Valve connector with railway approval

The German connectivity specialist ESCHA shows a world premiere at the international leading trade fair InnoTrans. For the first time, the company shows pre-assembled and overmolded valve connectors with general rail approval meeting the high security standards according to DIN EN 45545-2 (fire performance) and DIN EN 50155 (shock, vibration and mechanical stresses). So far, there have only been field-wireable alternatives or overmolded connectors, where only the cable is approved for the use in the rail industry. ESCHA is the first manufacturer offering overmolded valve connectors with a general approval for this demanding market. Compared to the field-wireable variants, these offer the advantage that they are more reliable, easier – and above all – quicker to install. The new valve connectors will be available in different designs right from the market launch and complement the comprehensive product range called «rail approved», which ESCHA has developed specifically for the bus- and rail industry.

High number of variants
The new rail-specific valve connectors from ESCHA can be ordered in different versions directly after the InnoTrans. As a standard, the A, B, BI, C and CI housing styles are equipped with a threaded grip body for protective hoses. The protective hose protects the cable against damage by stone chip and pollution on train exteriors. In addition, the valve connectors are available with LED status display as well as protective circuit. Different cable diameters complete the range. Of course, all variants meet the high requirements according to protection classes IP65, IP67 and IP68.

The right connectivity for every level
The current «rail approved» product range from ESCHA comprises connectivity solutions for four various wiring levels. For the Ethernet-Train-Backbone level (IEC 61375-2-5), ESCHA offers components with data transmission rates up to 10GBit/sec (Cat6A). For the second level – the Ethernet Consist Network (ECN) according to IEC 61375-3-4 – components with data transmission rates up to 100Mbit/sec (Cat5e) are used. As to the sensor-/actuator wiring on the third level, ESCHA offers M8- and M12-connectors, which will now be complemented by the new valve connectors. For power supply on the fourth wiring level, ESCHA has selected single-ended and double-ended cord sets with S-coding out of the «M12 POWER» product range. They have been adjusted to the typically high rail industry requirements and are particularly adapted for alternating current applications (AC-applications up to 12A / 630V).

Industry-specific add-on services
In order to accommodate the individual rail industry requirements, ESCHA does not specify any standard cable lengths in case of «rail approved» items and supplies inch-perfect. In addition to kitting, labelling and further services facilitating on-board installations, ESCHA offers customer-specific cable harnesses to easily realize complex wiring structures. With the possibility of different specifications for individual wagons.