When the internet computing era was catching pace, it was speculated that people might get distant from their loved ones and will immerse themselves in the computer mania. However, the manner in which internet has brought people close is quite amazing.  Now important meetings don’t require one to travel long distances. They can be scheduled through video conferencing, just with a click of the mouse. The medical experts at New York City can directly involve themselves in an operation conducted at Nairobi. Several more applications are there that display tremendous ways in which internet based audio-video solutions have got people all over the world closer to each other. All these things might seem magic to a computer illiterate, but this is something that computer savvy people use every day.  

Serial interfacing is one of the most common protocols to make two electronic gadgets communicate. In such interfacings, the data is sent sequentially and bit bybit. RS232 is one sub type of serial interfacing that was introduced in the year 1932. Available in 9 pin and 25 pin configurations, RS 232 pins allow data exchanges at the maximum of 256kbps. Some well known applications of these connectors include linking modems to computers and other micro controller based UART electronic gadgets. Of course, such an interfacing would require different types of connectors; in this case, RS232 connectors are used. The Insight covers a conventional 9 pin female RS232 connector. Let’s find out the outer and inner details of it.   

Ever wondered how are wires connected to a connector. How different number of wires are connected to segments of the connector? A connector aka jack for the earphone, headphone, microphone, like any other gadgets has an equally interesting chapter in the book s of engineering. It is among the cheapest part but not the technically inferior. It deserves its attention from the engineers for its design and quality.The connector plays an important part of tranferring signals from the device like mobile, laptops, music players etc to the earphone and the microphone and vice versa. Even a small problem may lead to an unplesant experience with the device. The connector has three contacts/segments/parts called the TIP, RING, and the Sleeve. Therefore it is also called the TRS connector.  

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor provider, and Rosenberger, a manufacturer of impedance-controlled and optical connectivity solutions, announced their collaboration on a contactless connector for ultra-reliable, short-range, point-to-point full-duplex data exchanges in industrial and medical applications . Rosenberger’s innovative contactless connector, the RoProxCon, leverages ST’s 60GHz RF transceiver, the ST60A2, to deliver high-speed data transmission while providing immunity…

As the name indicates they are circular in shape and the pin contacts are arranged inside the periphery of the circular outer covering. Different[[wysiwyg_imageupload::]]standard and variety of circular connectors are available in which some of them are designed for signal transmission only, some designed for power only and some of them are designed for both signal and power. We will be discussing some of the circular connectors in detail, including RF Coaxial, CPC, DIN and XLR. 

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard developed in 1990s with an intention to replace all the different connectors and ports with a single ‘universal’ industrial standard port and connector. Under the USB standard the communication protocol, cables and connectors are defined. The different connectors available under the USB standard are Type A, Type B, Mini A, Mini B, Micro A and Micro B. 

D connectors are common electrical connectors especially found in the communication ports of the personal computer. The name is due to its ‘D’ shape itself. The D connector has two or more parallel rows of contacts surrounded by a ‘D’ shaped metal frame. The polarization is automatically achieved in this connector due to this ‘D’…

As the name indicates, these kinds of connectors are used to connect a wire or a bunch of wires to a circuit board. There are wide varieties of wire-to-board connectors available. We will be discussing about the PCB Terminal Block, FFC connectors, IDC connectors and RMC connectors PCB TERMINAL BLOCK PCB Terminal block is used…

Power connectors are specifically designed for the purpose of transferring power from one device to another or from one point to another point of a same unit. Connectors of this category generally have comparatively high voltage, current and temperature ratings. In this article, we will be discussing some of the common power connectors including IEC…

Phone connectors are the most popular among the connectors and they are the oldest connector design still in use since its invention in 1870s. They are designed for low frequency analog signals especially foe audio signals. They are also known as audio jack, phone jack, phone plug and jack plug. They come in male and…

DVI stands for digital video interface and it is designed for the interfacing of a video device to usually a high definition display device. This is an industrial standard for the transmission of digital video content and the DVI standard is developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG) in April 1999.  DVI is a…

HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. HDMI is designed as an interface for the transmission of uncompressed digital audio and video. The seven companies named Hitachi, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson, and Toshiba together developed the HDMI in the year of 2003. It is a hot pluggable external interface supporting maximum…

The Registered Jack (RJ) is a connector specifically designed for networking applications. The standard defines only the wiring pattern of the connector, not the geometry or gender. The term ‘Jack’ refers to the female connector even though the standard does not differentiate the gender of the connector. These connectors are also referred to as “modular connectors” as they were helpful in making the telephone network of early days more modular. The RJ standard is primarily defined for the wiring of telephone networks. The connectors following RJ standard wiring pattern are called RJ connector and are available in both male and female types. There is large number of RJ standard connectors available like, RJ11, RJ14, RJ21, RJ45 etc. 

Wire Terminal is a connector that enables a wire to be connected to device. Wires can be soldered into devices or circuit board. But that will make some what a permanent connection, difficult to remove and reassembly. But since, connectors are used to provide temporary connections, wire terminals also provide that kind of connections. All you have to do is to attach the wire terminal to the end of the wire and you can connect it to other devices using screws or clips.The process of connecting the end or terminal of the wire to a metallic connector is called termination as far as connectors are concerned. The wire can be attached to a terminal connector by methods like crimping, insulation displacement, surface mount, and soldering.There are varieties of wire terminals available including ring terminal, spade terminal, strip terminal etc. Let’s discuss about them in detail. 

Let’s take a journey to the world of the electrical connectors. What is an electric connector? It is a simple, small size electro-mechanical device. It is basically use to connect two or circuits together. It is possible for the circuits to transfer power or signal through the connectors. Connectors have one more metallic structure inside it for electrical connections.The connectors always provide a temporary connection between the circuits. This temporary connection has so many advantages over the permanent connections. You can easily replace a particular circuit in a system; you can check the input or output of a circuit independently etc. Moreover the connector provides easy assembling and troubleshooting. An electrical connector is made of two things, conductors and insulators. Usually there is more than one conducting path for power or signal separated by insulators.A conductor as we all know allows electricity to flow through it, offers very low resistance. They are used to make physical contacts through which the electric current can flow through.  

In industries, transmitting error free signal and data is very crucial as a small variation may affect the processes by a large extent. Hence, interfacing the wires carrying such information to the subsequent devices becomes crucial. Serving this critical purpose are Circular Power connectors that take care ofsignal accuracy in multiple signal and data lines through a multi-pin structure. These connectors are configured from a 4-pin to a 6-pin mode depending on the requirement.These connectors are easy to mount on any device and are resistant from environmental influences. Read this Insight to know what is inside these devices!

Bantam Connectors are a sub type of phone-connectors, used thus in professional audio applications. From microphones to guitars, these connectors serve as high quality links to connect audio devices. They have a tip-sleeve (TS) structure and allow a permanent connection to wires by means of soldering. Often made from an alloy structure, these connectors might also come with a plastic covering which acts as a protector.What makes a bantam connector deliver audio signals to the mixers? How are the wires soldered inside them? Let’s find out in this Insight about easy plugging-in and pull-out connectors. 

Banana connectors are a popular species of electrical connectors which find major use in connecting power amplifiers, speakers, woofers etc. in audio systems. Designed for high power applications, these connectors are known to work at an average of 1000volts and 15amperes. In any audio set up, the connectors are color coded into red and black where red connector holds the live wire while the black one serves as a reference (ground). Except the color coding, there is no structural difference between the connectors. This Insight will give you a sneak-peek inside the assembly of such a connector, along with its external and internal details.  

Belling-Lee connectors are one of the oldest types of coaxial connectors and are still widely used in many countries across the world. Commonly known as PAL connectors or TV aerial plugs, these connectors have been named after the company which designed them Belling and Lee Ltd. Apart from television, these RF connectors are used in radio sets too: why? Easy wiring and installation. This 2 wired coaxial cable connector is available in various modifications- different casings, plating over the connecting nib etc. Even in terms of sizes there are two types: standard and miniature. The structure of these connectors is quite similar to the conventional RF connectors but they have an extra insulation over the tip where the connectors interface with the device. Let’s learn more about the Belling-Lee connector and their internal structure in this Insight. 

VGA connectors are sub miniature D type graphic connectors which are primarily used for connecting CPUs to monitors. The shape of the metal shield of these connectors resembles a “D”, hence the name “D” type connectors. Since their invention in the year 1987, these graphic connectors have come a long way. From interfacing desktop computers to light weight tablet computers, VGA connectors serve aas one of the most inexpensive video interfaces for smart computing devices. It is quite interesting to note that even though these connectors were developed by IBM PC, it was their counter rivals Apple Inc. who preferred these connectors for iPad. An interesting history with a mass applicative scenario, VGA connectors get demystified in this Insight.