 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2014) |
A patch cable, patch cord or patch lead is an electrical or fiber-optic cable used to connect ("patch in") one electronic or optical device to another for signal routing. Devices of different types (e.g., a switch connected to a computer, or a switch to a router) are connected with patch cords.
Patch cords are usually produced in many different colors so as to be easily distinguishable from each other. Types of patch cords include microphone cables, fiber optic spectroscopy cables, headphone extension cables, XLR connector, Tiny Telephone (TT) connector, RCA connector and ¼" TRS phone connector cables (as well as modular Ethernet cables), and thicker, hose-like cords (snake cable) used to carry video or amplified signals. However, patch cords typically refer only to short cords used with patch panels.
The term "patch" came from early use in telephony and radio studios, where extra equipment kept on standby could be temporarily substituted for failed devices.[citation needed] This reconnection was done via patch cords and patch panels, like the jack fields of cord-type telephone switchboards. Furthermore, patching could also create temporary atypical connections between devices for unusual needs. Analog music synthesizers typically use patch cables to interconnect functional sections, such as oscillators, filters, etc.