Tools & Connectors

An RCA jack, also referred to as a phono connector or Cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector that is commonly used in the audio/video market. The name "RCA" derives from the Radio Corporation of America, which introduced the design by the early 1940s to allow mono phonograph players to be connected to amplifiers.

The BNC (Bayonet Neill Concelman) connector is a very common type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable. The BNC connector is used for RF signal connections, for analog and Serial Digital Interface video signals, amateur radio antenna connections, aviation electronics (avionics) and many other types of electronic test equipment. It is an alternative to the RCA connector when used for composite video on commercial video devices, although many consumer electronics devices with RCA jacks can be used with BNC-only commercial video equipment via a simple adapter. BNC connectors were commonly used on 10base2 thin Ethernet networks, both on cable interconnections and network cards, though these have largely been replaced by newer Ethernet devices whose wiring does not use coaxial cable. Some ARCNET networks use BNC-terminated coax.

The BNC (Bayonet Neill Concelman) connector is a very common type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable. The BNC connector is used for RF signal connections, for analog and Serial Digital Interface video signals, amateur radio antenna connections, aviation electronics (avionics) and many other types of electronic test equipment. It is an alternative to the RCA connector when used for composite video on commercial video devices, although many consumer electronics devices with RCA jacks can be used with BNC-only commercial video equipment via a simple adapter. BNC connectors were commonly used on 10base2 thin Ethernet networks, both on cable interconnections and network cards, though these have largely been replaced by newer Ethernet devices whose wiring does not use coaxial cable. Some ARCNET networks use BNC-terminated coax.

Coaxial cable is a cable consisting of an inner conductor, surrounded by a tubular insulating layer typically made from a flexible material with a high dielectric constant, all of which is then surrounded by another conductive layer (typically of fine woven wire for flexibility, or of a thin metallic foil), and then finally covered again with a thin insulating layer on the outside. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis. Coaxial cables are often used as a transmission line for radio frequency signals. In a hypothetical ideal coaxial cable the electromagnetic field carrying the signal exists only in the space between the inner and outer conductors. Practical cables achieve this objective to a high degree. A coaxial cable provides protection of signals from external electromagnetic interference, and effectively guides signals with low emission along the length of the cable.

RG-59/U is a specific type of coaxial cable, often used for low-power video and RF signal connections. The cable has a characteristic impedance of 75 ohms. The 75 ohm impedance matches a dipole antenna in free space. "RG" was originally a unit indicator for bulk RF cable in the U.S. military's Joint Electronics Type Designation System.