WAGO: 75 years of connectors
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RobertArthur
- Posts: 2660
- Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2021 3:10 pm
- Location: Nièvre
WAGO: 75 years of connectors
WAGO, founded April 27, 1951. A timeline of their innovations on this website. Sweet memories: a French électricien who insisted time and again that Wago connectors were not permitted, because they were not ‘NF’ approved. The times they're changing: there is also a party going on in Paris, near Charles-de-Gaulle airport.
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Trelawney
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2024 10:10 pm
WAGO: 75 years of connectors
Having a few minutes spare while watching the UK Local Election results I visited the WAGO link you supplied. The modern connectors are superb and remind me of the limited variety available in the 60/70s including the pcb mounted range.
By the way, what replaced “Plessey plugs” that we relied on for all our development work?
By the way, what replaced “Plessey plugs” that we relied on for all our development work?
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RobertArthur
- Posts: 2660
- Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2021 3:10 pm
- Location: Nièvre
WAGO: 75 years of connectors
Google gave me an answer, a summary:
* Plessey connectors — particularly the iconic Breeze and Multicon ranges used in experimental, military, and radio projects — did not vanish, but rather transitioned from Plessey as an independent entity into specialized industrial catalogs. Here is what happened to them:
* Corporate restructuring: the Plessey Company went through major changes starting in the late 1980s, culminating in a 1989 takeover by GEC (General Electric Company) and Siemens. By the way, AVO still exists as a brand under the Megger Group. And I still miss Marconi (and many others).
* Legacy brand availability: while "Plessey" as a company no longer makes them, the industry standard designs were maintained. FC Lane Electronics, for example, has been a longtime distributor that continued to stock and supply Plessey Multicon, Heavy Duty Multicon, and Standard Breeze connectors.
* Usage in experimental/hobbyist projects: these connectors are still prized for their robust design in vintage radio repair, military restorations, and robust, high-current breadboarding projects.
* Transition to modern alternatives: many modern experimental projects have shifted away from these large, threaded connectors toward smaller, lighter military-spec circular connectors (like Amphenol) or simpler industrial quick-disconnects. The brand lives on in some contexts as a component manufacturer (Plessey Semiconductors), but they are primarily focused on specialized optoelectronic devices like LED lighting, rather than traditional industrial connectors.
* Plessey connectors — particularly the iconic Breeze and Multicon ranges used in experimental, military, and radio projects — did not vanish, but rather transitioned from Plessey as an independent entity into specialized industrial catalogs. Here is what happened to them:
* Corporate restructuring: the Plessey Company went through major changes starting in the late 1980s, culminating in a 1989 takeover by GEC (General Electric Company) and Siemens. By the way, AVO still exists as a brand under the Megger Group. And I still miss Marconi (and many others).
* Legacy brand availability: while "Plessey" as a company no longer makes them, the industry standard designs were maintained. FC Lane Electronics, for example, has been a longtime distributor that continued to stock and supply Plessey Multicon, Heavy Duty Multicon, and Standard Breeze connectors.
* Usage in experimental/hobbyist projects: these connectors are still prized for their robust design in vintage radio repair, military restorations, and robust, high-current breadboarding projects.
* Transition to modern alternatives: many modern experimental projects have shifted away from these large, threaded connectors toward smaller, lighter military-spec circular connectors (like Amphenol) or simpler industrial quick-disconnects. The brand lives on in some contexts as a component manufacturer (Plessey Semiconductors), but they are primarily focused on specialized optoelectronic devices like LED lighting, rather than traditional industrial connectors.