Digilent connectors - any Chinese readers around?

[nfmax]

I have just acquired a Digilent Digital Discovery, to use as a pattern generator, and I want to make up a special-to-type test lean to connect to one of the 12-pin PMOD ports. However, I can't track down the right connector to use. It's a 12-way, 0.1" pitch, 2-row crimp contact housing with a polarising bump in the centre of one side, a bit like a Molex C-Grid III, except that the bump is only 2.54mm wide, not 3.55mm as in the Molex.

It is specified in the drawing for the flying lead assembly, https://reference.digilentinc.com/_media/reference/instrumentation/digital-discovery/250-097_s-n160718-1.pdf, but unfortunately this drawing is written in Chinese characters.

Can anyone help?

[nfmax]

Thank you very much, Blueskull! Unfortunately they seem to be using 'Dupont' in the generic sense, like 'Nylon', rather than an actual manufacturer. I will keep looking...

As an aside, how are Chinese characters chosen for a foreign name like Dupont? Do they correspond to Chinese (Mandarin? Cantonese?) words that just happen to sound like its syllables, or are they based on meaning, as in 'Dupont' => 'du pont' => 'of the bridge'?

[coppice]

Thank you very much, Blueskull! Unfortunately they seem to be using 'Dupont' in the generic sense, like 'Nylon', rather than an actual manufacturer. I will keep looking...

Seems like a Dupont clone. Why do you think it isn't?

As an aside, how are Chinese characters chosen for a foreign name like Dupont? Do they correspond to Chinese (Mandarin? Cantonese?) words that just happen to sound like its syllables, or are they based on meaning, as in 'Dupont' => 'du pont' => 'of the bridge'?

There is no fixed rule. Some are sounds-alikes. Older names tend to have a Cantonese sound-alike. Ones chosen more recently tend to have a Mandarin sound-alike. Some are a translation of the meaning. Some are completely unrelated to anything else, when the name sounds weird in Chinese. e.g. Motorola was originally named 摩托羅拉 (Mótuōluólā) in Chinese, but it sounds too much like "no more business" for people not to laugh at it. Because of this, you'll frequently see Motorola referred to as 萬力, which makes them sound super fit, even if they proved not to be.

[nfmax]

OK I think I found it. Dupont eventually ended up being owned by Amphenol, and I think the correct connector is Amphenol part number 65846-017LF, which is an 'FCI Mini-PV' housing, with the narrow central polarising bump. RS have them (on back order) at an extortionate price: I will try and track down a cheaper source.

[rea5245]

nfmax, did you ever find the correct connectors for the Digilent flywire assembly?

I tried those Amphenol connectors, but the crimp pins don't go all the way in.

[Ian.M]

Were you using genuine Amphenol contacts of the correct type and the official recommended crimp tool?

'clone' contacts for many connector systems frequently have poor compatibility with genuine housings, and 'knockoff'/budget crimpers even if sold for your specific contact, frequently have poor quality dies, with the wrong profile, or with poor tolerances, resulting in a deformed crimp, too wide for the housing or even failures that wont pass a pull test.

[rea5245]

Were you using genuine Amphenol contacts of the correct type and the official recommended crimp tool?

I have the Digilent flywire cable. I removed its wires from the cable's (alleged) Amphenol connector and tried inserting them in my genuine Amphenol connector. They didn't go in all the way.

Which makes me suspect that the Digilent cable is not using Amphenol.

[Ian.M]

https://digilent.com/reference/_media/reference/test-and-measurement/digital-discovery/250-097_s-n160718-1.pdf

leads to Cherng Weei Technology Corp. a Taiwanese connector and wiring harness manufacturer, so your suspicion is probably correct.