External connector options?
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No, I would not go with DC plugs. Too risk of confusion. Regarding the 'rotating' and 'short-circuit' of P2 plug. Do you intend to touch them while the system is 'live'? Usually these sensors are a kind of 'install and forget'.
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I don't plan on it but the sensor or cable could get bumped which would cause them to rotate and I don't want that to shut off the water in that case.
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Maybe you could program arduino to ignore short sparks in the readings.
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Perhaps. If I could figure out a way to make nice looking square holes in a plastic case, something like these wiring harness connectors would work well. They're cheap and are easy to use.
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I don't have good experience with square holes. If you don't expect to plug/unplug the sensors so often --- maybe something like this? But you have to open a large hole and expose part of pcb to outside...
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@b0rmann said:
i use rj11 jack for sensors
Also a good choice. But the question I'm really asking is how did you mount them in a plastic project box so they look nice? My experience with them is that they require a fairly precise square hole and can be glued in from the back so there is no covering for the edges of the hole.
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I like these style...
You can get them in 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 pin configurations, they are keyed meaning you cant plug them in wrong.
I use 2pin for power , 3pin for temp sensors, and 8pin for interface - but its up to you what you choose.
Easy to use - solder the wires to the pins, and drill a round hole to mount.
Relatively robust and plug screws onto socket making them difficult to dislodge.Cheap for what you get too!
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Thanks @gregl - those look just like the XLR connectors except they're cheaper. I ordered a selection of 2, 4, and 5 pin (GX12-2, GX12-4, and GX12-5) from this seller for ~$1/connector along with the locking 5.5 mm power plugs in my original posts.
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No worries. They are a lot smaller than XLR connectors but im sure you realise that.
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I've been planning on using JST PH (2.0 mm pitch) connectors on my custom PCB's to connect the external connectors (GX12, 3.5 mm headphone jacks, 5.5 mm power sockets) from the sensor case to the board. They're nice in that they're fairly small, polarized, and cheap. But - you need to buy a good crimper - the pins are incredibly tiny. I almost decided to by the plugs with wires attached because they're so hard to crimp. None the crimpers I own was small enough so I ordered the (Engineer PA 09)]http://www.ebay.com/itm/Engineer-PA-09-Mini-Molex-Amp-JST-Crimp-Tool-Wire-Terminal-Crimping-Pliers-/252030460510?hash=item3aae2fa25e] which seems to be the cheapest "good" option.
Another option on the board (I wouldn't use these on the sensor case) are Dupont 2-pin connector. These "Dupont" connectors require a female pin (which is also really cheap) and push on to standard 0.1" pitch pins on a PCB (like the 4x2 NRF radios). They have the advantage that they use less space than the JST connectors but are not polarized. Search for "Dupont connector" on ebay to find tons of options. I can't decide if the easier crimping and less board space are worth the risk of mounting connectors backwards and potentially wrecking components.
