DEUTSCH Decode & Tooling Worksheet
The DEUTSCH deep dive explains how to decode the part number and why the contact line changes the tooling. This page turns that into a worksheet for your part number and TE's current literature.
Plug/receptacle does not tell you pin/socket — a DT06 plug carries sockets. Trailing suffix codes are housing modifications (color, enhanced seal retention, shrouds and boot adapters, molded-in resistors, keying) that change the part meaningfully — decode them against TE literature, never by pattern-matching a lookalike listing. Amphenol Sine's AT/ATM/ATP lines are marketed as intermateable equivalents, and anonymous marketplace "Deutsch-style" kits exist — treat every cross-vendor or unbranded part as a compatibility claim to verify.12
The worksheet — DT family
Example column decoded per the TE literature cited on the deep dive1 — verify each field against the catalog you are actually buying from, and record the document + revision at the bottom.
| Field | Example: DT06-3S + W3S | Meaning in the example | Your part number | Meaning per your catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | DT | DT family (DTM, DTP, DTHD, DRC follow the same logic) | ||
| Shell half | 06 | DT06 = plug (takes socket contacts); DT04 = receptacle (takes pin contacts) | ||
| Cavity count | 3 | Three cavities | ||
| Contact gender accepted | S | S = sockets, P = pins | ||
| Modification suffix | (none) | Housing variant codes (e.g. -E008, -P006, -CE05-style) — color, seal, shroud, resistor, keying; decode per TE literature | ||
| Wedgelock | W3S | W + cavity count + half (S = plug side, P = receptacle side) — a separate line item |
The heavy circulars follow their own prefix logic: HD34 = HD30-series receptacle, HD36 = HD30-series plug; HDP24 / HDP26 = the HDP20-series equivalents; then shell size and insert arrangement (an 18-shell 14-cavity arrangement reads 18-14).3
The tooling selector — which contact line do you hold?
The same housings accept two contact lines that do not share crimp tooling. Identify the line before you order the tool.4
| You have… | Part-number series | Correct tooling class |
|---|---|---|
| Solid (machined-barrel) contacts | 0460 (pins) / 0462 (sockets) | Solid-barrel indent tool — e.g. the HDT-48-00 hand tool, sizes 20/16/12 only |
| Stamped-and-formed contacts (often on carrier strip) | 1060 (pins) / 1062 (sockets) | Stamped-contact tooling — the solid-barrel tool does not produce a valid crimp |
Record with the decode
- TE catalog/datasheet document used, with revision/date
- Contacts for both halves (pins and sockets), from one contact line, with plating matched across the interface
- The correct crimp tool for that contact line, with the manufacturer's crimp inspection criterion
- Wedgelock per half (W-series part numbers) — on the BOM, not assumed in the bag
- Sealing plugs counted for every unused cavity
- Seal range vs. wire insulation OD checked per cavity (thin-insulation wire defeats the seal)
- Keying on same-size neighbors, documented in the ICD
- For second-source (AT-series) or mixed-vendor interfaces: compatibility verified against both manufacturers' documentation
This is a working tool, not a standard. TE's current literature, the exact datasheet, and program requirements always win.