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FASTON terminals or faston terminals are connectors that are widely used in electronic and electrical equipment. These terminals are manufactured by many companies, commonly using the terms "quick disconnect", "quick connect", "tab" terminals, "spade" terminals [1] or blade connectors; without qualifiers, the first two could be mistaken for plumbing connections.
The terminals are often called "quick disconnect" because the predecessors were screw terminals, which took longer to disconnect. The name "tab" terminals is a description of the shape of the male terminal.
Six series are covered in one of TE's catalogs (which omits the .375", but mentions it elsewhere), named after their blade width in mils. [2] Insulated versions of the terminals are color-coded to indicate what wire gauges they may be used with. The terminal system consists of tabs (male) and receptacles (female). There are free-hanging wire and circuit board mounted versions of both tabs and receptacles. All widths come mostly in one of two tab thicknesses: .032" and .020".
A hand tool exists for inserting the terminals: the AMP Universal Handle.[ citation needed ]
They have been commonly used since the 1970s. Faston is a trademark.
Four main styles of crimps are specified by AMP:
The colors don't provide information about the polarity of the crimped cables but specify their diameter.
| Insulation color code | AWG size range | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 26–22 | |
| Transparent | 24–20 | |
| Red | 22–16 | |
| Blue | 16–14 | |
| Yellow/Black | 16–14 | Heavy duty |
| Yellow | 12–10 | |
| Red | 8 | |
| Blue | 6 | |
| Yellow | 4 | |
| Brown | 2 | |
| Blue | 1/0 | |
| Yellow | 2/0 | |
| Red | 3/0 | |
| Blue | 4/0 |
0.375-inch (9.5 mm) male tab width [4]
0.312-inch (7.92 mm) male tab width
0.250-inch (6.35 mm) male tab width
0.205-inch (5.21 mm) male tab width
0.187-inch (4.75 mm) male tab width
0.125-inch (3.18 mm) male tab width
0.110-inch (2.79 mm) male tab width
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