THE CABLE STANDARDS

Computer cables are not random pieces of electrical wire, we usually identify cables and
connectors using “strange numbers” such as RJ45 and IEC 60320. There is no need to be
confused, these are just standard codes by the various international organizations. These are
the few that you should be aware of:
 IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
 USB IF – USB Implementers Frontier
 RJ – Registered Jack
 IEC – International Electro technical Commission

MALE-FEMALE
There is also a “gender” in the world of connectors.
 The “male” part refers to the connector’s side with pins.
 While “female” refers to the receptacle side.

DISPLAY CABLES:

1. VIDEO GRAPHICS ARRAY (VGA)

This is one of the older display connectors, also called an “analog video connector”. This used
to be everywhere in desktops and laptops, but the VGA connector could no longer catch up
with the advanced video technologies. It was taken over by the DVI and HDMI connector.

The Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector is a standard connector used for computer
video output. A Computer Port is a connection point between the peripheral device
& the computer.

VGA Connector Pin Configuration

The pin configuration of a VGA Connector includes 15 pins where each pin & its function is
discussed below.

 Pin1 (RED): Red video (75 ohm, 0.7V peak-to-peak)

 Pin2 (GREEN): Green video
 Pin3 (BLUE): Blue video
 Pin4 (ID2 / RES) : Monitor ID Bit-2 or Reserved
 Pin5 (GND): Ground Pin
 Pin6 (RGND): Red Ground
 Pin7 (GGND): Green Ground
 Pin8 (BGND): Blue Ground
 Pin9 (KEY): +5V DC output from graphic card
 Pin10 (SGND): Sync Ground
 Pin11 (ID0 / RES): Monitor ID Bit0 or Reserved
 Pin12 (ID1 / SDA): Monitor ID Bit-1 / Data line with I2C bi-directional
 Pin13 (HSYNC): Horizontal Sync
 Pin14 (VSYNC): Vertical Sync
 Pin15 (ID3 / SCL): Monitor ID Bit-3 or I2C data clock
 2. DIGITAL VISUAL INTERFACE (DVI)

Following a need for a cable that is capable of handling more video data, the DVI connector
took over VGA. It was the “mainstream video connector” for a while, until the mobile market
boom. People quickly realized that the size of the DVI connector is not good for mobile devices,
and it is soon taken over by HDMI and display port connectors.

3. HIGH DEFINITION MULTIMEDIA INTERFACE (HDMI)

This is everywhere these days, and it comes in various different sizes to fulfil the needs of
various devices in the market. In particular, the 3 most common ones are:
  HDMI Type A: The full-sized HDMI, is used on desktops and some laptops.
 Mini HDMI Type C: For the smaller tablets and ultra books.
 Micro HDMI Type D: For mobile devices.

4. DISPLAYPORT

This the “successor of DVI cables” with a much smaller footprint, much more suitable for
mobile devices. But just a quick trivial, display port and HDMI cables carry both video and
audio signals; technically speaking, they are not categorized as “pure video cables”, but “audio-
visual cables”.

DEVICE CABLES
5. PARALLEL

Once upon a time in the stone age of computers, that users connect printers to computers using
these parallel cables. they could not handle large amounts of data fast enough and have been
totally phased out.
In computing, a parallel port is a type of interface found on early computers (personal and
otherwise) for connecting peripherals. The name refers to the way the data is sent; parallel ports
send multiple bits of data at once (parallel communication), as opposed to serial
communication, in which bits are sent one at a time. To do this, parallel ports require multiple
data lines in their cables and port connectors and tend to be larger than contemporary serial
ports, which only require one data line.

6. SERIAL

The serial connectors are cousins to the parallel connectors. And are the ancestors of the USB.

7. PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 (PS/2)

These are invented by IBM for their line of computers called Personal System, for the purpose
of connecting the keyboard and mouse. It turned out to be a good idea, got adopted by many
other manufacturers, and became the de facto standard – Until USB took over.
 8. UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB)

USB devices are everywhere these days. here are so many types of USB that it is rather
confusing.

 USB 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 – These are the versions of USB, and every later version of the
USB simply supports a better data transfer rate.
 USB 3.1 & 3.2 – Still USB 3. But offers faster data transfer, and also capable of
handling more power for fast charging.
 Type A USB – The common Joe USB connector that you see everywhere.
 Type B USB – The “square type” connector that is commonly used for printers.
 Mini and micro Type B USB – Used for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets,
and digital cameras.
 Type C – Also used for mobile devices, but this one is reversible.i.e.,There is no
direction, and you can plug this in upright or reversed.

USB cables can be classified into USB Type A, USB Type B, USB Type
C, USB Micro, USB Mini, and Lightning based on their physical
design. Furthermore, USB connectors are divided into various
 versions based on their speeds, like USB 1.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and
USB 4.0.
USB cables come in different shapes and designs. Therefore, based on their physical structure,
they are classified as follows:
1. USB Type A
2. USB Type B
3. USB Type C
4. USB Mini (Mini USB A and Mini USB B)
5. USB Micro (Micro USB A, Micro USB B, and Micro USB B Superspeed)

 USB Type-A connectors, or simply Type-A connectors, are one of the

most common USB connectors. As such, they are sometimes also
called Standard A connectors. laptop or desktop computer has a USB
port (where you can plug in USB devices), it will most likely be a
USB Type-A port. Note that most modern Apple laptops (Macs) don’t
have USB Type-A ports.

 Type B is smaller than Type A and is square-shaped. This is relatively

less common than Type B, but you would find it on computer
components like printers, scanners, external hard drives,
 USB Type C is arguably the most popular USB connector. Due to its
small size, it easily fits into the smallest peripherals we use today, like
smartphones, Bluetooth speakers, etc.

 One of the many advantages of Type-C over other existing variants is

that it allows “reverse plug orientation,” which basically means that
you can always plug in your USB cable correctly on the first try. Its
plug is made so you can plug it into the slot without thinking about its
orientation. Type C is that it offers a bi-directional power supply; in
other words, you can charge your smartphone from your laptop and
vice versa.

 USB Mini are further divided into two variants: USB Mini A (or Mini
USB A) and USB Mini B. These are smaller counterparts of Type A
and Type B USB connectors. You will likely find USB Mini in
portable cameras, game controllers, and some old mobile phones.
USB Micro (Micro USB A, Micro USB B, And Micro USB B Superspeed)
 Popularly known as Micro USB, this is a very common USB
connector you will find in many smartphones these days. However,
with the advent of USB Type C, Micro USBs are slowly getting
phased out in newer models of high-end smartphones. But Micro USB
is still widely used in budget smartphones and other electronic devices
worldwide.

 There is one more variant of USB Micro, which is known as USB

Micro B Superspeed. As the name suggests, this enables data transfer
faster than traditional Micro USB B connectors.
USB Types (Based On Their Version And Speed)
There are different versions of USB based on how fast they transfer and
receive data between two electronic devices. The main types of USB are as
follows:
1. USB 1.0
2. USB 2.0
3. USB 3.0
4. USB 4.0

There are some versions between these, like USB 1.1, USB 3.1, and USB
3.2.

 USB 1.0 was launched in January 1996. It ran into some issues, and a newer version,
USB 1.1, was launched in September 1998. The top speed of data transfer of USB 1.1
was 12 megabits per second (Mbps).
 USB 2.0 was launched in 2000 and significantly upgraded the maximum data transfer
speed to 480 Mbps. In addition to that, it also enabled USB to have a better current
capability to provide charging to electronic devices like smartphones.
 USB 3.0 was launched in September 2007 and could handle a top speed
of 5 Gbps. This was the third major update to USB standards (the previous updates
were versions USB 1.0 and USB 2.0). However, further updates were released over the
next couple of years, which triggered the renaming of USB 3.0 (i.e., the latest USB
version of that time) to USB 3.1 Gen 1.So, USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 are essentially
the same and have a top data transfer speed of 5 Gbps. Then, in July 2013, USB 3.1
Gen 2 was released, with its top data transfer speed at 10 Gbps.Then, in September
2017, USB 3.2 was released. There are four versions of USB 3.2: Gen 1×1, Gen 1×2,
Gen 2×1, and Gen 2×2.

 USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 is quite popular nowadays and offers a top speed of 20 Gbps using
2-lane operation (hence the name 2×2). This version is only compatible with USB Type
 C design. Since it offers considerably faster data transfer and charging speeds, most
modern smartphones and even some laptops support this USB version.

USB 4.0
The latest and most modern USB version is USB 4. It was launched in 2019 and offered a
formidable upgrade above its previous versions. It only uses Type C connectors and offers a
staggering top speed of 40 Gbps.

USB 4 and Type C connectors look almost identical, so, naturally, many users confuse the two
and interchange the terms “Type C” and “USB 4”. Note that USB Type C refers to the physical
design of USB connectors. In contrast, USB 4 denotes the USB version. USB 4 has nothing to
do with the shape of the connector; it just indicates the performance and speed of the USB
version.

In a nutshell, USB connectors are classified based on their physical design – Type A, B, C, and
so on, and their speed and functionality – USB 1.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB 4.0.

9. FIREWIRE (IEEE 1394)

The FireWire is Apple’s so-called early version of the USB, but this is not compatible with
USB devices. While there are a couple of gadgets made for the FireWire, it was never too
popular and was overshadowed by USB.
THUNDERBOLT: Following up with a not-so-popular FireWire, the Thunderbolt is the
successor.
 Thunderbolt 1 & 2 – Adopted much of the DisplayPort technologies. The Thunderbolt
port is a versatile one that can be used to both connect devices and output video.
 Thunderbolt 3 – If you can’t win them, join them. Apple finally cracked under pressure,
this is pretty much a USB Type-C port with video output capabilities.

10. LIGHTNING

Lightning is the latest generation of iPhone/iPad connectors, and it is specific to Apple devices
only. Well, the certain half-eaten fruit company definitely has no love for the mainstream
standards.

AUDIO CABLES:

11. MM AUDIO JACK

This is another one that is commonly seen everywhere, but take note of the number of black
stripes on the connectors.
 The one with 2 black stripes is what we call a 3 pole connector.
  While the one with 3 stripes is called a 4 pole connector.
The reason for that extra pole is to support an additional microphone on the
earphones/headphones. So yep, just be aware that they are different.

12. OPTICAL FIBER AUDIO CABLE

Unlike the traditional copper wires, this one uses light to transmit data, and thus called “optical
fiber”. Although expensive, the reason why some people may choose optical fiber is that copper
wires have a tendency to introduce noise (static sound)

Light signals do not introduce noise, and that results in a cleaner sound.

NETWORKING CABLES:
13. ETHERNET
You may have seen this while connecting a wireless router to the modem. Yep, in the old days
when we do not have wireless, this is what we use to connect the PC to the router. For you guys
who want to sound like legit engineers – The standard for Ethernet is IEEE 802.3, and the
connector is RJ45.

P.S. There are cat 5, cat 6, cat 7, and cat 8 Ethernet cables. The difference is in the supported
bandwidth… Just get the latest cat 8 cables if unsure, they are technically backward compatible.

14. TELEPHONE

 The wall jack: This connects the telephone line to the phone cord, and may be hardwired or
use a plug and socket.
 The telephone set base: This connects the phone cord to the telephone set, and follows de
facto standards, such as RJ11 or RJ14.
 The handset cord: This connects the telephone set base to the handset, and usually uses a
4P4C connector.
 The handset: This connects the handset cord to the handset, and also uses a 4P4C connector.
 Internal, external, and internal/external cabling: These are different types of telephone
cabling designed for different locations and weather conditions.
WALL JACK:

15. FIBER OPTIC CABLE

When it comes to a faster Internet – Electricity and light are 2 of the fastest things that we use
to transmit data. But sadly, copper wires are reaching the technical limitations for data transfer.
The newer generations of “serious networking devices” are skewed towards using fiber optic
cables for ultra-fast data transfers.

POWER CABLES
16. POWER CORDS

The power
cords of a computer comply with the IEC standards, which is the same as almost all of our
other household appliances. Here are 3 of the common power plugs that you see in computers:

 IEC 60320 C13 &C14: The standard plug for desktop computers. Also known as the
“kettle plug”, because it looks just like the one we use for electrical kettles.
 IEC 60320 C5 & C6: This is the standard plug for the chargers of most laptops, also
known as the “cloverleaf”.
 IEC 60320 C7 & C8: Yet another standard plug for the chargers of laptops and even
some speakers.
17. DC BARREL JACK

The common Joe that you see everywhere in the world of electronics… But take note – Even
though it looks the same, these actually come in different diameter sizes.