Which cables are used to connect computers?

TYPES OF CABLES AND THEIR USES

1.    VGA Cable

Also known as D-sub cable, analog video cable

Connect one end to computer monitor, television (PC input port)

Connect other ends to the VGA port on the computer (see image below)

1. DVI Cable

Connect one end to the computer monitor

Connect other ends to the DVI port on the computer (see image below)

However, there are 2 types of DVI, DVI-I, and DVI-D.
DVI-D does not have the extra pins around the long pin, this is also a pure digital signal over DVI-I.

1. HDMI Cable

Connect one end to computer monitor, television

Connect other end to HDMI port on computer/laptop (see image above)

Note: If you’re hooking up television to your computer, then we would recommend that you use an HDMI cable as your PC cable connection since it is able to transmit both display and sound – So you can not only use your TV screen as a monitor but also make use of your TV speakers to play PC audio.

There are different sizes for the HDMI to HDMI cable they include; 1.5M, 1.8M, 3M, 5M, 10M, 20M, 30M, and 50M.

1. PS/2 Cable

Connect one end to: PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse

Connect other end to: PS/2 ports on computer (see image below)

• Purple PS/2 port: keyboard
• Green PS/2 port: mouse

1. Ethernet Cable

Also known as RJ-45 cable

Connect one end to: router, network switch

Connect other end to: Ethernet port on computer (see image above)

1. 3.5mm Audio Cable

Also known as phone connector (since 3.5mm jacks are often found on mobile phones too)

Connect one end to: computer speakers, 3.5mm headphones, 3.5mm microphone

Connect other end to: audio ports on computer (see image below use Green socket)

• Green audio port: computer speakers or headphones
• Pink audio port: microphone
• Blue audio port: MP3 player, CD player, DVD player, turntable, electric guitar etc (line-in port to play and record sounds from the above devices)

1. USB Cable

USB 2.0                                                                                      USB 3.0

For USB computer cable connections, there are two popular formats: USB 2.0 and the newer USB 3.0

How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 cables apart: USB 3.0 cables have a blue tip, and sometimes you can find a SS “Super Speed” label on it.

Since USB was intended to be the one computer cable connection to replace them all, it’s no surprise that the possible uses for a USB port are quite mind-blowing. For this computer cable guide, we have listed its more common uses below:

Connect one end to: USB device

• Storage devices: USB flash drive, external hard drive, external optical drive
• Input devices: USB keyboard (wired and wireless), USB mouse (wired and wireless), webcam, scanner, gamepad
• Output devices: printer, all-in-one office machine, USB speaker
• Wireless adapters: network (Wi-Fi) adapter, bluetooth adapter, 3G adapter
• Data (and charging) cable for mobile devices such as mobile phone, tablet, MP3 player

Connect other end to: USB ports on computer (see image below)

How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports apart: USB 2.0 ports have black tips while USB 3.0 ports come with blue tips. See image below:

USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible… meaning that you can connect a USB 2.0 device to a USB 3.0 port and vice versa (but the USB 3.0 devices hooked up to a USB 2.0 port will perform at lowered rates)

There are also USB cables which connect new external backup drives (see below), these are described as USB-A to Micro-B

1. Computer Power Cord (Kettle Plug)

Connect one end to: AC power socket

Connect other end to: power supply unit (see image below), computer monitor

Note: Always turn off your power supply unit (with the 1-0 switch at the back) before connecting a power cord to it.

1. 9. Thunder Bolt/USB-C

Mostly seen on laptops and Apple Macs these cables are high speed and are capable of carrying Data, video and other information.

There are 2 current types of Thunderbolt, the older version Thunderbolt 2 is seen below but this can also be confused with Mini Display ports as they look identical and only visual difference is the picture beside the port. Thunderbolt 2 (left) has a lightning symbol and carries Data and video.

The Mini Display Port (right) will only carry Video.

And Thunderbolt 3 also known as USB-C on Apple Macs.

1. Display Port

Display Port is the best to use if you require a fast, high-resolution image.
The cable has better quality over HDMI and is the best option if you have this interface.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13.  TELEPHONE CABLE

Well, you should know this from your home telephone, and it is also connected to AIO printers to send out faxes. Call this RJ11 if people want to get technical.

14. LIGHTNING CABLE

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

15) PARALLEL CABLE

Once upon a time in the stone age of computers, we connect printers to computers using these parallel cables. They are built like tanks and wouldn’t even budge if you yanked hard at it. Of course, they could not handle large amounts of data fast enough and have been totally phased out.

16) SERIAL CABLE

The serial connectors are cousins to the parallel connectors – As some of you may have noticed, yes, these are the ancestors of the USB.

17) 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.

18) USB to RS232

USB to RS232 Converter Cable connector attaches to the RS-232 port of a data logger or peripheral, such as an MD485 Multi drop Modem or RF401-series Spread-Spectrum Radio. Alternatively, the RS-232 connector can attach to an SC32B interface, which attaches to the CS I/O port of a data logger via the SC12 cable.

19.) Console Cable (RJ45 to DB9)

Also known as RJ45 to DB9, rollover cables and management cables

There are two that are used more commonly than the rest, mostly because of the frequency with which you will see these different connectors.

USB to RJ45

It is arguably the most modern console cable. It streamlines your communication via USB. It goes seamlessly from the console port on the rj45 port to a standard USB port on a PC.