Let’s Talk Tech: Audio and Network Connectors (Old and New)
Continuing last month’s post on ports and connectors, we’re going to cover audio connectors and network connectors today. I’ll also talk about some legacy types of connectors that were common when I was cutting my technology teeth. You may not recognize some of the older technology, but I still encounter it often enough that it’s worth understanding.
Audio Connectors
3.5mm Jack
This is what we’ve used for a long time in a lot of electronic devices. It’s been the standard for audio input – microphones – and output – headphones. I still have a lot of devices that use it – my headset for my work laptop, for example – but I first saw it on my reel-to-reel tape recorder in the late 1960s.
Optical (TOSLINK)
TOSLINK, short for Toshiba Link, is a digital optical audio connector that transmits high-quality audio signals using fiber optic cable. We can find it in home theater systems, game consoles, Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs), and high-end audio interfaces. This connector is immune to electrical interference because it uses light instead of electricity. However, it has fragile cable ends and a limited bend radius.
RCA (composite Audio)
RCA connectors (also known as phono connectors) are a type of analog (and sometimes digital) connector used primarily for audio and video signals. They’ve been around since the 1940s and are still widely encountered, especially on older or budget-friendly equipment.
USB and Bluetooth
While you don’t need special ports for audio using USB and Bluetooth, I just thought it was worth mentioning them. These two also serve as audio connection methods. I use Bluetooth speakers and Bluetooth earbuds, but I’ve also had USB-connected speakers and headphones.
Network Connectors
RJ-45 and RJ-11
I’m not going to show images of the two RJ connectors, because they look almost identical, and you’ve almost certainly seen at least one of them.
RJ-45 Ethernet is the larger of the two connectors, and it has become the standard for networking. It’s a plastic clip with a locking snap fixture on one side.
RJ-11 is nearly identical to RJ-45 but quite a bit smaller. It’s still used for some landline phones and modems. An RJ-11 connector will fit into an RJ socket, but it won’t make a connection. The pins won’t line up, because the RJ-45 connector uses 8 wires, and the RJ-11 connector only uses 4. An RJ-45 connector won’t fit into an RJ-11 socket at all, unless you try to force it, which will damage it beyond usefulness.
BNC Connectors
We just don’t use these in networking anymore, unless we’re using a very old network. You’ll see a BNC connector at the end of a coaxial cable like they use for cable and satellite television. The term for the connection type is “twist-lock,” but I think it’s more appropriate to call it “turn the screw mechanism until your fingers fall off.”
Serial Port Networking
Serial connectors (RS-232/DB9) weren’t used in “networking” as we know it today, but they did enable computer-to-computer links and network hardware (routers and switches) management. You can see that the serial connector looks very similar to the VGA connector from the previous ports and connectors segment, but the VGA connector has three rows of pins, and the serial connector has only two.
Your Turn
This isn’t an exciting topic, but I hope you can use this series as a resource on the subject. It’s surprising how often we need to use an older connector because some piece of hardware requires it. Are you still using a piece of “legacy” hardware that calls for one of these older connectors? Let me know by leaving a comment below the Related Posts section.
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