The MHV (miniature high voltage) connector is a type of
RF connector used for terminating
coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax (pronounced ) is a type of electrical cable consisting of an inner conductor surrounded by a concentric conducting shield, with the two separated by a dielectric ( insulating material); many coaxial cables also have a p ...
.
Description
The connector looks almost identical to a typical
BNC connector
The BNC connector (initialism of "Bayonet Neill–Concelman") is a miniature quick connect/disconnect radio frequency connector used for coaxial cable. It is designed to maintain the same characteristic impedance of the cable, with 50 ohm and ...
, but is designed to not mate with BNC jacks. It features two bayonet lugs on the female connector; mating is fully achieved with a quarter turn of the coupling nut. The dimensions of the connector are specified in the
MIL-STD-348B. MHV connectors can be recognized by the slightly protruding insulation on the male plug and the slightly different insulation length in the female jack.
Use
The MHV connector is typically rated for 1500 RMS Continuous & 5000 .volt peak and 3
ampere
The ampere (, ; symbol: A), often shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One ampere is equal to elect ...
. With an operating frequency limited to about 300 MHz their usage is restricted to low frequency applications.
It was commonly used in laboratory settings for voltages beyond the rating of BNC connectors. Furthermore they are used in:
*
geiger counter
*
scintillation probes
*
Transmission Line
In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a contained manner. The term applies when the conductors are long enough that the wave nature of the transmi ...
s
*
High Voltage Power Supplies
*
Nuclear Control Instrumentation
*
X-ray
An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...
Safety hazards
*MHV connectors are presently considered by some as a ''
safety hazard
A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would allow them, even just theoretically, to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probabi ...
'' because of the possibility of high voltage on the exposed central pin when not plugged in,
and because the ground connection is broken before the power connection when demating.
*Despite their design differences, MHV and BNC plugs and jacks can be made to mate by brute force.
This causes safety hazards, since a user can accidentally (or deliberately) mate a low voltage cable to a high voltage jack; however, in a correctly made MHV connector the pin is further back in the insulator than on BNC so theoretically they should never be able to make contact when used with BNC.
SHV connectors are designed to prevent these hazards, and cannot be mated to BNC connectors.
References
)
External links
MIL-STD-348B
RF connectors
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