A connector adapter system has been developed that simplifies installation of coaxial cable.
By Alan Pocrass
Have you ever had to reach around the back of a television to install a coaxial cable and had trouble getting your hand back there to align and tighten the F connector? Just when you think you have done it ... you drop the cable back into the massive twisted pile of other coaxial cables going to who knows where? If so, you know first-hand how difficult it can be, especially if the equipment is housed in an entertainment center.
 A standard coaxial F connector (screw on) and standard coaxial thread nut are replaced by connectors that easily snap together. |
null
Imagine being able to connect coaxial cable as easily as plugging in a telephone, no little pins to connect, no turning, just snapping in the connector. An innovation in coaxial cable connectivity has been developed — a modular connector adapter system. With this system, the frustrating process of connecting a new television or video device to existing coaxial cable or connecting an existing television to a new DVD player, VCR or other electronic device is simplified by providing a modular male plug and female jack combination similar to that used to connect a telephone cord to the jack in a telephone wallplate.
Connector Form Factor
The connector used in the system has the same plug-in form factor as RJ-11 or RJ-45 connectors that are used for all telephone communications and networking equipment. It consists of a male plug made of plastic or metal that has a built-in tab on the top and a female jack made of plastic or metal that has a receiving cavity. The tab serves as the locking device that, when inserted into the female jack, keeps the coaxial cable connected and firmly in place.
The advantage of this connector system is that users can connect a television to the coaxial cable currently installed by attaching the female jack to the threaded nut of the television. Once the male plug is attached to the coaxial cable, the user is able to snap the coaxial cable into the television. Attaching additional female jacks to VCRs, DVD players or other video devices enables the user to move the same coaxial cable from device to device simply by depressing the tab to release the male plug and inserting it into the female jack on any other device. Or, by attaching the male plugs to all the coaxial cables, the user can connect all of the devices together.
 The different colors of the female and male adapters and protective shields provide the ability to color code which cable is connected to which device. |
null
The connector system provides a better connection than standard coaxial cable connectors. In the female jack, the entire pin is enclosed, protecting it from damage. The male plug was designed for the wire in the coaxial cable to be inserted into an opening and make contact with a thicker pin within the housing. Both the wire and the pin are completelysurrounded by plastic or metal shielding, which protects them from being bent or broken from continued use.
The design allows for better mating between the device and the coaxial cable, which results in the elimination of fuzzy or snowy reception caused by loose or bent pins.
More Developments
The connector system has evolved from having just male/female adapters to include couplers, splitters, radio frequency (RF) modulators, wallplates and cable assemblies. The couplers consist of two female jacks housed end-to-end, which allows a user to put multiple coaxial cables together for extended cable length. The splitters have three female jacks housed in one unit — one for input and two for output, which allows one coaxial cable to be used to connect multiple devices. The RF modulators use two female jacks instead of two F connectors. The wallplates come in different configurations. One configuration example would be one coaxial female jack built into the top portion of a wallplate for connecting to cable television or a cable modem and one RJ-11 jack built into the bottom portion of the wallplate for telephone connection.
For the ready-made cable assemblies, the male plug uses either standard coaxial cable or flexible coaxial cable such as Belden Electronics' 1505F cable. The male plugs are crimped-on in the factory and have plastic boots that protect the tab on the top of the plug. The flexible cable used with the connector system is particularly well-suited for small spaces where traditional stiffer coaxial cable cannot be used.
Manufacturer's Use
The connector system was originally developed on two levels — one for immediate use in the consumer market and the other for manufacturers of electronic devices. The cable-mount version of the female jack was designed for ease-of-use on existing products, as discussed. The right-angle, board-mount version was designed for manufacturers to build the female jack into new products that use coaxial cable, such as audio and video devices, game boxes, cable boxes, satellite boxes and cable modems.
null
The connector system can be a major selling point for the manufacturers of game boxes. One complaint by parents about game boxes is that children break or bend the wire in the coaxial cable because they repeatedly move the cable between the VCR and the game box.
The board-mount version of the female jack of the connector system has been enhanced for optimum performance in high-definition television, which requires substantial bandwidth compared to today's television. The female jack has a metal interior back wall and the male plug is all metal. The metal-to-metal contact prevents signal loss.
Conclusion
The connector system was invented to take the frustration out of the supposedly simple task of connecting a new television, VCR, DVD player and so on. But as the system evolved, it became clear that there were other advantages to the design. But no matter what the use, the connector system is a valuable time saver that eliminates the frustrations that come with installing or moving coaxial cable.
ALAN POCRASS is CEO, Xmultiple USA, 543 Country Club Dr., #B128, Simi Valley, CA 93065; (805) 578-9076; Fax: (805) 522-0108; Web site: www.xmultiple.com.
