Connector Basics
Contributors:
SFUptownMaker, bitsmashed
SFUptownMaker, bitsmashed Resources and Going Further
You should now have a good idea which connectors are suited best for certain applications and which connectors will be useful to you in your next project. Please check out these other links to lean more about connectors.
- Giant database of connectors and pinouts - Everything you never wanted to know about pretty much any connector, ever. A good site for basic info about connectors, but often quite shy on interface details.
- Wikipedia article on registered jack connectors - More on the confusing world of the registered jack (RJ) connector, which is often misunderstood and misused.
- Wikipedia article on D-subminiature connectors - As with the registered jack connector, misinformation abounds on the D-subminiature standard. Wikipedia has a great article about it.
- Mouser electronics catalog - Browsing an electronics supplier catalog is often a great place to start looking for the name of an unidentified connector; Mouser's enhanced online catalog is just as good as the print version, with fewer papercuts!
Interested in learning more foundational topics?
See our Engineering Essentials page for a full list of cornerstone topics surrounding electrical engineering.
If you'd like top explore more SparkFun tutorials, check out these other offerings:
Serial Communication
Asynchronous serial communication concepts: packets, signal levels, baud rates, UARTs and more!
Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
SPI is commonly used to connect microcontrollers to peripherals such as sensors, shift registers, and SD cards.
What is an Arduino?
What is this 'Arduino' thing anyway? This tutorials dives into what an Arduino is and along with Arduino projects and widgets.
Electric Power
An overview of electric power, the rate of energy transfer. We'll talk definition of power, watts, equations, and power ratings. 1.21 gigawatts of tutorial fun!
Alternating Current (AC) vs. Direct Current (DC)
Learn the differences between AC and DC, the history, different ways to generate AC and DC, and examples of applications.
Three Quick Tips About Using U.FL
Quick tips regarding how to connect, protect, and disconnect U.FL connectors.
Or check out these related blog post: