The MHV (miniature high voltage) connector is a type of

RF connector An RF connector (radio frequency connector) is an electrical connector designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range. RF connectors are typically used with coaxial cables and are designed to maintain the shielding that t ...

used for terminating

coaxial cable Coaxial cable, or coax (pronounced ), is a type of electrical cable consisting of an inner Electrical conductor, conductor surrounded by a concentric conducting Electromagnetic shielding, shield, with the two separated by a dielectric (Insulat ...

Description

The connector looks almost identical to a typical

BNC connector The BNC connector is a miniature quick-connect/disconnect RF connector, radio-frequency connector for coaxial cable. It was introduced on military radio equipment in the 1940s, and has since become widely used in radio systems and as a common t ...

, 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 VRMS continuous and 5000 V 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 1 c ...

s. 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. Other applications include: *

Geiger counter A Geiger counter (, ; also known as a Geiger–Müller counter or G-M counter) is an electronic instrument for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation with the use of a Geiger–Müller tube. It is widely used in applications such as radiat ...

s *

Scintillation Scintillation can refer to: *Scintillation (astronomy), atmospheric effects which influence astronomical observations *Interplanetary scintillation, fluctuations of radio waves caused by the solar wind *Scintillation (physics), a flash of light pro ...

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 transmis ...

s * High-voltage power supplies * Nuclear control instrumentation *

X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

devices

Safety hazards

MHV connectors are a

safety hazard A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would potentially allow them to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probability of that ...

because the central pin is close enough to the end to allow accidental contact with it when the connector is not plugged in, and because the ground connection is broken before the power connection when demating. An additional problem is that MHV connectors are easily mistaken for BNC connectors by users who are unaware of the difference, and MHV and BNC plugs and jacks can be made to mate by brute force. This causes safety hazards, since a user can mate a low voltage cable to a high voltage jack. SHV connectors are designed to prevent these hazards, and cannot be mated to BNC connectors.

References

External links

MIL-STD-348B
{{RF connectors RF connectors