11 Feb
2002
11 Feb
'02
11:46 a.m.
Yes, there's definitely a problem, and it's not helped by laxity or
complacency throughout the industry. The term DIN is an acronym for German
Industrial Standard (transliterated) and there are MANY German industrial
standards, just as there are many EIA "recommended standards." The 96-pin
connectors used in MAC's and, also on VME Backplanes, are described in
DIN41612, but that's not the DIN that describes the round thingies we refer to
as DIN connectors when describing the keyboard connector on an old PC. What's
more, there are 5-pin round DIN connectors that won't mate, though they have
the same number of pins, and the same shape. I don't know that there's a DIN
for the "mini" (PS/2) version of this same application. There are round
DIN-style connectors with which we used to attache stereo components to one
another back in the '60's, and there are others that look just like 'em that
won't fit ... same number of pins, round, ... what gives?
It's true, too, that using spec's like what applies to the venerable
38999-series used in military hardware wouln't help much in clearing up what
is clearly a can of worms. There's not much confusion about what a USB
connectors is, nor is there much confusion about an RCA jack, but little else
can be assumed to be a certain way. How do you specify the connector that
attaches the "dongle" to your notebook's PCMCIA adapter? How do you
differentiate that from the one that attaches your charger to your cell-phone?
It's true ... we've got lotsa "thingies" and not enough of a vocabulary
to
make it clear what's being talked about.
Dick
----- Original Message -----
From: "Russ Blakeman" <rhblakeman(a)kih.net>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2002 2:48 PM
Subject: RE: Old HP scanner
Amphenol has made all sorts of connectors and they
don't generally get named
as Amphenol xxxx either - military plugs/sockets are all named by a MIL
standard/spec (or other alpha-numeric designations) and they become that MIL
number/letter name after a while even with the public.
Look at the standard 25 pin "serial" port - named DB-25, serial connector,
others but yet I have non-computer/non-serial equipment that uses it too.
The same goes for Mac SCSI - female db25, same as a PC "parallel" port - and
other items use this too such as the backs of serial modems.
No big deal, connectors are connectors and sometimes you have to either
refer/search/call them as they are used in the general industry to either
get a point across or locate replacements.
What we call DIN connectors are also called microphone connectors by CB, ham
and audio enthusiasts...even power supplies use DIN and mini-DIN.
=> -----Original Message-----
=> From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
=> [mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Joe
=> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2002 2:27 PM
=> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
=> Subject: RE: Old HP scanner
=>
=>
=> At 11:39 AM 2/11/02 -0600, you wrote:
=> >Better tell that to 99% of the manufacturers and sellers that use the
=> >terminology then. C50 or Centronics 50 is used more often than SCSI I to
=> >refer to these connectors. If I remember long ago PBX and
=> multi-line phones
=> >had a centronics-like connector as well (or was it more like an
=> IEEE-488)but
=> >I know it wasn't referred to as Centronics.
=>
=>
=> The phone companies used a 50 pin connector that was commonly
=> referred to
=> as a "Telephone connector" for their multi-line phones. Later the same
=> connector was commonly used for SCSI devices so it came to be called a
=> "SCSI connector" but in truth both connectors were made by Amphenol. At
=> about the same time the smaller 36 pin connector became known as a
=> "Centronics connector" because Centronics was one of the largest
=> manufacturers of printers and they used it for their standard printer
=> connector. FWIW HP developed an instrument control system
=> called "HP-IB"
=> and it used a 26 pin version of the same connector so that one
=> became known
=> as an "HP-IB connector". Other companies utilized the HP-IB concept but
=> called their systems GP-IB so now the 26 pin connector became known as a
=> "GP-IB connector". BUT they're all made by Amphenol!
=>
=> Joe
=>
=>
=>