D-Sub Connectors — Industrial Serial and Multi-Conductor Interconnect
The D-subminiature connector (D-Sub) is one of the oldest and most widely deployed connector families in industrial control — originally standardised in 1952 and still the dominant interface for RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 serial links, motion controller I/O, legacy CAN bus, and any application requiring 9 to 62 pins in a low-profile rectangular housing.
Katlax manufactures the full D-Sub portfolio at our Gandhinagar facility — DB9, DB15, DB25, DB37, DB50, and DB62 pin counts in standard, high-density, and combo (mixed signal + power) variants. Available terminations: solder cup, IDC (insulation-displacement contact), crimp, and PCB-mount. Pre-terminated cable assemblies are built to drawing through our wiring-harness team.
D-Sub Pin Counts and Variants
| Variant | Pins | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| DB9 (DE-9) | 9 pins | RS-232 serial, legacy CAN bus, mouse/serial peripherals |
| DB15 / HD-15 | 15 pins (standard) / 15 pins (high density) | VGA, game port (legacy), motion controller I/O |
| DB25 | 25 pins | Parallel printer port (legacy), RS-232 with full handshake, motion controller breakouts |
| DB37 | 37 pins | RS-449 serial, instrumentation, motion controllers with high I/O count |
| DB50 / DB62 (high density) | 50 / 62 pins | SCSI legacy, motion controller and PLC dense I/O bus |
| Combo D-Sub | Mixed signal + power + coax | Custom interconnects combining low-voltage signal with high-current or coaxial connections |
Technical Specifications
- Current rating: 5 A per contact standard (signal); up to 40 A on combo high-current contacts.
- Voltage rating: 250 V AC/DC standard; varies by contact spacing.
- Operating temperature: −55 °C to +125 °C standard.
- Contact plating: Gold flash standard; 30 µ" gold for high-reliability applications.
- Housing material: Steel shell with chromate plating; stainless-steel options for marine.
- Mating cycles: 500 minimum (5 A signal contacts); 200 minimum (40 A power contacts).
Termination Methods
- Solder cup: The original termination — wire stripped, tinned, soldered into a cup contact. Best for field repairs and prototype work.
- Crimp: Insertable crimp contacts using a hand or pneumatic crimp tool. Faster than solder; rework-friendly.
- IDC (insulation-displacement contact): Ribbon cable termination by mass-pressing — fastest assembly for high-volume production. Used extensively in legacy SCSI and PLC backplanes.
- PCB-mount: Direct solder to circuit board with through-hole or right-angle pins. Used for panel-mount equipment ports.
Common Applications
- RS-232 / RS-422 / RS-485 serial: Legacy PLC programming, instrumentation, point-of-sale, building automation panels.
- Motion controllers: Galil, Aerotech, Delta Tau, ACS controllers — DB25 / DB37 / DB62 break out servo command, encoder feedback, and digital I/O.
- Legacy CAN bus: J1939-style DB9 connectors on diagnostic ports.
- Test and measurement: Oscilloscope rear ports, GPIB-to-D-Sub adapters, custom instrumentation.
- Defence and aerospace: Mil-spec D-Sub variants for aircraft and ground-vehicle electronics.
- Industrial computers: Panel PCs and embedded PCs with retained DB9 / DB25 ports for legacy peripherals.
Hood and Backshell Options
D-Sub connectors mount in a metal or plastic hood (sometimes called a backshell) that provides cable strain relief, EMI shielding contact, and mechanical protection. Hood options:
- Plastic hood: Cheapest, lightweight; no EMI shielding.
- Metal hood (zinc / chromate): Standard for EMI applications; jumper cable shield to the hood for full 360° shielding.
- Straight or 45°: Cable exit angle to suit installation geometry.
- Latching screws or thumb-screws: 4-40 UNC retention screws — captured or loose.
Why Katlax for D-Sub
Katlax supplies both bulk D-Sub connector components (for customers who terminate in-house) and pre-terminated cable assemblies built to drawing by our harness team. Every assembly is 100% continuity tested and ships with the test report. Manufactured to IPC/WHMA-A-620 with full conductor traceability.
Certifications: ISO 9001:2015, IPC/WHMA-A-620, CE, plus self-declaration on RoHS and REACH. Lead times: bulk components 1–2 weeks; pre-terminated cable assemblies 3–4 weeks.









