If you’re working in the weighing industry, you’ve probably come across the GX16 connector:
This circular connector is named after its M16 thread and can have up to 8 pins. While it is frequently referred to as an “aviation connector”, I sincerely hope that it is not actually used in aircraft, as I’ve seen many of these connectors fail. Their tiny screws are prone to coming loose, which renders the strain relief useless. Then it’s only a matter of time before the cable is pulled too hard and the wires detach.
What does it take to make a reliable GX16 connector?
This is the Ohaus Catapult 5000 scale:
It uses an overmolded GX16 connector to connect the platform to the indicator:
We’ve sold hundreds of these scales and never had an issue with them that was caused by the connectors. This is due to the extensive work that Ohaus put into making them, as demonstrated by the photos below. Apologies for the photo quality, I didn’t take them in our photo studio and it shows.
Further info
- A Reddit thread about the GX16 connector (some of the information is wrong)
- GX16 on the Identiconn Connector Identification Utility
- GX16 connectors for sale on TME.eu