A range of small, circular connectors with a myriad of uses.

All are vile to solder, have poor strain relief and are the work of Satan. The Preh type have a locking ring that is probably the only redeeming feature of the range.

2 Way

One rectangular and one round pin, was common in domestic HiFi as a speaker connector.

3 Way

Used in Audio.

5 Way

Used in Audio and for MIDI. There are a number of variants of the 5-way connector with different physical pin arrangements.

8 Way

Used as a dimmer connector in lighting. There are two wiring "standards" for analogue control systems. Beware of voltage and polarity differences with older Strand equipment.

Zero 88 etc convention: pins 1 to 6 are channels 1 to 6, pin 7 is desk supply, pin 8 is ground.

Pulsar convention: pin 1 is desk supply, pin 2 is ground, pins 3 to 8 are channels 1 to 6.

Mini DIN

The 4-pin version is used for for s-video, the 6-pin version is used for PS/2 mice and keyboards (coloured green for mouse and purple for keyboard).

See Also

• Bleecon

External Links

• Tom's excellent page of pinouts