RCA connector

RCA connector

A plug and socket for a coaxial cable. They are found on all old audio/video devices and many new ones that continue to support analog signals. They are also used for digital signals (see S/PDIF).

For decades, both RCA and mini-phone plugs and sockets have been the most widely used connectors on consumer equipment (see mini-phone connector).

Also known as a "phono connector" because in the 1940s, Radio Corporation of America (RCA) designed it to wire an RCA Victor "phonograph" turntable to the radio to greatly amplify the sound. Only one cable was used as it carried a monophonic signal, not stereo. See A/V ports.

RCA (Phono) Connector
The prong (1/8" thick by 5/16" long) connects the signal wire, and the shell connects the ground sheath that wraps around the signal wire. See coaxial cable.

Ubiquitous RCA Sockets
Even in the digital age, a lot of consumer A/V equipment still supports analog signals. The red/white audio jacks on this A/V receiver are analog stereo, and the yellow jacks are analog composite video. See analog stereo and composite video.