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An Electrical Connector is an electromechanical device used to join electrical terminations and create an electrical circuit. Most electrical connectors have a gender – i.e. the male component, called a plug, connects to the female component, or socket. The connection may be removable (as for portable equipment), require a tool for assembly and removal, or serve as a permanent electrical joint between two points. An adapter can be used to join dissimilar connectors. |
Thousands of configurations of connectors are manufactured for power, data, and audiovisual applications. Electrical connectors can be divided into four basic categories, differentiated by their function:- inline or cable connectors permanently attached to a cable, allowing it to be plugged into another terminal (either a stationary instrument or another cable)- chassis or panel connectors which are permanently attached to a piece of equipment, allowing users to connect a cable to a stationary device- PCB mount connectors soldered to a printed circuit board, providing a point for to a cable or wire to be attached: (e.g. pin headers, screw terminals, board-to-board connectors)- splice or butt connectors (primarily insulation displacement connectors) which permanently join two lengths of wire or cableIn computing, electrical connectors are considered a physical interface and constitute part of the physical layer in the OSI model of networking. |