[sdiy] Connector question, possibly OT

[Scott Gravenhorst]

For me, I've always considered the RCA connector to be something of a utility
connector that is meant to chain together stereo and audio components.  I don't
believe it was ever intended as a patching connector to be used with equipment
powered on.  Smart people connect stereo components with the power off.  And
note that for the most part, stereo RCA jacks are all in the back of the
equipment.  They are really meant to be connected once and then forgotten.

A VCR and TV are new and odd animals with RCA jacks in the front (for game
systems, I guess).  It's still a good idea to manipulate them with the power off.

Magnus Danielson <cfmd at bredband.net> wrote:
>From: Nicolai Czempin <nicolai.czempin at alcatel.de>
>Subject: [sdiy] Connector question, possibly OT
>Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2004 17:07:16 +0200
>Message-ID: <41616724.50502 at alcatel.de>
>
>Nicolai,
>
>> I'm currently going through "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz/Hill 
>> (and thoroughly enjoying it!).
>
>It's a lovely book, yes.
>
>> They make a comment about connectors:
>> "The so-called phono jack in audio equipment is a nice leson in bad 
>> design, because the inner conductor mates before the shield when you 
>> plug it in; furthermore, the design of the connector is such that both 
>> shield and center tend to make poor contact. You've undoubtedly *heard* 
>> the results! Not to be outdone, the television industry has responded 
>> with its own bad standard, the type F coax "connector", which uses the 
>> unsupported inner wire of the coax as the pin of the male plug, and a 
>> shoddy arrangement to mate the shield."
>
>When you want cheap you get cheap, and all that comes with it!
>
>> What exactly are they referring to? I think for the TV connector I know 
>> what they mean, those standard antenna cables/connectors; I guess they 
>> are the same here in Europe.
>> But for the audio part, I am aware of two kinds of connectors:
>> a) What we in Germany call "cinch", which normally come in red and white 
>> for stereo connections, as well as a yellow one for RGB video.
>
>The infamous "phono" plug is also known as the RCA plug. It's a bad habit
>which makes these going around still. Dirt cheap is maybe the answer we are
>able to understand. The more expensive onces solves some of the problems
>thought.
>
>> b) "Klinkenstecker" which come in 6.35 mm "banana" variety as well as 
>> 3.5 and 2.5 mm versions, available both in mono and in stereo. From the 
>> Doepfer page on the MCV4 midi/cv interface at 
>> http://www.doepfer.de/mcv4.htm (the previous link in another message was 
>> wrong---framesets at work again :-(), which has text both in English and 
>> in German, I gather that the 6.35 mm is 1/4 inches.
>
>This is the "teleplug". Which is not as bad as the "phono" but not really that
>great either.
>
>> So, which of these two types are Horowitz/Hill talking about when 
>> discussing "phono jacks"?
>
>The first one, the "RCA".
>
>Personally I'm the fan of XLRs. Good XLRs is usually a good start.
>
>Cheers,
>Magnus
>

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