What is this cable?

[Desertwolf707]

Recently I just given a cable that on one end is quite clearly labeled to go into a mouse port exactly like any other mouse, and it is a 6-pin din. On the other end of the cable though are six RCA connectors labeled sub, center, FL, FR, SR, and SL. it obviously has something to do with connecting with a surround sound setup but I am wondering what is going on with the mouse port. help please

 

[anwaypasible]

well.. when you build a piece of hardware, there is an option as to what kind of output connection you want to use.

think about it, some radios in the past have used rca connectors instead of spring loaded or screw-type connectors.
even the option of spring loaded or screw-down connectors is simply an option.

i would think the 6-pin DIN connector was cheaper than buying six individual RCA female connectors.. so to save some money, they went with the DIN connection.
it doesnt have to be a matter of using a special connection to make the product look more fancy than what it is.
maybe they saved money with the DIN connection and the money saved allowed them to upgrade a different piece inside the hardware.
or
maybe they used the DIN connector to save space.

connecting one DIN cable can also be said to be far less time consuming when comparing 6 rca or speaker terminal connections.

maybe using one shared ground for each speaker connection has probably significantly changed the way the amplifier was designed.
most amplifiers and home theater receivers use a seperate ground at the output.
it makes me wonder if the single wire going to each speaker is capable of switching its polarity to cause the speaker to move in and out.
it would be a whole lot of work to make one ground connection pull the speaker cone inwards for each speaker on an individual basis.
therefore, the single cord going to each speaker will either push the cone outward only, or flip polarity to push and pull on the speaker cone.

maybe it has everything to do with the transistors being used inside the amplifier.
if there is two input pins and only one output pin, and that is the only transistor used for the speaker channel.. then that one pin is probably working double-time.
because some amplifiers have two transistors that are hooked up backwards of eachother, then one pin does the pulling and the other pin does the pushing.
two transistors has a tigher clamp on the soundwave.
in fact, if the principles are kept basic enough.. the two transistors might fight eachother and the speaker wont move at all.
the transistors might get hot and fail from the heat and all the fighting.
that would need a small circuit inbetween them to loosen the 'lock' and allow speaker movement.

in the end, one transistor is pushing, and the other transistor is pushing in the opposite direction.. making both transistors do the same thing.
this allows for different transistors to be used.
you might have the transistors seperated, and the transistor that does all the pulling is specially selected for the speaker box size.
the other transistor is used for the speaker frequency response (or impedance curve) .. as well as the room size.

you might take two pieces of junk that refuse to fail, and make them work together to create a single function of much better quality.

if the transistor output is pretty much directly connected to the pin in that DIN connector, it might have saved circuit board space.. allowing a smaller circuit board and less money spent, or that money saved was to buy a higher quality piece somewhere else.

saving space is a really good reason, especially if it came from a soundcard that uses a low-profile bracket.
there might not have been enough room for six rca connectors (or even six 3.5mm jack connections)

i have seen those DIN connectors used quite a bit actually.
they used to be used with the ps/2 mouse and keyboard connections.
they have been used for the video connection adaptor on many of the video cards.
been used on the klipsch promedia systems (the promedia 2.1 for instance).
not all of them have the same number of pins.. but if you bought the housings in bulk, it might prove to be cheaper for the manufacturer to simply add the number of pins needed.

i would think many of the mouse and keyboard manufacturers had spares when the move was made to switch to usb connection.
the DIN connector has proven to be very useful in other places.
the video adaptor for the video cards is certainly a blessing, as it allows standard composite video or componenet or even s-video connections to be used from the video card to an external monitor.

with all of the new lcd televisions being released.. it was only a matter of time before people started wanting to connect their computer to the bigger screens.