I am in the middle of setting up a new power system for my mount and camera, with 12V supplies including back up batteries in one enclosure and my NUC and its 12V-19V DC top DC converter in another along with probably a small travel router for star parties. I have been looking for a flush mounted connection to put through the side of the enclosures for the 12VDC connections.
For a lot of things I would use flange mounted DT connectors but they stick out and are bound to be broken sooner or later in this application. Has anyone used Merit connectors and can comment on reliability? They look like they should be pretty robust.
I use them in the back of my troopie instead of cigarette lighter plugs and I find them OK - certainly a step up from cig lighter plugs. I've had to replace the plug on the fridge but it had had a hard life. I expect that in your application they will work well.
I reckon I will give them a go. They look to me as though the plug should click in to the socket and require some force to unplug, rather than just falling out if you look at them hard like a lighter socket arrangement is prone to doing.
I would prefer to use the DT connectors I have all over my race car as they have a positive latch to keep them in place and they are small and tidy, but the panel mount end is going to stick out of my enclosures, I can just see one getting broken in transit to a star party.
The only thing I am not 100% sold on with the Merit connectors is the size of the connector body that will be hanging out of the socket when it is connected. I might look at the DTHDP circular connectors as well.
I still like my DT connectors, apart from anything else when they are plugged in they are environmentally sealed front and back as they have wire seals and a sealing ring on the male connector shell. They are backwards to describe, the "Socket" terminals of the connector are in a male shell, and the "Socket" side of the connector shell has male pins.
I am wishing I had a 3D printer, I could just start with some standard 2 and 4 way DT flange mount connectors and make spacers so that the flange mounted shell ends up finishing flush with the surface of my enclosure. It is only transport to star parties that concerns me with the connector shell poking out so I might just go with DT and worry about some spacing later. Even the 4 way shell is only about as fat as your thumb so they are pretty compact. The DT pins are good for 13A continuous each so plenty for my application without needing to double up to share the current.
