RCA/Connector/Ref/Index

• RCA Connector Reference Index

  • Visual Reference

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    • Photo: Evan-Amos, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Overview

    • Quick reference guide to the RCA (phono) connector family
    • One RCA connector carries one signal; stereo audio needs a pair, component video needs three
    • Same physical connector shape is reused across several signal types, distinguished mainly by color coding

  • Connector Comparison

    • Connector	Gender	Typical Role
      RCA/Connector/Ref/RCA Male	Male (plug)	Terminates a cable
      RCA/Connector/Ref/RCA Female	Female (jack)	Mounted on a device panel

  • Signal Types and Color Coding

    • Yellow: composite video
    • White or black: left channel analog audio
    • Red: right channel analog audio
    • Green / Blue / Red trio: component video (Y/Pb/Pr)
    • Orange: digital coax audio (S/PDIF)

  • History

    • Introduced by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in the late 1930s/1940s to connect phonograph players to radio receivers, hence "phono connector"
    • Became the de facto standard for consumer analog audio/video well before any formal single specification existed

  • Related References

    • RCA/Connector/Ref/RCA Male
    • RCA/Connector/Ref/RCA Female
    • Audio/Connector/Ref/Index