| 3.5 | RCA Female Connectors |
The RCA female is very similar to the male connector, but there are enough differences to merit a separate section for it.
The RCA connector was designed and popularized by (who else) the Radio Corporation of America – hence the name. Back in the 1940s and 1950s home hi-fi equipment was a new field, and there weren’t too many standards or equipment makers.
So when RCA needed a small, low-cost connector for the equipment they were manufacturing, there wasn’t anything currently on the market that quite fitted their needs. They designed a new plug and it became an industry standard.
RCA connectors are strictly for unbalanced wire runs, i.e. one-conductor shielded wire. You’ll see them on stereo gear, home theater ...
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