Since quite a lot of traffic to this site is related to the meaning of automotive terminal designators, What is KLR, KL15, KL50, KL30, and KL31? and More about KL15, KL30, KL31, KL61, etc, it is probably worth my listing all the pins in the DIN 72552 standard.
DIN stands for “Deutsches Institut für Normung”, which in English translates to German Institute for Standardisation. Like the BSI in the UK or similar organisations, it is a member of ISO. Quite often, ‘DIN’ is incorrectly expanded as Deutsche Industrienorm (“German Industry Standard”).
DIN 72552 “Standard for labelling the electric terminals in automotive wiring” is a DIN standard for labelling the electric terminals in automotive wiring. The most frequently used labels are listed in the table below. Other standards are in use, but this is the one I primarily use1.
‘KL’ is the abbreviation for ‘klemme’, which is the German term for connector/connection, or ‘Klemmenbezeichnungen’. Klemmenbezeichnungen means Terminal designations.
| Contact (KL code) | Meaning | Old Terminal designation |
|---|---|---|
| Ignition Systems | ||
| 1 | ignition coil, distribution, low voltage | |
| 1a, 1b | distributor with two separate circuits | |
| 2 | breaker points magneto ignition | |
| 4 | coil, distributor, high voltage | |
| 4a, 4b | distributor with two separate circuits, high voltage | |
| 7 | terminal on ballast resistor, to distributor | |
| 15 | battery +VE from ignition switch | 16 |
| 15a | from the ballast resistor to the coil and starter motor | 16 |
| 15e | Battery +VE from the ignition switch, also when the starter motor runs | |
| Pre-Heat (Diesel engines) | ||
| 15 | Pre-heat in | + |
| 17 | Start | |
| 19 | Pre-heat (Glow) | |
| Starter | ||
| 45 | Starter Relay | 30f, 30h |
| 45a | Starter 1 Output | 30h, 30h I |
| 45b | Starter 2 Output | 30h II |
| 50 | Starter control | |
| 50a | Starter control | |
| 50b | Starter control | 50 |
| 50c | Starter control | 50 II |
| 50d | Starter control | 50b, 50k |
| 50e | Starter control | 50a |
| 50f | Starter control | 50 |
| 50g | Starter control | 50a |
| 50h | Starter control | 50 |
| Battery | ||
| 15 | Battery +VE through ignition switch | 16, 54/15 |
| 30 | Battery +VE direct2 | 30/51 |
| 30a | from 2nd battery and 12/24 V relay | |
| 31 | Return to battery -VE or direct to ground. | |
| 31a | return to battery -VE 12/24 V relay | |
| 31b | return to battery -VE or ground through switch | 85d |
| 31c | return to battery -VE 12/24 V relay | 31, 31a |
| Electric motors | ||
| 32 | Return | 31 |
| 33 | main terminal (swap of 32 and 33 is possible) | 30 |
| 33a | limit | |
| 33b | feild | 54e |
| 33f | 2. slow rpm | |
| 33g | 3. slow rpm | |
| 33h | 4. slow rpm | |
| 33L | rotation left | 30L |
| 33R | rotation right | 30R |
| Indicators | ||
| 49 | flasher unit in | 15, 15+. 15/54. +, +15, X |
| 49a | flasher unit out, indicator switch in | 54L, S, S4, L |
| 49b | Out 2. flasher circuit | |
| 49c | Out 3. flasher circuit | |
| C | 1st flasher indicator light | K, K1, P |
| C2 | 2nd flasher indicator light | K1, K2, K3, K4 |
| C3 | 3rd flasher indicator light | K3, K4 |
| L | indicator lights left | HL, L54, VL |
| R | indicator lights right | HR, R54, VR |
| L54 | Lights out, left | SBL |
| R54 | lights out, right | SB2 |
| AC generator | ||
| 51 | DC at rectifiers | |
| 51e | As 51, with choke coil | |
| 59 | AC out rectifier in, light switch | 51, 51-, 51a |
| 59a | charge, rotor out | 59 |
| 64 | generator control light | |
| Generator – Voltage regulator | ||
| 61 | charge indicator (charge control light) | |
| B+ | Battery +VE | 51, 51B+, B+30, B+51 |
| B- | Battery -VE | 31B- |
| D+ | Dynamo/alterator diode +VE | |
| D- | Dynamo/alternator diode -VE | |
| DF | Dynamo field | |
| DF1 | Dynamo field 1 | |
| DF2 | Dynamo field 2 | |
| U, V, W | AC three-phase terminals | |
| Lights | ||
| 54 | brake lights | |
| 54g | lights | 54 |
| 55 | fog lights | N |
| 56 | spot light | |
| 56a | headlamp, high beam, and indicator light | |
| 56b | low beam | F |
| 56d | Signal flash | |
| 57 | Parking lights | |
| 57a | Parking lights | P |
| 57L | parking lights left | PL |
| 57R | parking lights right | PR |
| 58 | licence plate lights, instrument panel | |
| 58d | panel light dimmer | 58b |
| 58L | parking light | |
| 58R | parking light | |
| Window wiper/washer | ||
| 53 | wiper motor +VE in | 1, 3, 54d, S |
| 53a | limit stop +VE | 54, +2 |
| 53b | limit stop field | 3, 54e |
| 53c | washer pump | |
| 53e | stop field | 1, 2 |
| 53i | wiper motor with permanent magnet, third brush for high speed | |
| Acoustic warning | ||
| 71 | beeper in | H |
| 71a | beeper out, low | |
| 71b | beeper out, high | |
| 72 | hazard lights switch | |
| 85c | hazard sound on | |
| Switches | ||
| 81 | opener | |
| 81a | 1 out | |
| 81b | 2 out | |
| 82 | lock in | |
| 82a | 1st out | |
| 82b | 2nd out | |
| 82z | 1st in | |
| 82y | 2nd out | |
| 83 | multipositon switch in | |
| 83a | out positon 1 | |
| 83b | out position 2 | |
| Relay | ||
| 85 | relay coil -VE | important if the relay coil has a built-in flyback diode in parallel |
| 86 | relay coil +VE | |
| Relay contacts | ||
| 87 | common contact | 30/51 |
| 87a | normally closed contact | |
| 87b | normally open contact | |
| 88 | common contact 2 | 30/51 (relay) |
| 88a | normally closed contact 2 | |
| 88b | normally open contact 2 | |
| Additonal | ||
| 52 | signal from trailer | |
| 54g | magnetic valves for trailer brakes | |
| 75 | radio, cigarette lighter | R |
| 77 | door valves control | |
Limitations of DIN 72552
One of the limitations of DIN 72552-2:2014-07 is that, since it was last updated over a decade ago, the prevalence of electric vehicles and the additional complexity due to the changes in a standard internal combustion engine vehicle mean that it no longer has enough detail to be used to describe the functions or wiring in its entirety. At this point, DIN 72552 tends to be limited to describing KL 15, KL 30 (and, by extension, KL 30_C), and KL 31. Beyond this, coding is best managed either as an extension of the PCB NET name or the function that the wire is attributed to.
KL coding and EVSE
EVSE equipment (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (yes, I know I added equipment twice)), does not have any KL coding for its pins. The OBC (On Board Charger) also doesn’t have KL coding. However, it does use Proximity Pilot and Control Pilot.
- EN 50005 – A different standard, European Norm (EN) 50005, recommends terminal numbering for general-purpose relays (e.g., 11/12/14/A1/A2 for a SPDT relay) that may nevertheless be applied to automobiles.
- KL30_C is the nonclamitature used by the company I work for to indicate the un-switched supply to contractors.
4 thoughts on “DIN 72552”
Good bit of collective information there Phil. Useful to me as I was raised to British standards, so different. I still use the BS nomenclature for Relays as 85, 86, 87, 87A & 30! Still popular.
Do you know which standard they come from?
BS-AU7 covers the wire colour codes for functionality as per Lucas Automotive – used by British car manufactures In the UK. Dated 1982. The same year I finished my Apprenticeship!
Google works wonders!
BS 142-2-1:1982 looking at your screenshot, Listed as withdrawn in 1997, before I finished secondary school.