M12 female Dkey 2pin shielded industrial connector

Many electronic products experience a variety of climates during operation and storage, and in these cases, humidity testing of connectors is often used to determine the product's ability to withstand high humidity and cycling temperatures.

    What is humidity testing of connectors?

    Since condensation on parts can cause failures, it is important to understand the functionality of the connector set being used, and failures caused by humid environmental factors can appear in the form of corrosion of plating and cause degradation of electrical performance. Humidity testing takes this into account by subjecting the mated connectors to different temperatures ranging from 25°C – 65°C and relative humidity ranging from 90%RH – 98%RH over a 10-day period.

   How are connectors humidity tested?

   To determine how connector sets react to humidity testing, parts are tested before and after exposure to moisture, mating/unmating, IR/DWV, and LLCR. The connector set is soldered to an appropriate test board and an initial baseline test is performed. The parts are then humidity tested indoors and retested to determine if they pass the humidity test.

   It is important to note that if a connector fails the electrical requirements for LLCR or IR/DWV, it is considered to have failed the humidity test. Regular connector manufacturers usually use the EIA-364-31 "Humidity Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets" as the test standard for humidity testing.