APC connection
APC compounds , the abbreviation APC represents English Amphenol Precision Connector , sometimes just as Precision Connector referred to are in the field of high-frequency technology , a group of coaxial connectors which are not in plugs and sockets are subdivided and the electrical connection are symmetrically concerning. In the English-speaking world, such special symmetrical connections are referred to as English genderless connectors , roughly "genderless connectors". The mechanical fixation and holding takes place via a thread attached to the outside of the connector housing, which is designed either with an installation thread ( English Recessed thread ) or as a union thread ( English Protruding thread ). The connectors were developed by Hewlett-Packard and Amphenol in the mid-1960s and were adopted by other manufacturers in the following years. They represent an industry standard .
motivation
Due to the symmetrical structure, APC connections have symmetrical properties with regard to the scattering parameters (S parameters) which are essential in high frequency applications and can be combined with one another as required. In a conventional system consisting of a plug (male) and a socket (female), the two elements have different scattering parameters. This fact plays a role in metrological applications such as network analyzers when systematic errors in the measurement setup are eliminated through calibration . Systematic errors are caused, among other things, by the structure of the high-frequency connector. If the calibration of the network analyzer is performed with a plug in the measurement path, and if a socket is subsequently used for the measurement of the test item to be examined , a measurement error occurs which is not covered by the calibration and must be avoided.
By using symmetrical connections, the different S-parameters of plugs and the matching sockets in the measuring arrangement are avoided. APC connections are therefore primarily used in the area of network analyzers for measurement applications above 1 GHz . Further applications are in the field of avionics and military technology.
Types
There are several types of APC connections. Common ones are the APC-2.4 and APC-3.5 with an upper limit frequency of 50 GHz and 34 GHz, respectively. The connections used in electrical measurement technology in medium-sized network analyzers are mostly the APC-7, which can be used up to a cut-off frequency of 18 GHz. There is the APC-N variant of APC-7, which can be plugged together directly with the N connectors without a converter. The line impedance is uniformly 50 Ω for all APC connections.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hewlett-Packard (Ed.): Coaxial & Waveguide Catalog and Microwave Measurement Handbook . Palo Alto, CA 1979 (Document No. 5952-8207D).
- ↑ Precision connectors - Technical datasheets. Amphenol RF, accessed October 16, 2014 .