The TE 3-640599-9 is a 9-position, single-row receptacle from the MTA-156 series, terminated via IDC to either discrete 18 AWG wire or ribbon cable. The 0.156" (3.96mm) pitch matches the MTA-156 header family — a standard spacing for power distribution within a cabinet or panel harness. The orange colour is a visual key for the 9-position variant in the MTA-156 colour-coding scheme, helping harness builders identify the circuit count at a glance.
What the IDC Termination on 18 AWG Means for Your Harness
IDC on 18 AWG is heavier than the signal-level wire you typically see in ribbon-cable IDC connectors. The MTA-156 is designed for power delivery within a wire harness — think 5-8 A per circuit depending on ambient temperature and bundling. The feed-through feature means the IDC slot passes the wire straight through, so you can daisy-chain power from one receptacle to the next without a separate splice. That saves a crimp and a joint in a multi-drop power bus.
This receptacle mates with any MTA-156 header that has the same 0.156" pitch and the corresponding 9-position pin count. The locking ramp engages the header's ramp catch — you'll hear it click home. Termination is IDC only: strip no wire, just insert the 18 AWG solid or stranded conductor into the slot and press down with an MTA hand tool or press. The feed-through slot lets the wire exit the back of the housing, which is how you build a pass-through bus. For discrete wire, the IDC slot accepts 18 AWG only; the ribbon-cable version uses the same housing but the cable is mass-terminated.
The MTA-156 series is still an active product line from TE. There is no EOL notice or last-time-buy on this part number. Sourcing is through the independent distribution channel — we quote this to order against an RFQ.