PROEL BULK CABLE

CONNECTORS
MAIN TYPES
OF CONNECTORS
• JACK Ø 6.3 mm -1/4” (Mono/Stereo - Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) Bayonet locking coaxial connectors. They can be found in
the 2-contact version (mono, also indicated as TR [Tip, Ring]) and in the 3- contact version (stereo, also indicated as TRS [Tip, Ring, Slave]). The
2-contact version is universally employed for the connection of musical instruments, of effect processors and of mixers (unbalanced line). The
3-contact version is used for stere
• JACK Ø 3.5 mm (Mono/Stereo - Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) lso indicated as Minijack, this bayonet mount connector finds its
main usage in small size audio equipments such as Portable CD Players, Walkman, Minidisk Players, MP3 Players.
• XLR (3-5-7 pole - Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) Also called “Cannon” from the name of the company which commercialized
them first. They are 3 to 7-pole latch lock metal or plastic connectors with security anti-release switch. The 3-contact type is probably the most
employed connector in the professional audio: it represents the standard in the transmission of the signal from microphones and in general
wherever a balanced audio connection is required (the balanced connection allows the use of very long connection cables without having
any signal loss. It is also free from radio frequency interferences because of the high shielding possible thanks to the three polarities (two for the
signal and one as shield). Pin 1 always corresponds to shield. There are two standards for the attribution of the other two pins instead: some
older equipments use 3 for positive and 2 for negative. More recent components use 2 for positive and 3 for negative instead. If you connect a
XLR connector with a standard to an input/output port having the other standard, you will get an inverted signal in-phase in case of balanced
line, a short circuit in case of unbalanced lines instead. The XLR connectors are also used for high level lines like the ones going from amplifiers
to loudspeakers. In fact, for them it is recommended a 15 A maximum current capacity. The standard for high level connections is designed to
have negative on pin 1 and positive on pins 2 and 3 together.
• SPEAKON (2-4-8 pole - Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) They are plastic connectors specifically designed for high level signals,
especially for speaker cables. There are three versions: 2-contact (for amplification), 4-contact (for bi-amplification) and 8-contact (for quad
amplificaton) versions. Their bayonet locking system is protected by a metal retainer preventing its accidental disconnection.
• RCA They are small 2-contact coaxial metal or colour plastic connectors. They are used in hi-fi for low level signal connections. Moreover, RCA
connectors (also called pin jack or “Cinch”) can be employed in semiprofessional digital connections (standard SPDIF). Anyway in this case it is
necessary to use best quality, possibly gold plated contact connectors.
• BNC (Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) Terminal connector for coaxial signal cables used especially in the video/audio application
range. It allows a good contact and has a good mechanical resistance. Altough designed for coaxial cables in the professional video
application range, this standard - as coaxial cables are more and more frequently used as audio signal transmission cables - has also been
extended to the professional audio field.
• DIN (3-5 pole - Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) Once they were universally used in hi-fi, before being permanently eplaced by RCA
connectors. At the moment their usage is limited to M.I.D.I. cables for the transmission of musical instruments digital protocol and to some
control cables for analogic dimmers (Strand Lighting) or for DMX signals transmission.
• CAES/EBU DIGITAL CONNECTORS (Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) XLR three-contact connectors used for standard connection of
balanced digital audio signals in order to allow the communication among digital devices.
• DATA TRANSMISSION CONNECTORS (Plug/Socket - Cable Mount/Panel Mount) New type of RJ45 connectors for data transmission (both
10Base-T and 100Base-T systems) in harsh environments. Used for all CAT 5cables, this connector is also used for DMX light protocol.
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