Oooh, no,no,no! The jack is the entire assemblage, cable and connectors. So a jack plug is a cable mount male connector, and it would plug into a chassis or panel female, (or cable mounted "jack socket").
Dreadful, isn't it! 🙂
Eh-hem - Queens English!
Yes, for us a jack is a type of connector (1/4") not a gender. Male is a plug. Female is a socket. What you call RCA we call phono. So to connect a CD player to a preamp we would put a phono plug into a phono socket (you would put an RCA plug into an RCA jack?).
A plug on a cable is generally called a plug. A socket on a chassis is generally called a socket. A socket on a cable may be called a line socket. Similarly, a plug on a chassis may be called a chassis plug.
There need be no confusion provided people realise that when Brits talk to Yanks about such things there is a need for some translation.
A plug on a cable is generally called a plug. A socket on a chassis is generally called a socket. A socket on a cable may be called a line socket. Similarly, a plug on a chassis may be called a chassis plug.
There need be no confusion provided people realise that when Brits talk to Yanks about such things there is a need for some translation.
"male" is reserved for the signal pin description.
similarly "female" is the signal pin description.
Look at a mains plug that goes into a wall socket.
The signal pins are exposed. These are "male" pins.
The matching pins inside the wall socket are "female" pins (some might call them receptacles).
That is all that "male & female" should ever be used for. This rule will apply world wide without exception.
Now to plugs and sockets and jacks and XLR and TRS and RCA and phono.
In the UK the fixed part is the socket. It is secured to the chassis or the wall or to a housing on the end of an extension lead.
The plug which is always on a flexible lead, or when fitted securely to a PCB (or similar) will have moveable/flexible pins to ensure correct mating of plug to socket.
I have no idea if these UK terms apply around the world.
The power available at the end of a lead or at the output from equipment will always be female and probably shrouded to eliminate the risk of electrocution by all except toddlers sticking pins in. In the UK we shutter protect the L & N to prevent even eejits killing themselves. Maybe we could relax our overly protective standards and allow the eejits to kill themselves off before they become a significant proportion of the population. Or is that some form of selective Euthanasia?
similarly "female" is the signal pin description.
Look at a mains plug that goes into a wall socket.
The signal pins are exposed. These are "male" pins.
The matching pins inside the wall socket are "female" pins (some might call them receptacles).
That is all that "male & female" should ever be used for. This rule will apply world wide without exception.
Now to plugs and sockets and jacks and XLR and TRS and RCA and phono.
In the UK the fixed part is the socket. It is secured to the chassis or the wall or to a housing on the end of an extension lead.
The plug which is always on a flexible lead, or when fitted securely to a PCB (or similar) will have moveable/flexible pins to ensure correct mating of plug to socket.
I have no idea if these UK terms apply around the world.
The power available at the end of a lead or at the output from equipment will always be female and probably shrouded to eliminate the risk of electrocution by all except toddlers sticking pins in. In the UK we shutter protect the L & N to prevent even eejits killing themselves. Maybe we could relax our overly protective standards and allow the eejits to kill themselves off before they become a significant proportion of the population. Or is that some form of selective Euthanasia?
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"Nut screws washer and bolts"
That was the joke told by my Science Teacher to our year 8 (11 to 12 year olds) class with the comment that it was a newspaper headline. "what does it mean?"
How many of us innocents "got it". If there was anyone, they kept quiet for fear of embarrassing themselves in "knowing" about it.
I suspect that some 50 years later, most pupils in year8 would "get it".
BTW,
British Newspaper generally don't use "queen's english" and certainly not for headlines.
That was the joke told by my Science Teacher to our year 8 (11 to 12 year olds) class with the comment that it was a newspaper headline. "what does it mean?"
How many of us innocents "got it". If there was anyone, they kept quiet for fear of embarrassing themselves in "knowing" about it.
I suspect that some 50 years later, most pupils in year8 would "get it".
BTW,
British Newspaper generally don't use "queen's english" and certainly not for headlines.
Maybe there is a naming difference between England and Scotland? I have just had a quick look at the Rapid Electronics catalogue, and they seem to use the words in the way I have described: plug is male, socket is female, with the description indicating whether the item is cable or chassis mounted. Rapid are based in Colchester, England.
look at an XLR used for line level signal transmission.
The outlet socket or the outlet socket on the end of an extension line.
The pins are male. The plug that mates with that signal socket must be female.
This is the complete opposite of what will be found with mains electical plugs and sockets.
Rapid's misuse is confusing the issue, do not hold them up as exemplar.
The outlet socket or the outlet socket on the end of an extension line.
The pins are male. The plug that mates with that signal socket must be female.
This is the complete opposite of what will be found with mains electical plugs and sockets.
Rapid's misuse is confusing the issue, do not hold them up as exemplar.
No wonder the confusion! Just look at this thread. At least in the US we are "somewhat" consistent. Never heard the whole assembly call a jack. And receptacle is used for AC mains in the wall. Of course most laymen just all it a "wall plug". 😉
It may be regional, but the folks I work around in audio and video call them all "connectors."
BNC connector
RCA connector
1/4" connector
XLR connector
VGA connector
Twistlock connector
Always proceeded by Male or Female if needed. "Connector" is usually dropped when it's obvious what's meant.
It may be regional, but the folks I work around in audio and video call them all "connectors."
BNC connector
RCA connector
1/4" connector
XLR connector
VGA connector
Twistlock connector
Always proceeded by Male or Female if needed. "Connector" is usually dropped when it's obvious what's meant.
You have merely restated your assertion, and rejected the evidence I offered. Can you show contrary evidence? If so, then the situation is not as clear cut as either of us is claiming.
(remarks aimed at Andrew)
(remarks aimed at Andrew)
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looks like I will have to pull out my old Rapid catalogue to show that XLRs can easily be confused when using male and female incorrectly.
Pano, good post.
Now tell/show us what a male BNC looks like. Can it be a socket and/or a plug?
or is that part not required for a complete description.
While Pano or another are compiling an answer I am typing up what I think.
A male BNC has the signal pin as "male". If it is on the end of a cable, it is plug
The female BNC socket is fixed to the oscilloscope chassis.
I think the three parts of the description work for all the connectors that Pano listed. Am I correct in that observation?
Where the connector type has optional quantity of signal poles then that number has to be added to the description. eg 5pin male XLR socket or 3pin female XLR socket.
I would "buy" a male BNC plug to mate with the oscilloscope.
Is the USA any different?
Are any countries any different?
A male BNC has the signal pin as "male". If it is on the end of a cable, it is plug
The female BNC socket is fixed to the oscilloscope chassis.
I think the three parts of the description work for all the connectors that Pano listed. Am I correct in that observation?
Where the connector type has optional quantity of signal poles then that number has to be added to the description. eg 5pin male XLR socket or 3pin female XLR socket.
I would "buy" a male BNC plug to mate with the oscilloscope.
Is the USA any different?
Are any countries any different?
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I collect engineering books and have rather a lot of them. I can't recall ever seeing anything said about connectors in any of them! It seems to be a topic completely ignored in engineering education. Most engineers still can't tell a BNC from an MHV and can't understand why it takes so much force to use the wrong one. 😱
BTW, I don't agree with what I wrote earlier.
BTW, I don't agree with what I wrote earlier.
I have just had a quick look at Farnell, and they seem to use the American terminology for XLR in their UK catalogue! For them, plug means on the cable and jack means on the chassis. Unfortunately this does not help us, as I think we are agreed what Americans call things.
I get a hoot when I read online UK mainstream reviews of high technology items like PC's and cellphones err mobiles. I don't think we will see them reprinted in international sites like 'Tom's Hardware'.
"I get a hoot"? Could we have a translation, please? Are you expressing amusement at the strange idea that people in a different part of the world may use language differently from you?
yes amusement, maybe a certain charm would be better used here, much better than a homogenized globalized lingo. Maybe like you appreciate the difference in accents, or pronunciation of the same spoken language all over your tiny isle. Vive la différence
Hardly a "tiny" isle. It's almost twice the size of the state in which I reside (not a tiny state). Having visited a few tiny isles - and lived on some medium sized ones, I would not put th UK in the small category! 🙂
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