Studio Connectors - power/data/control

This page gives you a quick reference to the different connectors used in the studios to provide power, data & control to the various items of equipment.

POWER CONNECTORS

SAFETY FIRST: All these connectors are designed to be safe in normal use. But always remember that mains electricity can kill.

● Use cables and connectors only for their intended purpose.

● Do not take a connector apart to make a connection.

● Use circuit breakers (RCD) when plugging into power supplies outside the studio.

● Report damage to cables/connectors to staff & remove item from use.

"Cee-Form" - 16 Amp or 32 Amp

Professional connectors for mains electricity used for studio lighting and other power distribution.

Has a spring-loaded flap covering the socket to stop accidental contact with live conductors and can be used outdoors due to some water protection (not totally waterproof).

The 32 Amp ones are bigger than the 16 Amp.

The flaps can nip your fingers!

Powercon

Mains connectors for the studio lights.

Push in and twist to connect; slide the silver catch and untwist to disconnect.

Blue ones carry power in, white ones take power out from one light to a second or third in a daisy chain format.

13 Amp

Standard domestic plugs and sockets for mains outlets in the UK.

Plugs contain a fuse rated to protect the appliance and cabling.

Used in studio for monitors, speakers etc.

Location use should be with a circuit breaker (RCD).

IEC (5 or 10A)

Used to connect mains power to lots of kit. Can easily work loose and disconnect itself. (Often incorrectly called a ‘kettle lead’ - a kettle should have a slightly different connector.)

"Figure of Eight"

Used on lower-power domestic equipment that is double insulated - hence no earth connection.

NOTE: As a safety precaution all mains cabling should be wired so that female connectors / sockets, are on the trailing end of a cable when it is plugged in and live. This is so no live parts are exposed.

If you find a cable wired with a male connector / plug, on a live end DO NOT USE IT; remove it from service and point it out to a member of the studio tech team.

(Powercon connectors do not have exposed conductors on either end of the cable.)

AUDIO CONNECTORS

XLR (3pin)

Standard signal connector for microphones and almost any other professional audio applications.

They latch together so they don’t disconnect accidentally.

Only to be used for loudspeakers when they have internal amplifiers - not between an amplifier and a speaker.

Note the 3 pins; other plugs and sockets with more pins look very similar but are designed for other uses.

Jack Plugs - TR (mono), TRS (stereo) & TRRS (stereo plus mic)

Also known as an ‘A’-gauge jack plug.

Commonly used in music and for personal headphones etc. The larger plug (6.5mm or ¼”) is used in mono - TR - form for musical instruments. The smaller stereo - TRS - plug (3.5mm) is most commonly used for headphones on phones, iPods etc.

Some audio mixing equipment uses 6.5mm TRS jack sockets instead of XLRs in order to save space.

NOTE: 6.5mm TRS Jacks are NOT to be used on the audio patch panel in the studio gallery - they will break it

GPO Jack

Also known as a ‘B’-gauge jack plug.

Similar to, but critically different from, the standard (TR,TRS & TRRS) jack plugs above.

Designed for use on patch panel in the gallery. Note the rounded tip compared to the others.

IMPORTANT: Only use GPO jacks in the patch panels.

Speakon

Designed for connections between amplifiers and loudspeakers, in studio/performance situations, where they carry substantial power. Push in and twist to connect; slide the silver catch and untwist to disconnect.

VIDEO CONNECTORS

BNC

Used in the studio on wallboxes to connect video signals to monitors etc. The technical attributes of the signal it carries might vary; it may even be a combined video and audio signal.

Found on portable cameras for various inputs and outputs.

Twist to make it lock for security.

HDMI

High Definition Multimedia Interface. A domestic system for connecting TV screens, PVRs, satellite receivers, computers etc. Found on some portable cameras.

It is high quality but not designed to run over long distances. More than about 5-10 metres can cause failure. No latching of connectors so they can fall out.

Lemo Triax

Large metal connectors for studio camera cables. Care should be taken when fitting and removing - line up the red markers and push to connect. Pull the body of the cable-mounted plug, or press the ring of the surface-mounted connector, to release.

CONTROL / DATA

DMX (XLR 5-pin)

DMX uses 5-pin connectors on studio lighting to send control instructions from the lighting desk to the lamp. Each light unit needs a connection but they can be daisy-chained from one light to the next. Hence each light has a male and female connection.

Do not confuse with 3-pin audio XLR cables.

IMPORTANT: The pins are easily bent so line up plugs and sockets carefully before connecting.

(They are not always black as shown here.)

Cat 5 / RJ45

Usually used for connecting computers to the internet but also for making other data-carrying connections. There is usually a plastic clip to make the plug secure. DMX connections to the studio hoists are made with a Cat 5 / RJ45 plug.

USB

Widely used data connector for computers & phone chargers. The plugs and sockets come in many sizes. The ones with blue inserts are compatible with the latest standard - USB 3 - which can send / receive data much faster than before.

Written by PS

Report abuse