The TE Connectivity Buchanan 1546217-2 is a 2-position, single-level PCB terminal block with a 5.08 mm pitch, designed for wire-to-board termination via a screw-rising cage clamp. The gray polyamide (PA66) housing carries the side-interlocking feature, letting you gang multiple 2-position blocks side-by-side into a longer terminal strip without needing a separate jumper — useful when you're building out a multi-circuit power distribution point on a single PCB and want to keep the BOM clean with one line item.
The Screw-Rising Cage Clamp — What It Means for Field Work
This block terminates wire with a screw-rising cage clamp, which means you land the stripped wire into the clamp opening and tighten the M3 screw to 0.68 Nm (6 Lb-In). The clamp rises and pinches the conductor against the bus bar — no crimp tool, no ferrule required for stranded wire up to 16 AWG. The brass clamp and screw are both nickel-plated, and the contact surface is brass with tin plating. For a field-service scenario, this is the right call: you can re-terminate a loose wire on site with a #1 Phillips and a torque screwdriver. The 16-30 AWG range covers most control-circuit and low-power signal wiring you'd find in an industrial panel.
Side Interlocking and Multi-Level Builds
The interlocking (side) feature means the housing has dovetail grooves that let you snap multiple 1546217-2 blocks together into a continuous strip. The pitch stays consistent at 5.08 mm across the assembly, so the PCB footprint for each 2-position block is independent; you just place them end-to-end on the board. This is the same trick the 1546216 series uses, but note the 1546216 runs a 5.00 mm pitch — close but not identical, so the footprints don't cross. Stick with the 5.08 mm pitch for this part.