Connectors Guide

Complete guide to creating and managing connectors in EZ Wire

Last updated: Sep 27, 2026

What are Connectors?

Connectors are the physical connection points in your wiring harness. EZ Wire supports standard connectors, splices, ring terminals, and solder sleeves. Each connector contains cavities (pins) that wires connect to.

Recommended: Use Devices or Select from the Connector Design Library

For the best experience, avoid creating plain connectors whenever possible. Instead, consider these two preferred approaches:

Use Devices - If your connector belongs to a known electrical device (e.g. an ECU, sensor, or relay), create it as a Device. Devices group related connectors together, making your harness easier to manage and understand.
Select from the Connector Design Library - Choose an existing design from the library when adding a connector. This links your connector to a real-world part with cavity images, part numbers, and shared metadata - saving time and improving accuracy across projects.

Plain connectors (with just a name and way count) are useful for quick prototyping, but Devices and library-backed designs give you richer data, better visuals in the diagram, and easier reuse.

Quick Navigation

Standard Connectors Multiple Numbered Connectors Splices Ring Terminals Solder Sleeves Organizing with Tabs Editing Wire Idents Managing Existing Connectors Keyboard Shortcuts

Creating Standard Connectors

Standard connectors are the primary connection points in your harness

Standard connectors represent physical electrical connectors like ECU connectors, sensor connectors, or any multi-pin connector in your harness. Each connector has a specified number of cavities (pins).

Example of a standard multi-pin connector

Where to start: click Add in the sticky toolbar above the connector list and choose Connector. The same menu has Device (import every connector from a saved device), Splice, Ring Terminal and Solder Sleeve. New items go to the end of the tab you are viewing.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1
Enter Connector Name
Type a unique name for your connector (e.g., "ECU", "SENSOR1", "INJECTOR"). Names must be unique within the harness.
2
Press Tab to Move to Selected Connector Design
Press Enter to open the Connector Design Library modal. Select a connector design, use the filters to find a specific connector design. Once you have selected a connector design, select the suitable part number you wish to use.
2
Can't find the connector design you need?
You can create a new connector design from scratch by clicking the "Create New Design" button. This will open the Connector Design Form where you can enter the details of the connector design. Once you have created the connector design, you can add it to your harness by selecting it from the Connector Design Library modal.
2
Don't want to use a connector design? Press Tab to Move to Ways
The Ways field specifies how many cavities (pins) the connector has. Enter a number (e.g., 12, 24, 48).
3
Add Part Number (Optional)
Press Tab again to reach the Part Number field. Enter the manufacturer's part number if tracking specific connector types.
4
Set Strip Length (Optional)
Press Tab to reach Strip Length. Enter the wire strip length in your chosen units (mm or in). This appears on connector pinouts.
5
Need to create multiple connectors at once?
See the section below for creating multiple connectors at once.Creating Multiple Numbered Connectors
5
Create Connector
Press Enter from any field to create the connector. The dialog closes, and the page scrolls to your new connector and briefly highlights it. To add several in a row, tick "Keep this open to add another": the form resets and focuses the name field after each one.

Creating Multiple Numbered Connectors

Efficiently create sets of numbered connectors at once

When you need multiple connectors with sequential numbering (like INJ1, INJ2, INJ3 for injectors), use the "Create Multiple" feature to save time.

Add Connector form with Create Multiple Numbered Connectors enabled

Creating Multiple Connectors

1
Enter Base Name and Details
Enter the base name (e.g., "INJ", "COIL", "SENSOR"), select a connector design or enter the number of ways, and optionally the part number.
2
Enable Create Multiple Numbered Connectors
Check the "Create Multiple Numbered Connectors?" checkbox to reveal additional options.
3
Set Count and Starting Number
Enter how many connectors to create (defaults to 2) and the starting number (defaults to 1).
4
Choose Numbering Format
Select your preferred format:
- No Space: INJ1, INJ2, INJ3 (default)
- Dash: INJ-1, INJ-2, INJ-3
- Underscore: INJ_1, INJ_2, INJ_3
5
Review Preview and Create
A preview shows what will be created (e.g., "Will create connectors: INJ1 to INJ4"). Press Enter to create all connectors at once.

Example: To create COIL-5 through COIL-8, enter "COIL" as the name, set count to 4, starting number to 5, and choose the dash format.

Creating Splices

Splices are junction points where multiple wires connect together

Splices are used for power distribution, ground junctions, or any point where multiple wires need to connect. Unlike standard connectors, splices don't have a fixed number of cavities.

Creating Splices

Method 1: Auto-Generated Names

Click Add and choose Splice, leave the name empty and click Add Splice to generate sequential names (S1, S2, S3, etc.). Tick "Keep this open to add another" to create several quickly.

Method 2: Custom Names

In the Add Splice dialog, type a custom name like "SP-POWER", "SP-GROUND", or "SPLICE-FUEL". Optionally add a part number, then press Enter to create.

Common Use Cases: Power distribution from battery to multiple circuits, ground splices connecting multiple grounds to a single point, signal splices for shared sensor inputs.

Creating Ring Terminals

Ring terminals connect wires to grounding points, battery posts, or mounting bolts

Ring terminals are single-pin connectors that typically terminate at a bolt or stud. Common examples include ground connections to chassis, battery connections, or any wire terminating with a ring lug.

Creating Ring Terminals

1
Open the Add Menu
Click Add in the toolbar above the connector list and choose Ring Terminal.
2
Enter Descriptive Name
Use names like "RT-GND1", "RT-BATT+", "RT-CHASSIS" to indicate what the ring terminal connects to.
3
Add Part Number (Optional)
Optionally specify the ring terminal part number or size specification.
4
Press Enter to Create
Press Enter from the name field or part number field to create the ring terminal.

Creating Solder Sleeves

Solder sleeves work like splices - a single cavity that accepts multiple wire connections - but represent a distinct physical component with its own part number. They support auto-naming (SS1, SS2, …) or a custom name, and are excluded from the label generator by default.

On the Visual Diagram a solder sleeve is drawn as a node, exactly like a splice. Drag one node onto another to combine them into a single physical joint - splices and solder sleeves can share the same node - and right-click a combined node and choose Split Node to separate them again.

Method 1: Auto-Generated Names

Click Add, choose Solder Sleeve, leave the name empty and click Add Solder Sleeve to generate a sequential name (SS1, SS2, SS3, …). Numbering is independent from splice numbering.

Method 2: Custom Name

In the Add Solder Sleeve dialog, type a custom name, then press Enter to create.

Solder sleeves appear as orange rectangles on the wiring diagram.

Organizing with Tabs

Create custom tabs to organize connectors by function or location

For complex harnesses with many connectors, tabs help you organize by grouping related connectors together. All connectors remain accessible across tabs when creating connections.

EZ Wire connector tabs interface showing organized groups of connectors

Creating and Managing Tabs

1
Click + Add Tab
It sits at the right end of the tab row in the sticky toolbar. A name field appears at the end of the row. When you have more tabs than fit, scroll the tab row sideways or use the arrow buttons at either end.
2
Enter a tab name
Type a descriptive name like "Injectors", "Sensors", "Splices" or "ECU Connectors", then press Enter (or click the tick). You'll land on the new tab, ready to add connectors. Press Escape to cancel.
3
Click the Edit Tabs (pencil) button to rename, reorder or delete
There's no separate dialog: the tab row itself switches into edit mode, and each tab shows a drag handle and a delete (×) button. Click a tab's name to rename it in place, then press Enter (or click the tick) to save or Escape to cancel. Drag the handle to reorder, or focus the handle and use Space, the arrow keys and Space again to reorder with the keyboard. Changes save as you go. Click "Done" to return to the normal tab row.
4
Delete a tab
Empty tabs are deleted after a quick confirmation. If the tab has connectors, you choose whether to move them to another tab (the default) or delete them along with their connections and lengths. The last remaining tab can't be deleted.

Important: When creating connections, you'll see connectors from ALL tabs in the dropdown. Tabs are purely organizational and don't limit which connectors can be wired together. Use the View All tab at the start of the tab row to see every connector at once.

Editing Wire Idents

Add color-coded identification bands to your wires directly on the connector view

Wire idents (identification bands) are color-coded markers that help identify wires in your harness. You can add these idents directly from the connector view for quick data entry.

How to Edit Idents

1
Enable Edit Mode
Click the edit icon (pencil) next to "Color" in the table header. The icon will highlight when edit mode is active. This icon only appears when the Color column is visible.
2
Enter Ident Codes
Type digits 0-9 to set ident codes (up to 5 characters). Each digit corresponds to a color band defined in your ident colors settings. For example, "12345" might represent Brown-Red-Orange-Yellow-Green bands.
3
Save Changes
Press Enter to save immediately, or wait 400ms for auto-save. Use Tab to navigate between ident fields.
4
Finish Editing
Click the edit icon again when done to return to the normal view where idents are displayed as colored bands.

Pro Tip: The ident codes correspond to colors defined in your ident colors settings. Each digit maps to a specific color band, allowing you to quickly identify wires using a standardized color scheme.

Important Limitation: You can only edit overall wire idents (Color column) from the connector view. End idents (To/From Ident at each connector) are NOT editable on this page - these must be edited on the Cut List page. This separation allows you to quickly set overall wire identification while maintaining precise control over connector-specific idents on the Cut List.

Managing Existing Connectors

Actions available on connectors already in your harness

Switching Image Views

Connectors linked to a design from the Connector Design Library can display different face images. Click the image on any connector to cycle through the available views - Main, Front, and Rear - or swap in a Custom image you've uploaded. The selected view is saved per-connector and shown in the diagram and on printed pinout sheets.

Updating to Your Own Device Version

If a connector was imported from a system device and you later create a custom version of that device in the Device Library, you can update the connector to use your version instead. Open the connector's options menu and choose Update to My Device Version. This switches the connector's cavity descriptions to your naming conventions without losing any existing connections or wiring data.

Changing or Removing a Connector Design

Once a connector is linked to a design from the Connector Design Library, its options menu shows Change Connector Design and Remove Connector Design instead of the initial Select A Connector from Library option. Choose Change Connector Design to open the library and swap in a different design in a single step - the connector keeps its existing connections and wiring data. Choose Remove Connector Design to unlink the design without deleting the connector itself; this only clears the design association so you can pick a different one or manage cavities manually.

Pro Tip

Create your custom device version first in the Device Library, then come back to each harness and update connectors to use it. Your naming conventions will be applied automatically across all updated connectors.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Work faster with keyboard navigation

TabMove to next field

EnterCreate connector

Shift+TabMove to previous field

EscClear form (when focused)

Next Steps: Creating Connections

Once you've created connectors, you're ready to wire them together

Now that you have connectors set up, you can create connections between their cavities. Each connection represents a physical wire in your harness.

The Connections Guide covers creating connections, enabling multiple connections per cavity, and managing connection status.

Save Time with the Connector Design Library

Reuse connector configurations across your projects

After creating connectors, save them to the Connector Design Library for quick reuse in future harnesses. Access both your personal designs and community-shared designs from the System Library.

Best Practices

Tips for efficient connector management

Prefer Devices and Connector Design Library Selections
Use Devices for connectors that belong to a known electrical component, and always try to select a design from the library rather than entering a way count manually. This gives you richer metadata, cavity images, and better diagram visuals.
Use Descriptive Names
Names like "ECU", "INJECTOR1", "SENSOR-TEMP" are clearer than "CONN1", "CONN2".
Group with Tabs
Organize complex harnesses by creating tabs for different functional areas or physical locations.
Track Part Numbers
Adding part numbers helps with ordering and assembly. They appear in your Bill of Materials.
Add Descriptions and Notes
Click on the description field in each connector's header to add notes, specifications, or assembly instructions (up to 1,000 characters).
Specify Strip Lengths
Strip length information on connector pinouts helps installers prepare wires correctly.

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