Not every project in our gallery is a full test system — some of our best work is a single, precision-engineered cable that has to perform flawlessly as part of someone else's larger program. This build-to-print test cable assembly, produced in a qty-2 run, is one of those projects.
The customer needed a mil-spec test cable assembly built exactly to their engineering drawing package — no design deviation, no substitutions, and full compliance with aerospace-grade materials and workmanship standards. Every connector, wire gauge, and finishing detail had to match spec, because a test cable that's “close enough” isn't good enough when it's connecting precision test equipment to a unit under test.
The harness centers on mil-spec circular connectors — a 15-position sealed stainless-steel plug and matching MS-style backshell — paired with a second 12-position circular connector on the opposite end, plus a dedicated one-wire cable assembly for the interconnect itself. Internally, the build uses 4-pair, 22 AWG shielded cable rated for 300V alongside an insulated mil-spec hookup wire, chosen for its resistance to heat, abrasion, and chemical exposure in demanding environments.
Every termination follows mil-spec crimping practice with sockets and pins sized to the connector standard, finished with expandable braided sleeving and heat-shrink insulation for strain relief and environmental protection. Threaded connector hardware is secured with threadlocker and finished with tamper-evident torque seal paste — a visual cue that a fastener has been torqued to spec and hasn't backed off since. Each finished cable carries individually printed identification labels, so it's traceable and unmistakable in the field.
|
|
The project moved through our standard build discipline: purchasing and kitting to pull every mil-spec component from qualified sources, hands-on wiring and cable assembly, and a formal quality inspection before ship. It's the same inspection rigor — connector fit, termination integrity, cosmetic standards, sign-off with inspector initials and date — that every mechanical build at Ball Systems goes through, whether it's a two-piece order or a full production run.
Test cables like this one rarely get the spotlight, but they're often the critical link that makes a larger test or diagnostic system work at all. Projects like this one sit alongside our full automated test system builds as proof of the same underlying approach: precise adherence to the print, traceable sourcing, and inspection discipline applied at any scale, from a single custom cable to a complete test station.
Ball Systems creates, develops, and delivers custom test systems and produces comprehensive build-to-print systems for companies that craft or manufacture critical electronic or electromechanical components for aerospace and defense, automotive, and consumer appliance applications.
