Planar Crown connector

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"Female" Planar Crown Interface
"Female" Planar Crown Interface

The Planar Crown connector is a coaxial RF connector comprised of two halves/subassemblies which have a common mating interface referred to as the Planar Interface.

The first connector half is called the Planar Bulkhead, which readily mounts into instrument front panels, components and cables. One end of this bulkhead has a 2.92 mm (SMK) male/female primary connector. The other end has a combination of grooves, external threads and a coaxial Planar Interface with a 2.92 mm (SMK) airline geometry. The bulkhead operates mode free beyond 40 GHz.

The second connector half, called the Planar Crown, has a similar 2.92 mm Planar Interface on one end, with spring biased inner and outer contacts. It has corresponding projections which interlock with slots on the bulkhead and a coupling nut which secures the two connector halves, resulting in a non-rotational, torque independent electrical connection. The spring biased inner and outer contacts eliminate the need for specifying proof torque and no tools are required to mate or unmate or break the connection.

The primary end of the Planar Crown is offered in a variety of primary coaxial connector configurations such as SMA, Type N, GPC-7, TNC, 3.5 mm, 2.92 mm (SMK) and 2.4 mm (under development), thus providing an extremely versatile connector system wherein a connector can be replaced in a matter of seconds.

The Planar Crown connector is seen on several Tektronix instruments like the 2782, 2784, RSA513, RSA518, RSA5115, RSA5126, RSA6106, RSA6114, RSA7100, AWG70001, AWG70002, BSX125, BSX240, BSX320, BSA125C, BSA175C, and BSA286CL.