A number of standards specific to military organizations exist for trailer connectors, the electrical connectors between vehicles and the trailers they tow that provide a means of control for the trailers. These can be found on surplus equipment sold for civilian use.
NATO uses a 12-pin connector [NATO 1] [NATO 2] according to STANAG 4007. [1] However, note that there are often deviations from the standard depending on which country it is applied, which means that the table below may not be accurate.
| Nr | STANAG 4007 |
|---|---|
| A | Blackout - Disconnect power to all normal lighting. Only specially designed lamps according to STANAG 4381 [2] is allowed, but shall only be activated if terminal C is active. |
| B | Left Turn Signal |
| C | Blackout marker lights according to STANAG 4381 [2] |
| D | Ground [NATO 3] |
| E | Tail lamps, clearance lamps/outline marker lamps and registration plate lamp |
| F | Blackout stop lights according to STANAG 4381 [2] |
| H | Rear fog lamps |
| J | Right Turn Signal |
| K | +24V or +12V [NATO 4] ; via ignition lock OR permanent [NATO 5] . |
| L | Ground [NATO 3] |
| M | Stop lamps |
| N | Reversing lamps, control current to block surge brakes when reversing. |
The following supplementary information exists for the connector:
Some documentation indicates that the terminal A, C and H must be interconnected, [3] this will conflict with the definition of Blackout and Convoy modes according to STANAG 4007 when these pins have different purposes. To clarify:
This is physically the same connector as the NATO connector, but with completely different wiring. [4] This means mixing this up with the STANAG 4007 wiring runs the risk for short circuits and blown fuses.
| Nr | Swedish Armed Forces |
|---|---|
| A | Tail lamps, clearance lamps/outline marker lamps and registration plate lamp left side. |
| B | Tail lamps, clearance lamps/outline marker lamps and registration plate lamp right side. |
| C | Stop lamps |
| D | Left Turn Signal |
| E | Right Turn Signal |
| F | Blackout marker lights |
| H | Blackout stop lights |
| J | +24V or +12V [SE 1] ; via ignition lock OR permanent [SE 2] . |
| K | Ground |
| L | Reversing lamps, control current to block surge brakes when reversing. |
| M | Spare [SE 3] |
| N | Spare [SE 4] |
The following supplementary information exists for the connector:
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| Socket | |
| Pin | |