Terminal Block for Panel Wiring — 3 Positions at 5 mm Pitch
The TE Connectivity 282856-3 is a 3-position, single-level terminal block from the Buchanan series, designed for printed circuit board mounting with a 0.197" (5.00mm) pitch. The green polyamide (PA66) housing carries three screw rising-cage clamp terminations, each accepting wire from 12 AWG down to 30 AWG. Rated 24 A at 300 V, this block handles power distribution for motor controls, industrial power supplies, and HVAC controller boards — not signal-level duty.
What the 24 A at 300 V Rating Means for Your Circuit
The 24 A current rating per level is the continuous current the block can carry at the rated temperature rise — sized for a single motor branch circuit or a DC power rail, not for paralleling multiple small signals. The M3 screw with a specified torque of 0.79 Nm (7.0 Lb-In) ensures the rising cage clamp applies enough force to hold a 12 AWG conductor without crushing it; back the screw off fully before inserting stranded wire to avoid splaying the strands.
Wiring and Termination — Screw Rising-Cage Clamp
The 282856-3 terminates wire with a screw-driven rising cage clamp — the screw lifts a brass, nickel-plated clamp pad against the conductor. This style gives a gas-tight connection on solid or stranded wire without requiring a ferrule, though ferruled stranded wire seats more consistently. The clamp material is brass with nickel plating, and the contact surface on the conductor path is brass with tin plating — tin is adequate for the moderate mating cycle of a fixed installation but sees some surface oxidation if left unmated in a corrosive atmosphere. The interlocking side feature lets multiple blocks key together side-by-side on the same PCB to form a multi-position strip without gaps.