Cable

1. Alternatively referred to as a cord or plug, a cable is one or more wires covered in a plastic covering that connects a computer to a power source or other device. In the picture to the right, is an example of what the power cord may look like for your computer or monitor. The power cord is just one example of millions of other cables found in and around computers.

There are two main types of computer cables, a data cable and a power cable. A data cable is a cable that provides communication between devices. For example, the data cable that connects your monitor to your computer and allows your computer to display a picture on the monitor. Other examples of data cables include the CAT5, IDE/EIDE, SATA, and USB cables. A power cable is any cable that powers the device. For example, the power cord that connects to your computer and a Molex style cable inside the computer are both good examples of power cables. Below, is a listing of the most common types of cables found with computers and electronics.

Types of cables

• AT
• ATA
• CAT5
• Coaxial
• Composite
• DVI
• e-SATA
• Firewire (IEEE-1394)
• HDMI
• MIDI
• IDE/EIDE
• PS/2
• RCA
• S-Video
• S/PDIF
• SATA
• SCSI
• Serial (RS-232)
• Parallel
• USB
• VGA/SVGA

2. Cable can also refer to cable TV or a cable modem.

Also see: Broadband, Data line, Dongle, DSL, Feeder cable, Gender, ISDN, Network definitions, Ribbon cable, Smart cable