Purpose
Where Systems Meet
Connectors are the INTERFACE between subsystems. Pin assignment determines what signal goes where. Wrong assignment = catastrophic cross-wiring. This visualization shows a MIL-DTL-38999 connector with proper pin categorization.
The Design Rules
Pin Assignment (AS50881)
Power pins: near shell (shortest ground path)
Signals: center (max separation from power)
Grounds: adjacent to every signal
Spares: minimum 10-20% for future growth
Key Insight: Pin assignment is the CORE of what Artifact does. Every pin, every connector, every signal -- checked for current capacity, EMI separation, spare count, and mating compatibility. This is the heart of EWIS design.
Historical
Cannon Electric (1940s)
Invented the circular connector for WWII aircraft. The "Cannon plug" became MIL-C-5015, ancestor of today's MIL-DTL-38999. Every military and space vehicle since uses descendants of this design.
References
MIL-DTL-38999 (everyspec.com) | SAE AS50881 Section 4 | NASA-STD-8739.4 Section 8