Hybrid submarine streamer connector

An insert assembly for a hybrid marine connector, comprising:

• a front insulator disk;
• a rear insulator disk arranged coaxial with the front insulator disk and having a front surface secured to a rear surface of the front insulator disk;
• a plurality of holes extending through the front and rear insulator disks substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the disks, each hole having two shoulders formed therein, with one shoulder being recessed in said front disk and the other being recessed in said rear disk;
• a contact secured in each of the holes with one end of each contact extending past the front face of the front insulator disk;
• at least one gasket arranged on each contact for sealing the contact against the inside wall of the hole in one of the disks;
• a fastener arranged near the central longitudinal axis of the front and rear disks for axially compressing the front insulator disk into abutment with the rear insulator disk;
• and
• collet clip secured in each hole and abutting the shoulders formed on the front and rear disks, with at least one inwardly extending tine for abutting and securing the contact in the hole.

A method of making an insert assembly, comprising:

• a front insulator disk;
• a rear insulator disk arranged coaxial with the front insulator disk and having a front surface secured to a rear surface of the front insulator disk;
• a plurality of holes extending through the front and rear insulator disks substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the disks;
• a contact secured in each of the holes with one end of each contact extending past the front face of the front insulator disk wherein at least one of said contacts is a fiber optic contact;
• at least one gasket arranged on each contact for sealing the contact against the inside wall of the hole in one of the disks;
• a fastener arranged near the central longitudinal axis of the front and rear disks for axially compressing the front insulator disk into abutment with the rear insulator disk;
• a collet clip secured in each hole with at least one inwardly extending tang for abutting and securing the contact in the hole;
• two shoulders formed in each of the holes, one shoulder being formed in each of the disks, wherein the collet clips are secured between the shoulders in each hole;
• an adapter sleeve retained in at least one of said collet clips for adapting the collet clip to secure one of the fiber optic contacts in the hole;
• and
• a gender changer including an anterior insulator disk, a posterior insulator disk having a front surface abutting a rear surface of the anterior insulator disk, a plurality of passageways extending through the anterior and posterior insulator disks, each of said passageways corresponding to a hole through the front and rear insulator disks, a receptacle sleeve positioned in each passageway having a central flange for abutting against said shoulder in the passageways, for releasably receiving a free end of a contact which is positioned in a corresponding collet clip, and a fastener arranged near the longitudinal axis of the front and rear disks for axially compressing the front insulator disk into abutment with the rear insulator disk;
• said method comprising:
• inserting the collet clips in the holes against a shoulder in one of the front and rear insulator disks so that collet clips have a free end;
• positioning the holes in the other of the front and rear insulator disks over the free ends of the inserted collet clips;
• axially compressing the front and rear insulator plates by tightening the bolt;
• and
• inserting a contact in each of the collet clips with the O-ring on the contact against the wall of the holes in front of the collet clip.