Screw terminal

A spiral terminal is a blazon of electrical adapter area a wire is clamped down to metal by a screw. The wire is sometimes just bald of electrical insulation at the end, and is angled in a U or J appearance to fit about the shaft of the screw. Alternatively, a lug can be coiled assimilate the end of the wire to assure it. Setscrews are aswell used, as in a afterglow terminal or lustre terminal, but lugs will not fit into them. For both lugs and bald wire, the spiral is anchored for a defended connection.

Description and usage

Screw terminals are frequently acclimated to affix a anatomy ground, such as on a almanac amateur or billow protector. A lot of accessible abode systems in barrio aswell use them for speakers, and sometimes for added outputs and inputs. They are aswell acclimated abundantly in base for electricity, for abutting electrical outlets and switches to the mains, and for abutting above accessories like clothes dryers and ovens to the accurate bung installed in a home, or anon hard-wiring to the house, as appropriate by bounded electrical codes in the US. For believability reasons, spiral terminals for apple arena access are adopted on a lot of USA-style outlets, even for those that contrarily accept "rear-wire" push-in connections, admitting the adversity of angle heavy-gauge solid chestnut about a spiral with pliers. Grounding screws are generally apparent green, and if acclimated on customer electronics generally accept a washer with arresting "teeth".

Multiway version

Multiple spiral terminals can be abiding as a barrier strip, with anniversary abbreviate metal band accepting a brace of screws. This is acclimated for abutting two altered components, one on anniversary ancillary of the pairs. This adjustment is accepted in afterglow terminals, as pictured at left. These are accepted as adapter strips or amber blocks in the UK. Conversely, terminals can aswell be abiding as a terminal band or terminal block, with several screws forth (typically) two continued strips. This creates a bus bar for ability distribution, and so may aswell cover a adept ascribe connector, usually bounden posts and/or assistant connectors.

Advantages and disadvantages

One advantage of spiral terminals is that no connectors are used, appropriately no affinity problems with altered sizes or shapes. Additionally, the access are actual secure, both physically and electrically, because they durably acquaintance a ample area of wire. This is aswell a disadvantage however, because it can yield a few account to defended or disengage a set of access that could contrarily be artlessly acquainted or unplugged. Another disadvantage is that their use with wire too attenuate is accountable to partially cut through the wire.

Screw connectors sometimes appear apart over time if not done up deeply abundant at applicable time. In the UK all spiral connectors on anchored mains installations are appropriate to be attainable for application for this reason.

Overtightening can cut a lot of of the way through wires.

Vintage tube radio terminal strips had apparatus anchored to them.

An another in some countries is to use wire nuts, usually done area there is no anatomy involved.