What to put in a wire harness RFQ
Connector part numbers, pinout, lengths, wire, and quantity get a quote started. A drawing or wire list is enough. Catalog JST, Molex, and Deutsch parts can skip the RFQ and go through ConfigV2.
Minimum to quote a custom harness
Emailing "I need a quote for JST and Molex cable assemblies" is a start. These five fields are what we need to price it. A PDF drawing plus a wire list covers most of them in one shot.
| Send | What it means |
|---|---|
| Connector part numbers | Housing MPNs such as JST PHR-4 or Molex Mini-Fit Jr 39-01-2040, plus contacts, seals, and clips if they are separate. Family names like JST or Molex are not enough. |
| Pinout | Which pin on connector A goes to which pin on connector B. A drawing, spreadsheet, or labeled photo works. |
| Lengths | Finished length and the datum, usually connector face to connector face. |
| Wire | Gauge, insulation family, and color per circuit. |
| Quantity | How many you need now, plus any price breaks you want quoted (1 / 10 / 25 / 100). |
Nice to have: environment, covering, labels, tests, and allowed substitutions. If every connector is in the catalog, skip the RFQ and configure it with AI or build it in ConfigV2.
ConfigV2-ready spec or engineer-review RFQ
If the catalog can express the harness, build it in ConfigV2 (or POST the same fields as a harness spec). If a human has to interpret a drawing, send an RFQ. MiniProto has no minimum order quantity. Unusual work still goes through engineer review.
| Signal | ConfigV2-ready | Engineer-review RFQ |
|---|---|---|
| Every connector is a stocked MPN | Required. Lookup fails on nicknames. | Preferred, but a drawing plus a named family can be reviewed. |
| Every circuit has a pin-to-pin map | Required. Each wires[] row is one circuit. | Required. A drawing callout with no cavity map will bounce. |
| Wire is a catalog family and gauge | Required. Copy wireFamily, gauge, and color from capabilities. | Name the family even if the drawing only shows AWG. |
| 2 to 16 connectors, up to 500 wires | Hard spec limit. | Larger or stranger topologies still quote, with engineer review. |
| Splices, overmold, or customer-supplied parts | Out of band. Do not force it into the canvas. | Send the RFQ. Include the splice netlist, not splice coordinates. |
| Mil-spec circulars, mixed cable plus discrete, or special test | Usually not expressible. | Engineer-review RFQ with the drawing package. |
Clean catalog work belongs in ConfigV2 or the AI configure guide. Drawing packages belong on the quote form. The fork is configure vs send a drawing.
Required RFQ fields
Copy this table into the RFQ. ConfigV2-ready rows use the public spec field names. Engineer-review rows are what a human quoting package should still spell out.
| Include | Why it matters | ConfigV2-ready | Engineer-review RFQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connector MPNs | A 12-pin Deutsch is not a part. Key, gender, and contact system change the BOM. | connectors[].ref.mpn (exact catalog MPN) and side (left or right). Never send both mpn and componentId. | Housing MPN plus contacts, seals, cavity plugs, wedgelocks, and key (A/B/C/D). |
| Pin mapping / pinout | Continuity follows cavities, not wire colors. | Each wire maps sourceConnector and sourcePin to targetConnector and targetPin. Connector indices are 0-based. Pins are 1-based. | Cavity map or netlist. Name unused cavities and the cavity plugs that fill them. |
| Finished lengths and reference points | Cut length is not install length. Boots and backshells consume millimeters. | wires[].lengthMm as finished length in millimeters. | Finished length, tolerance, and datum: face-to-face, including or excluding strain relief. |
| Gauge, family, and color | GXL 18 AWG black is a different part from UL1007 18 AWG black. | wireFamily, gauge ("18 AWG"), and color copied from stocked capabilities for that gauge. | Insulation family, AWG, color per circuit, and any stripe or printing. |
| Quantity and breaks | Unit price moves with quantity. Prototype 3 is not production 100. | quantity on the spec. Defaults to 1 if omitted. | Order quantity plus the price breaks you want quoted (1 / 10 / 25 / 100). |
| Environment | Sealed DT in a cabin is waste. Unsealed JST in a washdown bay fails. | Pick catalog parts that already match the environment. Put remaining constraints in designNotes. | Temperature, fluids, UV, flex, IP target, and indoor versus vehicle or washdown. |
| Coverings and labels | Braid, loom, and tape are different ops. Labels need content and placement. | Only what the canvas can express. Put the rest in designNotes. | Covering by segment, size basis (bundle OD), label text, and offset from each housing. |
| Test and quality requirements | Continuity is the default shop test. Hi-pot, pull tests, and certificates are not. | designNotes | 100% continuity, hi-pot voltage if required, IPC/WHMA-A-620 class, first-article, CoC. |
| Files | A photo without a wire list is a guess. A CAD dump without a BOM is a delay. | Not required when the canvas already holds the full spec. | PDF drawing, spreadsheet wire list, sample photos, and the drawing revision. |
| Acceptable substitutions | Unstated alternates stall the quote. Silent swaps stall the build. | Spec the allowed MPN. Do not send a family nickname. | Named alternates (AT for DT, ATM for DTM) or write "no substitutions". |
Finished length reference points
lengthMm is finished length. If you do not name the datum, the shop will assume connector face to connector face and will guess about boots.
| Datum | Means | Write it as |
|---|---|---|
| Connector face to connector face | Housing mating face to mating face. | 300 mm face-to-face, +/- 10 mm |
| Including boots or strain relief | Length includes heat-shrink, boots, or backshells. | 300 mm including boots |
| Excluding boots | Housings only. Shop adds boot length separately. | 300 mm excluding strain relief |
| Branch from a named junction | Breakout length from a labeled point, not from the middle. | 120 mm from J1 breakout to DTM plug face |
Copyable example
The JSON is a public harness spec: connectors, wires, quantity, and notes. API callers wrap it as { "spec": ... } for POST /api/v1/validations. The text block is the same job written for a human RFQ.
Copyable harness spec JSON
Select all, then copy. Field names match the public harness spec.
Copyable RFQ text
Select all, then copy. Field names match the public harness spec.
Files and substitutions
Attach the smallest set that lets a builder make the same harness twice. Name allowed alternates, or forbid them.
| File | When it helps |
|---|---|
| PDF drawing | Geometry, branches, notes, revision. One current sheet beats a zip of every rev. |
| Spreadsheet wire list | Pin maps, colors, gauges, and net names the shop can sort. |
| Photo of an existing harness | Matching or reverse work. Still include a wire list. |
| Connector datasheet | Only when the MPN is ambiguous. Exact MPN is better. |
FAQ
- What is the minimum I should send in a harness RFQ?
- Exact connector MPNs, a pin-to-pin map, finished length with a reference point, wire family, gauge, and color, quantity, and any covering, label, test, or substitution rules. A PDF plus a wire list beats a long email.
- I only know the connector family, like JST or Molex. Is that enough to quote?
- No. Send the housing MPNs. JST PH and Molex Mini-Fit are families. PHR-4 and 39-01-2040 are parts. If you do not have MPNs yet, send series, pin count, gender, and a photo or drawing.
- Can ChatGPT or Claude tell me what you need, or quote the harness?
- Yes for the intake list, catalog lookups, and a simple point-to-point estimate if the assistant can open MiniProto pages. Give it housing MPNs, pinout, length, and quantity. You get an estimate and a design link, not a signed quote. Family-only emails, drawings, branches, and overmolds still go through this checklist and the quote form.
- When should I use ConfigV2 instead of an RFQ?
- When every connector is a stocked MPN, every circuit is mapped, and the wire is a catalog family. ConfigV2 prices that shape immediately. Send an RFQ when a drawing, splice, overmold, or test requirement needs a human.
- How do I specify harness length so the build matches the drawing?
- Give finished length in millimeters, the datum (usually connector face to connector face), whether boots are included, and a tolerance. Do not send cut length unless you also name the strip and terminate allowances.
- Is "Deutsch 12-pin" enough for a connector callout?
- No. Send the housing MPN, key, and the contact, seal, and wedge stack. DTM06-12SA is a part. Deutsch 12-pin is a family of parts.
- What files help, and what files slow the quote?
- A current PDF drawing and a spreadsheet wire list help. A photo of a sample helps when you are matching an existing harness. A large CAD pack with no wire list or revision slows review.