The closed-end housing prevents stubbing during assembly, and the latch lock holds the mate against vibration in a free-hanging (in-line) installation.
This receptacle accepts 22-26 AWG discrete or ribbon cable. The IDC termination punches through the insulation in one operation — no wire stripping or crimping. The closed-end feature means the cable stops at the back of the housing, so the stripped length is fixed by the tooling. For a 26 AWG build, the IDC slot is sized to grip the conductor; the gold contact finish is the same at every position.
Position Count Comparison: 12 vs 4
The 1-103957-1 carries 12 positions. The same-series sibling 1-103957-4 is a 4-position version — same 0.100" pitch, same gold finish, same IDC termination, same closed-end housing. The only difference that affects the BOM is the circuit count: 12 positions vs 4. If the harness needs fewer circuits, the 1-103957-4 drops in with the same tooling and mating header.