but, how would such a device prevent static build up.. on say... a substantially long piece of coax, terminated in BNC connectors?
You don't discharge your cables before connecting them to instruments??

-Dave

--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
 

They do not. The major purpose for using these is to protect an instrument's input and output from mechanical damage during storage and transit. The conductive additive of the plastic is to keep the plug itself from causing damage.

Eric


On Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 8:46 AM Roy Thistle <roy.thistle@...> wrote:
Hi Matt:
One question I would have... (actually I have more.... but for now....
The M.C. link you provided to what M.C. calls "Conductive Round Caps" shows a side view, and gives the "surface resistance" of less than 1 Mohm.
Very good... but, how would such a device prevent static build up.. on say... a substantially long piece of coax, terminated in BNC connectors?

 

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For SMA male connectors I use a “modified” SEC-06. To make them:
1) heat a small pan of water to boiling, then take it off the heat for a few minutes
2) drop the SEC-06 into the water. I seem to remember that less than a minute worked to soften the plastic
3) using insulated dish washing gloves or kitchen tongs, remove the Caplug from the water
4) shake the water out of the Caplug and press it onto an SMA male connector. I used a duff attenuator in case there was any water droplets still in the Caplug
5) hold the Caplug in place for a few seconds and then remove it and let it cool down. It will shrink ever so slightly while cooling and voilà - you have a snugly fitting SMA male Caplug!


Steve
WB0DBS



On Oct 22, 2021, at 5:31 PM, Eric Garner <garnere@...> wrote:

?
Matt,

the CEC-4 fit SMA-F just fine and the CEC-10 fit N similarly.?

I used the CEC-8 for BNC and it worked, but was a tad loose.

Eric

On Fri, Oct 22, 2021 at 2:00 PM Matt Huszagh <huszaghmatt@...> wrote:
I'm looking to order Caplugs caps (or similar) for the RF connectors on
my instruments and test cables. I'm starting this thread for two
reasons:

1. to get advice from others about cap styles and sizing
2. to summarize my findings and make it easier for others buying caps
for the same application.

The caplugs style of having a small ridge on the edge of the cap seems
convenient as it should be easy to remove the connector. I have existing
round vinyl style caps that can be a bit cumbersome to remove.

My plan is to use conductive caps for instrument connectors and static
dissipative caps for cable connectors. The conductive caps are probably
slight overkill in most contexts, but, while I'll always leave them on
the equipment, I think they'd be particularly useful for things like
transport where the equipment will likely be exposed to blankets and
other possibly non static dissipative materials. So, the moderate degree
of electrical shielding provided by these caps could make a difference.

The CEC series ()
seems to be the appropriate choice for conductive caps and the SEC
series () seems to
the correct choice for static-dissipative caps.

The table below enumerates RF connectors, their dimensions and the
associated caplugs caps and dimensions (you'll have to view this in a
monospace font for it to be correctly spaced). Dimensions are in D/L,
where D is diameter and L is length. For caps, the diameter and length
refer to the inside of the cap. For connectors, the diameter refers to
the outer thread diameter. Two numbers separated by a dash (e.g., D1-D2)
can be given for connector diameter. This is useful in the case of e.g.,
bayonet connectors which have additional protrusions in addition to the
cylindrical diameter. All dimensions are in inches. The number of digits
is not an indication of significant figures; I've simply chosen it to
line up numbers within columns. Finally, many of these dimensions are
based on measurements I've made myself and may be slightly off.

Please correct any mistakes you find. In particular, I haven't tested
any of these caps, I've simply guessed which size I think would work
best. Also, please feel free to respond with dimensions/caps for any
other connectors. I've simply presented the ones most applicable to me.

| RF connector |? ? dimensions? ? ?|? CEC? ?| dimensions? |? SEC? ?| dimensions? |
| <l>? ? ? ? ? |? ? ? ? <c>? ? ? ? |? <c>? ?|? ? ?<c>? ? ?|? <c>? ?|? ? ?<c>? ? ?|
|--------------+-------------------+--------+-------------+--------+-------------|
| SMA female? ?| XXXXX-0.250/0.230 | CEC-04 | 0.244/0.490 | SEC-04 | 0.245/0.500 |
| SMA male? ? ?| 0.312-0.350/0.335 | CEC-06 | 0.368/0.510 | SEC-06 | 0.360/0.500 |
| BNC female? ?| 0.386-0.436/0.418 | CEC-07 | 0.430/0.630 | SEC-08 | 0.480/0.500 |
| BNC male? ? ?| XXXXX-0.573/0.550 | CEC-10 | 0.607/0.500 | SEC-10 | 0.600/0.500 |
| N female? ? ?| XXXXX-0.620/0.430 | CEC-10 |? ? ? ? ? ? ?| SEC-10 |? ? ? ? ? ? ?|

FYI caplugs offers free samples so in absence of information from people
who have tested various caps, I may get some samples, test them out and
report back here.

Other things to note: Mouser seems to be a better place to order these
than from Caplugs themselves. The per unit prices seem to be lower and
they allow smaller orders. Alternatively, I'm pretty sure the caps
listed on McMaster-Carr are caplugs
( and
) since the
sizes and styles appear to match up. Their prices also seem
reasonable. If anyone could confirm that these are indeed caplugs of the
CEC and SEC series that would be great. Otherwise, I'll probably clarify
this with them myself and post back here.

Matt







--
--Eric
_________________________________________
Eric Garner
 

On Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 09:41 AM, Dave McGuire wrote:
You don't discharge your cables before connecting them to instruments??
Well yes, and no.
They allow us one "no no" (aka a boo boo)... sometimes. Usually when the zapped thing was paid for out of one's research grant.
On the other hand... if it's the prof's stuff... you'll be looking for space in somebody's basement... or you'll be a hero if you fix it.
On the other hand... (I've got two!) ... we're talk'n about guys who wonder why connecting the primary of a power transformer to a big fat gel cell ends in disaster.
 

On Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 10:05 AM, Eric Garner wrote:
The major purpose for using these is to protect an instrument's input and output from mechanical damage during storage and transit.
I won't lie... I have seen damaged bnc connectors on instruments (can't recall seeing one on coax)
Usually though, it was from someone (telecommunications techs et. al.) trying to force a TNC onto a BNC.
I can't see how one of these plasticy things could stop the kind of impact force it takes to even dimple a BNC... especially a quality one.
I can't see it at all on an N connector.
I used to see the metal shorting/protecting caps on BNC sometimes (usually they got lost as soon as the instrument was bought.)
I've only recently seen the plastic caps.
I'd speculate (but, don't know) that these plastic caps are a cosmetic thing... to "brighten up a rig for better sales potential... kind of like waxing apples.
 

Ah yes, gel cells, electrophoresis power supplies and grad students? ?


On Saturday, October 23, 2021, Roy Thistle <roy.thistle@...> wrote:
On Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 09:41 AM, Dave McGuire wrote:
You don't discharge your cables before connecting them to instruments??
Well yes, and no.
They allow us one "no no" (aka a boo boo)... sometimes. Usually when the zapped thing was paid for out of one's research grant.
On the other hand... if it's the prof's stuff... you'll be looking for space in somebody's basement... or you'll be a hero if you fix it.
On the other hand... (I've got two!) ... we're talk'n about guys who wonder why connecting the primary of a power transformer to a big fat gel cell ends in disaster.

 

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I once got a nice set of TX-RX UHF duplexers... because someone had tried Connecting to them with UHF (PL-259) connectors... The Duplexers were type N!??


Daun


On 10/23/2021 8:02 PM, Roy Thistle wrote:
On Sat, Oct 23, 2021 at 10:05 AM, Eric Garner wrote:
The major purpose for using these is to protect an instrument's input and output from mechanical damage during storage and transit.
I won't lie... I have seen damaged bnc connectors on instruments (can't recall seeing one on coax)
Usually though, it was from someone (telecommunications techs et. al.) trying to force a TNC onto a BNC.
I can't see how one of these plasticy things could stop the kind of impact force it takes to even dimple a BNC... especially a quality one.
I can't see it at all on an N connector.
I used to see the metal shorting/protecting caps on BNC sometimes (usually they got lost as soon as the instrument was bought.)
I've only recently seen the plastic caps.
I'd speculate (but, don't know) that these plastic caps are a cosmetic thing... to "brighten up a rig for better sales potential... kind of like waxing apples. 
-- 
Daun E. Yeagley II, N8ASB

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