Electrical Manual Couplings/Connectors

era-contact develops and produces customised manual couplings and connectors, and jumper cables

Manual couplings and jumper cables serve to connect electrical cables between vehicles, starting with rail cars for both short- and long-distance trains and extending to land transport vehicles which are not operated on rails.

The couplings can be equipped as control current couplings, as high voltage power couplings, or as a combination of both—according to customer requirements.

era-contact manual couplings have been developed to take on the rough environment of everyday railway operation with very robust construction, and are characterised by the following features:

• Simple to operate.
• Low weight due to the aluminium casing.
• Contacts and terminals are protected from dust and moisture.
• A safety latch protects against unintentional decoupling.
• Perfect power transmission in all operating conditions.
• High lifespan with low maintenance overhead.
• Double opening mechanism to protect workers on the track.

Manual coupling, size 0
The era-contact manual coupling in size 0 is a 2-pin plug-in connector with male/female (pin/socket) contacts. The receptacle and connector can be equipped with male (pin) or female (socket) contacts, depending on the application. The rated current is 10A at DC 42V. An example of a field of application is the connection of the fill level control for diesel-powered vehicles (DMI) or diesel locomotives.

Manual coupling, size I
The era-contact manual coupling in size I can be equipped as a control current coupling with up to 15 control current contacts.

Manual coupling, size II
As a control current coupling, in the insulation insert, up to 40 contacts with each 25A at 100 volt may be used. As a high-voltage coupling, for example, 3 contacts for a current strength of 200A at 380 volts, 2 contacts for 100A at 220 volts, as well as 9 control current contacts, may be built into the coupling.

Manual coupling, size III
The manual coupling size III was developed for particularly high currents or a large number of control wires. With this model, the coupling plug is connected with the receptacle by means of a toggle catch (draw latch)–a feature making operation easier. As a control current coupling, it can be outfitted with 111 contacts for 25A at 100 volts. As a coupling for high-voltage power-transmission current; for example, for the transmission of alternating current, 4 or 5 main contacts for AC 440V 400A and an additional 8 control current contacts DC 72V 25A can be installed. The use as a high-voltage coupling for alternating current 3 x 1500V, 50Hz, 300A with an additional 8 control current contacts, is possible as well.