Can you split triax dummy load into triax connector + dummy load ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Signal32
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2016, 08:50:23 am
content: Hello,For triax dummy loads -- is it possible to remove the dummy load and connect a cable to the triax connector (I'm interested in the connector only) ?How would one go about removing the dummy load, does it unscrew ?Example of triax dummy load:www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/cinch-connectivity-solutions-trompeter/TNG1-1-78/1097-1201-ND/3593325Any advice is appreciated.Thanks!

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 21, 2016, 11:55:20 pm
content: HiIf I had to take it apart, I'd use a milling machine. There are other ways depending on exactly how it is put together. Regardless of how you get it apart the result is likely the same. You will then have a flat back on the "connector". It's not at all clear how you would hook anything to what you have left.Bob

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 01:55:47 pm
content: Technically, it is a TRB connector. Triaxial is a type of cable. You can also very commonly find TRB connectors on twinaxial cables (akin to shielded twisted pair).I have a few excess TRB connectors that I am willing to sell. I actually sold a pair of them to a forum member in Germany a couple weeks ago. In particular they are Trompeter/Cinch brand, PL75-55. They are intended for a specific Belden Twinax cable, but with some handiwork you can terminate them to anything you'd like. Certainly it would be a cleaner solution than hacking one of those dummy loads apart. If you are interested send me a PM.If you are still set on hacking apart that load, start by trying to unscrew it. If that doesn't seem to work, try a pipe/tubing cutter, the type used by plumbers, where you spin it around the tube while progressively tightening a cutting wheel.

author: Signal32
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 07:40:04 am
content: I was looking at the dummy loads because they are actually cheaper than an individual connector.However I did manage to find some cheapo triax connectors and bought a few.You are correct though, best case scenario for using the dummy loads as connectors would be the wire hanging off with no support.Thanks all!

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 08:59:21 pm
content: Quote from: Signal32 on June 23, 2016, 07:40:04 amHiThe main reason you find a dummy load cheaper than a connector is that it was built without all the parts that would go into a connector....Bob

author: Signal32
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 09:08:30 pm
content: Quote from: uncle_bob on June 23, 2016, 08:59:21 pmWhat parts is the dummy load missing ?Also, personally I've always doubted that the cost of such connectors has much to do with the cost of the parts/materials. Mainly because a BNC connector is 150x+ less and a complete android 6" smartphone is <2x the price.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 09:32:01 pm
content: Quote from: Signal32 on June 23, 2016, 09:08:30 pmHiTake apart a connector and count the pieces. Each piece is tooled and a machine set up to make it. The each get done in multiple steps on that machine. After the first machine they get heat treated and then on to plating. Visual inspection is generally next to look for plating issues followed by (hopefully) some destructive tests to monitor process control. Next stop is mechanical check for tolerances and the like.If you set that all up once ever two years to make 500 connectors, the real cost of the parts is very different than if you run 50,000 parts a day every day of the year for 20 years. Tack on inventory carrying charges and the like ... it just gets more expensive.===I can make a dummy load with about 1/3 of the pieces that go into a normal tri-axial coax connector....the first step is shorting all the shields into a single block ....BobBob