What is Panel Mount?

Updated 05-April-2022

Panel Mount is a mechanical feature or features built into the design of a connector half. It allows the connector to be secured to an equipment panel, external case or enclosure. Often (but not always), connectors fitted with panel mount features will be cable connectors.

Download this article in PDF format

There are three types of panel mount positions:

Left to right: External mount, Internal mount, Side mount

This may vary across the industry with different manufacturers – but at Harwin we distinguish between Panel Mount and Board Mount.

Board Mount devices are additional screws/bolts/nuts or latching mechanisms fitted to a throughboard or surface mount connector – not a cable connector. These secure the connector to the same PCB where the electrical soldering connection is made. Board Mount helps lower stress on the solder terminations by transmitting forces through a separate mechanical connection to the PCB.

It’s possible for a connector design to incorporate both rear Panel Mount and Board Mount, fixing to both a PCB and an external enclosure at right angles. It’s also possible to use the same hardware as panel mount hardware – if it’s not reducing stress on the solder joints, but just fixing the connector to the PCB, it’s panel mount.

When you want to make a connection between the inside and the outside of an enclosure, you need to have a hole in the enclosure wall (or panel) to feed the connection through. If the whole system is fit-and-forget (install once and never replace anything), then there’s no reason why you can’t have a bunch of cables going through this hole to transfer your signal and/or power. It works for your satellite/cable TV/antenna being fed through your external wall at home! Just make sure you line the edges of the enclosure hole to protect the cables.

However, if you want to be able to plug and unplug your enclosure at any time, or they are being made at different locations, then the most convenient method is to have the connection half built into one side of the enclosure. The enclosure will have a hole or cut-out for the connector to sit in (specified by the connector manufacturer). The inside electronics are wired to the back of the panel mount connector, and the connector is then fixed into the cut-out.

Panel mount connectors will require a bigger cut-out in your panel, more than just a hole for the cables. On very small devices, it might make sense to feed the cables out through the panel hole and have a mating cable connector hanging off the end.

Connectors can also be panel mounted with glue or other adhesive methods (rather than mechanical fixings). Or, the PCB with the connector is mounted very closely and precisely to the opening in the panel. For example, your USB and headphone connections in your smartphone and similar devices.

However, for applications in more demanding environments, we’d recommend mechanical panel mount to prevent the connector moving away from the panel at the first bump. It’s important when specifying your panel connections to understand your environmental considerations.

We have panel mount fixing options in the following ranges:

These connector fixings all mate with the equivalent compatible standard or reverse fixings on the rest of the Gecko-SL, Gecko-MT, Datamate J-Tek and Datamate Mix-Tek ranges. Consult the following Training Modules for more detailed information on specific fixings available.

Datamate Panel Mount               Gecko-SL Panel Mount

If you would like to talk to someone about which product would be the right fit for your requirements, contact one of our Experts for assistance.

Contact us