Abstract: A drill cutting attachment for severing an electrical conductor includes a housing, a stationary cutting blade connected with the housing, a movable cutting blade pivotally connected with the stationary cutting blade for displacement about a given cutting pivot axis between open and closed positions relative to the stationary cutting blade, and a pawl and ratchet arrangement for displacing the movable cutting blade from the open position toward the closed position, thereby to sever an electrical conductor positioned between the blades. The pawl and ratchet arrangement includes a transport pawl member that is longitudinally reciprocated by a rotary drive shaft via either an eccentric and crank arm drive arrangement, or a cam and follower drive arrangement. The drive shaft has a free end with a hexagonal cross-sectional configuration for connection with the chuck of an electric drill, and an attachment sleeve connects the housing with the electric drill body.

Abstract: A housing for connecting a plurality of branch lines to the insulated conductors of an intermediate portion of a cable from which the outer sheath layer has been removed, comprising a rectangular base member containing an open-topped base chamber, and a pair of opposed end walls containing openings for receiving spaced insulated portions of the cable on opposite sides of the cable intermediate portion. A plurality of insulation-piercing electrical devices are arranged in the base chamber in electrical engagement with the insulated conductors, respectively, and a plurality of interchangeable cover members are each adapted for seating on the base member to close the base chamber, with each of the cover members containing an electrical component arranged for connection with at least one of the electrical devices.

Abstract: A connector apparatus connects the flat electrical conductors of a photovoltaic panel with a plurality of insulated electrical output conductors, respectively. The terminal portions of the flat conductors are bent into electrical engagement with corresponding blade contacts mounted on the photovoltaic panel. A plurality of resilient first electrical contacts are clamped in electrical engagement with the flat conductor bent portions, respectively, and a plurality of second electrical contacts are connected with the output conductors, respectively. An electrical circuit including a plurality of diodes is connected between the first and second electrical contacts. In order to dissipate the heat generated by the diodes, the diodes are mounted on a heat conducting plate that transmits the heat toward the photovoltaic panel. A cover member formed of heat conducting material is adhesively secured to the panel to enclose the connector arrangement, thereby to also transfer the diode-generated heat to the panel.

Abstract: An electrical connector for connecting the bare end of an insulated conductor with an electrical contact, including a connector housing containing a chamber in which are mounted a bus bar connected with the contact, and a clamping spring normally biased toward the bus bar. A retaining device maintains the spring in a retained open condition spaced from said bus bar, thereby to permit the conductor bare end to be introduced into the chamber toward a clamping position adjacent the bus bar. An operating member is displaced in a controlled manner to release the spring from its retained condition, whereby the spring biases the conductor toward electrical engagement with the bus bar. To remove the conductor, the operating member is operated again to displace the spring toward its open condition.

Abstract: An electrical connector for electrically connecting a hollow bus bar member with an insulated multi-wire or braided conductor inserted axially therein, including a conductive contact screw that is threadably connected within a first opening contained in the bus bar member wall for axial displacement from a retracted position toward a fully penetrating position, thereby to cause a pointed end of the contact screw to successively pierce the adjacent insulation layer, extend diametrically through the multi-wire conductor, pierce the adjacent layer of insulation, and extend into a second opening contained in the adjacent bus bar member wall. The bus bar member may be soldered to a printed circuit board, thereby to connect the multi-wire conductor with conductors on the printed circuit board. Alternatively, plurality of bus bar members may be formed by stamping and bending from a common conductive metal sheet, with the bus bar members being interconnected by integral straps.

Abstract: A plug and jack electrical connector arrangement for connecting together the conductors of a pair of cables, comprising a connector housing containing an open-ended chamber, a plurality of contacts adapted for connection with the bare ends of the conductors, and a contact mounting unit for mounting the contacts in the connector housing chamber, which mounting unit includes a contact support member containing a plurality of parallel longitudinal passages, a contact holder member arranged to retain the contacts relative to the contact support member, and a connecting arrangement connecting together the contact support and contact holder members. In one embodiment, the contact hold member contains a plurality of bores in alignment with the contact support member passages. In a second embodiment, the contact holder member contains a through passage for receiving the contact support member, thereby to retain certain contacts in external grooves contained in the support member.

Abstract: An electrical pin or socket terminal includes a vertical tubular body portion, and a spring clip portion connected with the upper end of the body portion. The spring clip portion includes two opposed electrical contacts at least one of which is resiliently biased toward the other. A separating arrangement is operable between a separated condition retaining the contacts in separated spaced relation for longitudinally receiving therebetween a conductor bare end, and a released condition in which the contacts are released for resilient electrical engagement with diametrically opposed surfaces of the conductor bare end. In one embodiment, the spring clip portion includes a pair of parallel spaced struts the upper ends of which are reversely bent toward each other. In another embodiment, a leaf spring electrical contact biases the bare conductor end against a stationary electrical contact.

Abstract: A pliers-type gripping tool includes a pair of gripping jaws, a pair of pivotally connected hand grip levers for operating the gripping jaws between an open separated condition and a closed gripping condition, and an adjusting device for varying one of the physical operating properties of the tool. In one embodiment, the hand grip levers are sectional, and the adjusting device includes an angle setting arrangement for determining the angular relationship of the sections, thereby to permit use of the tool to engage an object at a relatively inaccessible location. In a second embodiment, at least one of the levers includes a metal lever body member partially enclosed by a synthetic plastic shell member. An adjusting device controls the lateral relative positions of the lever body and shell members to adjust the effective thickness of the hand grips to correspond with the size of the hand of the user.

Abstract: An electrical connector for connecting the bare end of a horizontal conductor with a horizontal printed circuit board, including a sectional housing having a base member seated on the printed circuit board. The base member contains an open-topped chamber and includes a vertical front wall the upper edge of which contains a vertical slot communicating with the chamber. A cover member is normally seated on the base member to close the chamber and the upper end of the slot. A lower electrically conductive cage member is arranged in the bottom of the chamber for electrical connection with the printed circuit board. The cover member is removable from the base member to open the tops of the chamber and the slot, thereby to permit the horizontal conductor bare end to be displaced laterally vertically downwardly into the slot and housing chamber toward electrical engagement with the lower cage member.

Abstract: A connector arrangement includes a flat conductor component having a flat engagement portion, a conductive bus bar component having a flat engagement portion, and a conductive contact screw connecting the conductor and bus bar flat engagement portions in contiguous surface-to-surface electrical engagement. The contact screw has a pointed tip and is axially displaceable from a retracted position normal to and spaced from the flat conductor and bus bar engagement portions toward a connected position in which a pointed end of the screw penetrates or extends through openings in the bus bar and flat conductor engagement portions, and into a bore contained in a housing support surface. The housing support surface supports the flat engagement portions in either a horizontal orientation or a slightly inclined orientation relative to the horizontal upper surface of electrical panel component to which the flat conductor is connected and upon which the housing is mounted.

Abstract: An overvoltage protection circuit is provided for protecting a load against overload damage, including a gross protection device for dissipating the major portion of the energy of the trouble event, a plurality of fine protection devices for limiting the remaining portion of the trouble energy to a safe value, and a diagnostic arrangement for determining the operating condition of the destructible gross and fine protection devices. A trouble event identifying arrangement compares with a reference voltage standard the residual output voltage existing between a pair of output terminals of the circuit, and a display arrangement indicates whether or not this residual output voltage meets the reference voltage standard.

Abstract: An insulation stripping tool of the pliers-type includes an adjustable pull rod stop device for limiting the extent of travel of the longitudinally displaceable pull rod and the cutting and stripping blades connected thereto, thereby to produce only partial removal of a length of severed insulation layer from an insulated conductor. An adjustable conductor stop device is mounted on at least one of the cutting and stripping blade holders for limiting the extent to which the end of the insulated conductor is inserted into the open mouth of the stripping tool. A stationary scale is mounted on one of the handles adjacent the adjustable conductor stop device.

Abstract: A ground conductor includes a conductor body formed from a sheet of conductive metal material of a given thickness, the conductor body having a horizontal base portion, and a pair of downwardly extending vertical leg portions that contain opposed mounting rail cavities that terminate at one end in a pair of flange recesses. A vertical tongue portion extends downwardly from the conductor body transversely across the leg portions at the other end of the cavities, the tongue portion having a width that is greater than the thickness of the metal sheet. When the conductor body is mounted on the mounting rail with one flange extending within the recesses, a spring biases the conductor body in a direction to effect electrical engagement between the other rail flange portion and the adjacent surface of the tongue portion.

Abstract: A pliers-type insulation stripping tool includes a releasable fastening device for fastening a knife cassette to at least one of the knife carrier members that are longitudinally displaced by the pivotally connected tool handle members to remove a severed length of insulation from a longitudinally-arranged insulated conductor that is clamped between by the tool gripping jaws. A U-shaped resilient fastener spring wire has leg portions that are resiliently biased apart, at least one of the legs containing a laterally extending bulge portion that extends into a corresponding locking slot contained in a side wall of the knife cassette. To release and replace the knife cassette, the protruding free extremities of the leg portions of the spring wire are displaced together, thereby to remove the leg bulge portion from the slot contained in the cassette outer wall.

Abstract: A pliers-type insulation stripping tool includes an adjusting device for adjusting the cutting profile provided by the knife edges of a stack of parallel lamellar cutting blades pivotally connected at one end with a knife holder for independent pivotal movement about a first pivot axis parallel with the tool handle pivot axis. The knife holder is connected for longitudinal displacement on one the clamping jaws of the tool handles, thereby to remove a severed length of the insulation layer from the insulated conductor.

Abstract: Indicating apparatus for indicating the operating state of a component of an electrical load protection system, including a housing containing a longitudinal chamber, an indicating member mounted for longitudinal displacement in the chamber, a resilient device normally biasing the indicating member toward a first end of the housing, a catch arrangement for retaining the indicating member in a retracted position adjacent the housing second end; and a release device responsive to a trouble voltage pulse for operating the catch arrangement to a released condition, thereby to release the indicating member for displacement toward an indicating position adjacent the housing first end. At least the first end of the housing is transparent, thereby to provide a visual indication when the indicating member is in the indicating position. Switch contacts are operable between open and closed conditions when the indicating member is displaced between the indicating and retracted positions.

Abstract: An overvoltage protection circuit is provided for protecting a load against overload damage, including a coarse protection device for dissipating the major portion of the energy of the trouble event, a plurality of fine protection devices for limiting the remaining portion of the trouble energy to a safe value, a diagnostic arrangement for determining the operating condition of the destructible fine protection devices, and a disconnect arrangement for disconnecting from the protection circuit at least one of the fine protection devices that has been determined to be faulty. A trouble event identifying arrangement compares with a reference voltage standard a measured voltage existing at a measuring junction between the fine protection devices, and generates a fault signal in the event of destruction of a fine protection device. A display arrangement indicates whether or not a fine protection device has been determined to be faulty.

Abstract: A marking device for a generally cylindrical conductor of fluids, electricity, light waves and the like includes a hollow shell containing a horizontal longitudinal through passage for receiving one of a plurality of conductors of different diametric sizes, the shell being horizontally divided to define an upper shell section having a lower internal surface provided with a conductor seat, and a lower shell section including an internal resilient support device for biasing the conductor laterally upwardly toward the seat. An indicia-bearing plate is connected with the external surface of the upper shell section directly above the conductor seat. The conductor seat, the indicia-bearing plate, and the biasing device are symmetrically arranged relative to the vertical plane passing longitudinally through the shell, whereby the biasing forces are uniformly balanced for conductors having different diametric sizes.

Abstract: A hand tool is operable to crimp a tubular metal contact member concentrically about the stripped end portion of an insulated fiber optic light-wave conductor in spaced relation to the free end extremity thereof. A tensioning arrangement tensions the excess portion of the conductor that extends beyond the contact member, whereupon a cutting device engages the tensioned portion of the conductor to sever cleanly the excess extremity from the conductor. The tensioning arrangement serves to deflect the conductor excess end portion obliquely outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the conductor. Tensioning is achieved by a deflecting disk positioned normal to the longitudinal axis of the light-wave conductor, or by a guide bore contained in a conductor guide device attached to the tool body. Preferably, two contact members are simultaneously crimped on a pair of conductors, and the excess ends of the conductors are simultaneously tensioned and severed.