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DIN 41612

DIN 41612 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand DIN 41612 rather than just read about it. In short: DIN 41612 was a DIN standard for electrical connectors that are widely used in rack based electrical systems. Standardisation of the connectors is a pre-requisite for open systems, where users expect components from different suppliers to operate together.

DIN 41612 — main illustration
DIN 41612 — illustration

Key takeaways

  • DIN 41612 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect DIN 41612 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of DIN 41612 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

DIN 41612 was a DIN standard for electrical connectors that are widely used in rack based electrical systems. Standardisation of the connectors is a pre-requisite for open systems, where users expect components from different suppliers to operate together. The most widely known use of DIN 41612 connectors is in the VMEbus and NuBus systems. The standard has withdrawn in favor of international standards IEC 60603-2 and EN 60603-2. DIN 41612 connectors are used in Pancon, STEbus, Futurebus, VMEbus, Multibus II, NuBus, Acorn Archimedes expansion bus, VXI Bus, eurocard TRAM motherboards, and Europe Card Bus, all of which typically use male DIN 41612 connectors on Eurocards plugged into female DIN 41612 on the backplane in a 19-inch rack chassis.

Normal and reversed connectors To support the plug-in card/backplane configuration, the "normal" versions of these connectors have right-angle PCB mounting pins on the male DIN 41612 connector and straight PCB mounting pins on the female DIN 41612 connector. There also exist "reversed" connectors, in which the male DIN 41612 connector has straight mounting pins and the female DIN 41612 connector has right-angle mounting pins. The pin numbering of the connectors is such that, if a "normal" connector is replaced with a "reversed" connector, the row ordering and the pin numbering is unchanged: what was male pin a1 is now female receptacle a1. As a result, if two boards are designed to connect edge-to-edge with no backplane, one board would require a "normal" connector (male with right-angle pins) and the other would require a "reversed" connector (female with right-angle pins). In this arrangement, the row ordering is unchanged but the pin ordering is mirrored: male pin a1 is connected to female receptacle a32.

Mechanical details The standard describes connectors which may have one, two or three rows of contacts, which are labelled as rows a, b and c. Two row connectors may use rows a+b or rows a+c. The connectors may have 16 or 32 columns, which means that the possible permutations allow 16, 32, 48, 64 or 96 contacts. The rows and columns are on a 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) grid pitch. Insertion and removal force are controlled, and three durability grades are available. Often the female DIN 41612 connectors have press fit contacts rather than solder pin contacts, to avoid thermal shock to the backplane.

Electrical details The headline performance of the connectors is a 2 amp per pin current carrying capacity, and 500 volt working voltage. Both these figures may need to be de-rated according to safety requirements or environmental conditions.

Performance classes The DIN 41612 specification identifies 3 different classes or "levels": class 1 is rated for 500 mating cycles, class 2 for 400 mating cycles, and class 3 for 50 mating cycles.

References

External links VME Bus Connector Mechanical Dimensions

Illustrations

DIN 41612: A NuBus graphics card with a male 3×32 DIN 41612 connector (white, foreground left).
A NuBus graphics card with a male 3×32 DIN 41612 connector (white, foreground left).
DIN 41612: VMEbus crate. 3×32 DIN 41612 female connectors can be seen on the green motherboard in back.
VMEbus crate. 3×32 DIN 41612 female connectors can be seen on the green motherboard in back.
DIN 41612: A NuBus motherboard, with six female 3×32 DIN 41612 connectors (black, centre left).
A NuBus motherboard, with six female 3×32 DIN 41612 connectors (black, centre left).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with DIN 41612

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what DIN 41612 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to DIN 41612 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about DIN 41612 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of DIN 41612

In research
DIN 41612 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses DIN 41612 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
DIN 41612 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics DIN standards, Electrical signal connectors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for DIN 41612 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study DIN 41612 in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what DIN 41612 means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain DIN 41612 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is DIN 41612 in simple terms?

DIN 41612 was a DIN standard for electrical connectors that are widely used in rack based electrical systems. Standardisation of the connectors is a pre-requisite for open systems, where users expect components from different suppliers to operate together.

Why does DIN 41612 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study DIN 41612?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on DIN 41612.

Tags

  • DIN standards
  • Electrical signal connectors

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