A GX16 connector that does not fail

If you’re working in the weighing industry, you’ve probably come across the GX16 connector:

GX16 connector
Typical GX16 connector (male)

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:

Ohaus Catapult 5000 scale

It uses an overmolded GX16 connector to connect the platform to the indicator:

Ohaus Catapult 5000 scale 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.

Completely disassembled GX16 connector
Disassembly of the overmolded Ohaus Catapult 5000 GX16 connector (female) reveals that it contains a complete regular connector, including the metal backshell
The screws of the strain relief are secured with heat shrink tubing
The connector is completely filled
After removal of some material
Further material removal reveals that heat shrink sleeves were used after soldering

Further info