COMMON COMPUTER CONNECTOR

TYPES
A personal computer is made up of many different components. All of
these components need to be able to communicate with each other for the
computer to function properly. As personal computers have evolved, many
connection technologies have been implemented to provide communication
among computer components.
 PORTS
• A port is a hardware interface that you can use to connect devices to a computer. The
port transfers electronic signals between the device and the system unit. The port is either
an electrically wired socket or plug, or it can be a wireless transmission device.
• Ports can vary by: shape; color according to coding standards; the number and layout of
the pins or connectors contained within the port; the signals the port carries; and the port’s
location. Ports exist for both internal and external devices.
GENDERS

• Most ports and the cables that connect to them have genders. For example,
most computer ports are jacks into which you plug in the matching cable. The
computer jacks are most often the female connectors and the cable plug is
most often the male connector. You can always look directly at the innermost
electrical connections on the connectors to determine the gender. The one with
the protruding pins is the male and the one with the holes to accept the pins is
the female.
PORT SHAPES

• Ports can have different physical shapes, such as round, rectangular, square,
and oblong, although there is some standardization of physical properties
and functions. Most connectors are keyed in some way to restrict connecting
devices into the wrong port.
CONNECTIONS

• Computer connections are the physical access points that enable a computer to
communicate with internal or external devices. They include the ports on both the
computer and the connected devices, plus a transmission medium, which is either a cable
with connectors at each end or a wireless technology. Personal computer connections
can be categorized by the technology or standard that was used to develop the
device.
 PS/2 PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• The round 6-pin port, also referred to as a mini-Din connector or PS/2 port, is an interface
located on the motherboard. The Din-6 port is the larger 13.2 mm port. Older keyboards and
mice use PS/2 ports to connect to the motherboard. To avoid confusion between the identical-
looking keyboard and mouse ports, PS/2 ports are often color-coded to match the end of the
cable on the device: purple for the keyboard and green for the mouse. Alternatively there may
also be a sticker with a picture of a mouse and keyboard near the connectors.
 SERIAL PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• A serial connection is a personal computer connection that transfers data one bit at a time over
a single wire. Serial connections support two-way communications and were typically used for
devices such as fax cards or external modems. These legacy serial ports have either 9-pin (DB-
9) or 25-pin (DB-25) male connectors. A legacy serial cable ends with a female connector to
plug into the male connector on the system unit. On system units that have color-coded ports, the
serial port is teal- colored. Serial connections that are seen today are used to attach printers,
scientific devices (such as telescopes), networking hardware (such as routers and switches), and
industrial products. Modern computers usually don’t have serial ports so you’ll need to connect a
device with a serial connection through a serial-to-USB adapter.
 PARALLEL PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• A parallel connection is a computer connection that transfers data eight or more bits at a time
over eight or more wires. Any components connected by multiple data pathways may be
considered to have a parallel connection. However, the term is generally used to refer to a
standard legacy parallel port that uses eight data wires, and it is typically used to connect a
printer to a system unit. Parallel connections in older personal computers support only one-way
or unidirectional communications. Newer computers have parallel ports that support
bidirectional communications. Standard parallel ports have 25-pin female connectors. A
parallel cable has a 25-pin male connector to plug into the system unit and a 36-pin male
Centronics connector at the other end to attach to the external device. On system units that
have color-coded ports, the parallel port is burgundy or dark pink.
POWER CONNECTIONS AND CONNECTORS

• Almost every device in a computer uses one of several types of power

connectors to get electrical power from the computer’s power supply.
USB PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• A universal serial bus (USB) connection is a computer connection that enables

you to connect multiple peripherals to a single port with high performance
and minimal device configuration. USB connections support two-way
communications. All modern PC systems today have multiple USB ports and
can, with the use of USB hubs, support up to 127 devices per port
USB STANDARDS

• USB 2.0, released in April 2000, is the most commonly implemented standard. It can communicate at up to
480 Mbps. The original USB 1.1 standard is still commonly found in devices and systems. It can communicate
at up to 12 Mbps. A USB 2.0 device connected to a USB 1.1 hub or port will communicate at only USB 1.1
speeds, even though it might be capable of faster speeds. Generally, the operating system will inform you of
this when you connect the device.
• USB 3.0, also called SuperSpeed USB, is the latest USB standard released in November 2008. It features a
maximum transfer rate of 5.0 Gbps. It is 10 times faster than the USB 2.0 standard, has enhanced power
efficiency, and is backward compatible with USB-enabled devices currently in use.
• USB cables have a maximum distance before performance suffers. To work around this, one or more hubs can
be used to create a chain to reach the necessary cable length. USB 1.1 has a maximum cable length of 3
meters, while USB 2.0’s maximum length is 5 meters. In each case, a maximum of five hubs can be used to
extend the cable length. The maximum cable length is not specified in the USB 3.0 specification.
FIREWIRE PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• A FireWire connection is a computer connection that provides a high-speed

interface for peripheral devices that are designed to use the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 standard.
• FireWire can support up to 63 devices on one FireWire port. FireWire 400
transmits at 400 Mbps and uses either a 6-pin, bullet-shaped, powered
connector or a 4-pin square-shaped, unpowered connector. FireWire 800
transmits at 800 Mbps and uses a 9-pin connector.
FIREWIRE TERMINOLOGY

• Apple was the primary vendor to promote the IEEE 1394 Standard and used
the FireWire name as a trademark for the IEEE 1394 implementation included
in its Macintosh® systems. FireWire has since become the common name for all
IEEE 1394 devices.
FIREWIRE VS. USB

• FireWire predated USB and was faster than the original USB 1.1 standard. USB 2.0, with its increased speed, largely
superseded FireWire. Although USB 2.0 is faster by the numbers than FireWire, FireWire is actually faster on throughput,
making it ideal for video/audio file transfers and external storage devices. A file transfer of 100 separate documents might
be slightly faster on USB than FireWire, but a file transfer of a single 2 GB video file will be much faster in FireWire. Also,
whereas USB provides a device up to 5 V power, FireWire provides up to 12 V power on the wire.
• Even with the release of USB 3.0 and the latest FireWire S3200, the performances will still vary. USB 3.0 is 10 times faster
than USB 2.0 and will remain the popular standard used for most devices. The FireWire S3200 standard, however, still has
considerable advantages over USB. For example, FireWire uses much less CPU power and provides more power over a
single cable connection.
• Similar to USB, FireWire has maximum distance restrictions. However, FireWire’s distances are greater than USB’s. A FireWire
chain, created with cables and repeaters, can reach up to 237 feet from device to host, whereas USB 2.0 can reach 30
meters (just under 100 feet).
THUNDERBOLT PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• Thunderbolt is an input/output connection developed by Apple and Intel. It

carries data and display signals on a single cable. It also can be used to
power peripherals with 10 watts of power. It is a dual-protocol technology
that works with PCI Express and DisplayPort technologies. The data transfer
rate of Thunderbolt is approximately 10 Gbps. Peripherals can be daisy-
chained together so that multiple peripherals require only one port on the
computer.
AUDIO PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• There are a number of audio/video connectors that are used to connect a

wide variety of devices, including PCs, DVD and Blu-ray players, surround-
sound systems, stereo equipment, projectors, and HDTVs. In addition to HDMI
and DVI, common audio/video cable and connectors include those described
in the following table.
 ESATA CONNECTORS
• External SATA (eSATA) is an external interface for SATA connections.
Like USB and FireWire, it provides a connection for external storage
devices. eSATA connections provide fast data transfers without having
to translate data between the device and the host computer. eSATA
interfaces do require an additional power connector to function. You
can provide eSATA functionality by installing eSATA cards in systems.
• The eSATA port shown in the following graphic also allows USB
peripherals to connect to the same port. This combination port allows
either eSATA or USB devices to be plugged in. It is technically an
eSATAp port, or a powered eSATA port.
RJ-45 PORTS AND CONNECTORS
• The RJ-45 connector is used on twisted pair cable. RJ-45 is an eight-position
connector that uses all four pairs of wires. Be careful not to confuse the RJ-45
connector with the similar, but smaller, RJ-11 connector. The RJ-11 connector is
a six-position connector that uses just one pair of wires. It is used in telephone
system connections and is not suitable for network connectivity. The RJ in RJ-
11 or RJ-45 is an abbreviation for “registered jack.”
RJ-11 PORTS AND CONNECTORS

• The RJ-11 connector is used with Category 1 cables in telephone system

connections and is not suitable for network connectivity. However, because the
RJ-11 connector is similar in appearance to the RJ-45 connector, they are
sometimes confused. RJ-11 connectors are smaller than RJ-45 connectors and
have either four or six pins.