RCA connector

Not to be confused with Phone connector (audio).

RCA connector
RCA plugs for composite video (yellow) and stereo audio (white and red)
Type RF coaxial connector
Production history
Designer Radio Corporation of America
Designed 1930s
General specifications
Diameter 0.327 in (8.3 mm)
0.126 in (3.2 mm) contact dia.[1][2]
Cable Coaxial
Passband Typically 0–100 MHz

The RCA connector[3] is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals. The name RCA derives from the company Radio Corporation of America, which introduced the design in the 1930s.[4] The connector’s male plug and female jack are called RCA plug and RCA jack.

It is also called RCA phono connector[5] or phono connector.[6][7] The word phono in phono connector is an abbreviation of the word phonograph, because this connector was originally created to allow the connection of a phonograph turntable to a radio receiver. RCA jacks are often used in phono inputs, a set of input jacks usually located on the rear panel of a preamp, mixer or amplifier, especially on early radio sets, to which a phonograph or turntable is attached.

In some European countries such as France and Germany, the name cinch is still used as an antonomasia of the Chicago-based manufacturer Cinch,[8] for such a connector and socket.

  1. ^ "RCJ Jack, Vertical, PCB Mount" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2022.
  2. ^ "RCA Plug, Modular, Plastic Handle" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2022.
  3. ^ "RCA | Connectors | CUI Devices". CUI Devices.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference RCA-GT-1939 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Music-Center Control Box" (PDF). Radio-Electronics. July 1953. pp. 93–94.
  6. ^ "Phono Tip Plug and Jack" (PDF). Lafayette. No. 951A. Radio Wire Television Inc. 1951. p. 63.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference SC-440M was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Cinch Cables". Teufel. Berlin. Retrieved August 17, 2024.