Illustrated cables & connectors identifier

Coaxial Cable

Cable TV companies, who supply digital TV and broadband services, use these fibre optic cables. While they do not directly connect to a computer, these cables are integral in providing internet access.  The cable modems provided by companies, such as Virgin Media have two outlets, one is for an RJ-45 network cable, which will connect to the computer, and the other is for the main coaxial line, which supplies the cable service. The data signals travel via the coaxial lines through to the modem and then on to the computer.

Subscribers to this service will become familiar with this type of cable especially if they opt to use home start-up internet kits.

DVI  (DIGITAL VIDEO INTERFACE)

DVI is one of the standards available for connecting a computer to a monitor and basically delivers digital signals from a graphics card to the screen, producing enhanced picture quality. The DVI interface is located on a PC's graphics card, alongside the traditional VGA port.

FIREWIRE (IEEE1394)

Developed by Apple Corp, this high-speed digital data transfer interface can be found on a variety of devices ranging from digital cameras to video camcorders and is particularly good for the transfer of large amounts of data to computers. While the Firewire connector is a competitor of the USB interface, it does not feature on as many products because it is more expensive.

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)

This interface, sometimes referred to as Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), is used to connect internal hard drives and CD or DVD drives to the motherboard. The sockets on the motherboard appear as rectangular slots that encase a set of pins. A ribbon cable, which runs from the back of the above named hardware devices, then plugs into them.

Memory Card Readers

The majority of PCs and laptops come equipped with these devices, which are also known as multimedia card readers. They are usually fixed inside a computer, but can also be purchased as a separate peripheral. Externally, they appear as credit card sized slots, enabling users to insert a memory card, so that they can transfer files between their computer and other electronic devices.

These readers are capable of reading different types of cards, so for example a package that includes a "5 in 1" card reader means it will accept 5 memory card varieties.

Micro Filter adaptor

These filters are supplied by telephone/internet service providers to subscribers enabling them to use their existing telephone lines to get simultaneous phone and ADSL broadband internet access by splitting data and voice signals. The filters plug into the main telephone point and have two sockets on the reverse side, one for a phone (phone jack connector) and another for a modem (RJ-11).

Parallel

Used to connect printers to computers, the 25-pin parallel port is referred to as a legacy port, which basically means that they have been phased out, in this case by the USB interface. The ports and cables are still available for those people who use older printers, in the form of docking stations, which provide a variety of different connectors in one hub device.

PCMCI Slots

Similar to a memory card reader, these external slots enable users to insert PCMCIA or PC cards into their laptops in order to enhance its capabilities, in terms of increasing memory or adding devices such as Ethernet/network and Wi-Fi cards.

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)

Developed by the Intel Corporation, these sockets, which are sometimes referred to as expansion slots, are built on to a computer's motherboard, and allow users to add graphics, sound and network cards in order to boost the ability of their computer system.

phone jack connector

PS/2

This was a standard type connector used to attach keyboards and a mouse to a computer. While it is possible to use these connectors for older devices, through the purchase of a suitable adaptor, they have become obsolete as modern computers and their peripherals tend to be packaged with USB interfaces.

RJ-11

This type of cable is used to connect modems to a telephone line for dial-up internet or ADSL broadband connection. For ADSL access, the RJ-11 line goes from the modem and plugs into a Micro Filter Adaptor, which acts as a splitter between voice and data signals. The data signals travel through this cable to the modem and then through another cable (RJ-45 – if its an ADSL Ethernet modem or USB cable for a USB ADSL modem) to the computer.

RJ-45

The RJ-45 network cable enables a computer to connect to the internet. The RJ-45 port is located on the PC's Ethernet/Network card or a stand alone port, from here the RJ-45 line can plug into either a cable modem or a set-top box and gain broadband access.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

USB connection ports provide a convenient method of adding devices to computers and laptops. The majority of electrical products on the market today make use of USB connectors, because they offer a faster and more reliable way of transferring data between printers, digital cameras and MP3 players to a computer.

USB features Plug and Play – this means that you can plug in a device into a USB port and the computer will automatically recognise it and make it work straight away, without you having to restart your computer.

There are two standards available – USB 1 and USB 2. In terms of physical features, both are the same; the only difference is that USB 2 works faster.

VGA (Video Graphics Array)

VGA is a standard interface used to connect a monitor to a computer.  Many monitors have an analogue DB15-pin cable, this plugs into a computer's graphics card, via its VGA port. A graphics card generates a digital image and converts it into an analogue signal, which passes through the cable and displays a picture on the screen. 

Serial

At one time all computers were packaged with these interfaces, but keyboard, modem and mouse manufacturers have disregarded Serial ports in favour of the USB interface, because it delivers superior data transfer speeds between devices.