Author Topic: Reproducing cable for dental handpiece, viability check  (Read 414 times)

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Offline zzattackTopic starter

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Reproducing cable for dental handpiece, viability check
« on: October 06, 2024, 04:06:11 pm »
In trying to get an older medical (dental) device up an running, I have found that the cable connecting the control unit to the handpiece is faulty. It is a fairly simple unshielded 4-conductor cable. Despite a simple conductivity test passing just fine, I have isolated the issue to be with the receptable part which plugs into the handpiece by cutting up a known-good cable and cross-matching both ends.

I'm trying to determine if this might be an off-the-shelf part (which I doubt), or if it could be economically reproduced by hand in small quantity. I have cut up one of these and found a small PCB which seems used only to connect the female gold pins to the 4 wires. The entire plug appears to be cast in a very hard material. It does not look like an off-the-shelf part to me. I have attached pictures of both the cable end as well was the part of the handpiece where this slots in.

For recreation, I would need to find suitable silicone 4-conductor cable, matching receptable gold pins, and probably mount them on a small PCB. Next, I would need to enclose it to form a similar cylindrical shape, e.g. with two 3d-printed parts, and solidify the end result so that it mates properly with the handpiece.
Does this seem viable, or would a different approach make more sense?
 

Offline Haenk

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Re: Reproducing cable for dental handpiece, viability check
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2024, 06:07:27 pm »
As you are nullifying the certification of the device with self-made parts anyway, why not replace both ends?
 

Offline amyk

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Re: Reproducing cable for dental handpiece, viability check
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2024, 11:08:32 pm »
Looks like some sort of drill? The other end of the connector is built into the handpiece.
 

Offline zzattackTopic starter

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Re: Reproducing cable for dental handpiece, viability check
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2024, 07:02:01 am »
Yep, so the shape of the plug is fixed.
The handpiece supports different attachments, including a drill indeed.
 


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