CompTIA A+ 220-901 Connector Types and Cables

Wireless connection

- Bluetooth - 802.11 (wifi) - IrDA (Infrared)

Wired connection

- USB - Parallel - Serial - Ethernet

Composite video

A compressed lower quality video interface that carries all signals on one coaxial cable to an often yellow RCA plug.

RJ (registered jack)

A connector type for twisted pair cabling. Telephone cabling uses an RJ-11 connector and network cabling uses an RJ-45 connector.

Bayonet Neill Concelman (BNC)

A cylindrical locking connector used in RF transmissions over RG coaxial cable.

USB‐to‐Ethernet Converter

A device that uses a USB port to power an Ethernet NIC often on a stick that inserts directly into the USB port. Alternatively a device that allows USB signals to be extended over great distances across an Ethernet network.

DisplayPort

A digital video interface standard created in 2008 by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA); it was designed to be an industry standard and replace VGA and DVI. Its also backward compatible with VGA and DVI by using adapters.

Subscriber Connector (SC)

A fiber-optic cable connector that snaps and locks into place.

Splitter

A hardware device that takes one input signal and sends it to several output devices.

Thunderbolt

A high-performance digital interface created by Intel and Apple and based on the DisplayPort connector that provides external connectivity to the system's x4 PCIe 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.x internal buses.

Component video

A highquality video interface that is capable of 1080p video and features three RCA or BNC connectors red green and blue that carry the combination of signals known as YPbPr for analog signals and YCbCr for digital signals.

Coaxial cable

A medium for connecting computer components that contains a center conductor made of copper surrounded by a plastic jacket and then covered with a braided shield and jacket.

DVI‐to‐HDMI Converter

A passive adapter or cable that allows a DVI monitor to be attached to an HDMI output port on a graphics adapter. Adapters of the opposite orientation also exist.

DVI‐to‐VGA Converter

A passive adapter or cable that interconnects a DVIA interface with a VGA interface in order to allow interconnection of disparate graphics adapters and monitors.

Thunderbolt‐to‐DVI Converter

A passive adapter that connects a Thunderbolt port on a graphics adapter to a DVI monitor but not the other way around.

DC adapter

A power adapter that plugs into a car cigarette lighter or airplane power source and provides direct current.

Multimeter

A testing device used to perform multiple tests such as determining the voltage provide by a wire.

Crimper

A tool that attaches the connector ends onto a network cable. Crimpers also typically act as cable cutters and cable strippers.

High‐voltage Probe

A tool with a very large needle a gauge that indicates volts and a wire with an alligator clip used to discharge electricity from electronic devices.

Crossover cable

A twisted pair network cable used for connecting computers directly to each other. One end has pins 1 and 3 and 2 and 6 reversed hence the term crossover.

RCA

A type of coaxial connector used in composite video (yellow) S/PDIF over copper (orange) component video (red green and blue) and analog audio (red and white) to name a few.

BNC connector

A type of connector used to attach stations to a thinnet network.

HDMI‐to‐VGA

An active adapter that is powered by the HDMI interface of the graphics adapter and that converts the digital HDMI signal to an analog VGA signal.

USB A to USB B Converter

An adapter that changes the function of the connector on a USB cable from an A interface to a B interface or vice versa.

Shielded Twisted‐Pair (STP)

Copper network cable that has two or four pairs of twisted wires shielded by a braided mesh and covered with an outside coating.

Cable Tester

Device used to identify problems with cables or to confirm their functionality.

DVI

Digital Visual Interface. A digital video interface standard that includes support for analog monitor interfaces in the DVI-A standard or one or two links of digital transmission in the DVI-D standard. There is also a DVI-I (the I stands for integrated) that has the ability to support both standards.

Single‐Mode Fiber (SMF)

Fiber-optic cable that can transmit only one signal at a time. Its the longestdistance cable available for networking use today.

Local Connector (LC)

Fiberoptic cable connector that corresponds to the mini form factor standard. Colloquially known as the little connector.

Multimode Fiber

Fiberoptic cable that can transmit multiple signals at the same time.

Punch‐down Tool

Handheld tool used to secure cable coming out of the walls to a patch panel.

MIDI

Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A system of musical devices that produce descriptive output that is rendered by software to reproduce the corresponding musical output. Devices can be daisychained or connected to a hub using 5pin DIN connectors.

Unshielded Twisted‐Pair (UTP)

Networking cable that has four twisted pairs of copper wire and a flexible outer coating.

PRI Updates

On a mobile phone its an update to the Product Release Instruction (PRI) system which contains settings for network specific configuration items.

Straight Tip (ST)

One of the most common fiber optic connectors similar in style to the BNC connector used in 10Base2 Ethernet.

Loopback Plug

Plug used to loop a signal back into a port to test the functionality of the port.

Mini HDMI

The HDMI Type C interface with the same 19 pins as the standard Type A interface. This compact HDMI interface allows smaller devices to output HDMI quality audio and video.

Molex Connector

The original larger system power connector that most often provides power to non SATA hard disk drives and other devices that require more current to power their motors than offered by antiquated smaller connectors.

F‐Connector

The type of network cable connector that is found on the end of cable television cables.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

The type of plastic coating found on most network cables. Emits poisonous gasses when burned.

Patch Cable

Twisted pair networking cable also known as a straight‐through cable. Both ends of the cable have the same pin order. Used to attach computers to hubs.

Plenum‐Rated

When referring to coaxial covering a designation that means the coating does not produce toxic gas when burned (as PVC does) and it is rated for use in air plenums that carry breathable air.