Cables and Cabling

A cable, also known as a cord, plug, or connector transmits power or data

between devices or positions, which is covered in plastic by one or more wires. A
power cable and data cable are the primary types of computer cables. The cable
that creates communication between devices is known as a data cable. For
instance, DVI, HDMI, or VGA are all the data cables that are used to attach to the
computer monitor and enable it to display an image or picture on the computer
monitor. The USB, SATA, CAT5, and IDE/EIDE cables are other popular examples of
data cables. A cable that powers the device is known as a power cable. For
instance, inside the computer, a Molex-style cable and the power cord that
attaches to computer.
Categories of Computer Cables
1. Data Cables
2. Power Supply Cables
Data Cables
HDMI cable
HDMI is a type of computer cable that has the potential to transmit audio and
video signal with the original quality of images. It stands for High Definition
Multimedia Interface, which can send crystal clear images. The use of HDMI cable
is to connect electronic devices such as TVs, cable boxes, HDTV, Projector, media
streamers, DVD players, and more. HDMI cable, one standard cable, can be used
to connect all types of Av devices. Additionally, it has the ability to transmit audio
and video signals in one go. The below picture is of an HDMI cable.
 DVI cable
DVI cable is a video display interface, which is used to connect the video card and
LCD monitor and stands for Digital Visual Interface. Without having any
disturbance, users can see pictures of high quality with the help of using this
cable. It is able to transmit video content to display devices at high resolutions,
2560 x 1600 resolutions and is mostly used in CRT monitors, which have a VGA
connection. The primary intention to develop it was to be an industry standard for
transmitting digital and analog signals to the computer system.

Due to some DVI cables that can only transmit audio signals, HDMI is more
common to use with TVs, but DVI even widely be used with some TVs. On the
basis of the supported signals, one of the three names may be included in DVI
connector: DVI-I (both digital and analog), DVI-D (digital only), or DVI-A (analog
only). It is very easy to differentiate DVI cable is analog or digital. If only a flat pin
present on the cable, it is known as DVI digital. If there is a flat pin and a pin
contains four pins around, it is called as a DVI analog.
VGA cable
Another kind of computer cable is VGA cable that is developed by IBM and
introduced in 1987. It stands for Video Graphics Array or Video Graphics Adapter,
which is used to link the monitor and the CPU of a computer and transfer video
signals. HD televisions also use the VGA cable, 256 colors are shown if the
resolution is lowered to 320 x 200; however, it offers 640 x 480 resolution color
display screens. In modern times, it is common to find VGA cable and connector
with computers, even TVs, and projectors. However, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort cable,
and connector are becoming the reason to replace VGA cable. The picture of the
VGA cable is shown below.
 Ethernet Cable
The Ethernet cable is generally used for a wired network, and the quality of the
connection is described by the length and durability of the Ethernet cable. It can
be used to connect the devices such as PCs, routers, and switches within a LAN,
and the quality of the connection will not be best if the cable is not durable and
too long. This may create a problem sometimes; therefore, there are several kinds
of Ethernet cable available that you can buy easily from the market. The Ethernet
port is presented on the motherboard, which is used to plug Ethernet cable. This
cable looks similar to a phone cable, but it has more wires as compared to a
phone. Additionally, users can buy Ethernet cable in different colors, and it
contains eight wires. The below image is of an Ethernet cable.

PS/2 Cable
The PS/2 cable is a standard cable, which contain a round connector and a total of
6 pins, and generally, two sizes of PS/2 cable are available on the market. It is used
to attach the mouse and keyboard to the computer system, and its length is long
enough. It stands for Personal System/2 that was developing by IBM. The most
common cable is the smaller size, but there are some adaptors available that can
be used to increase its size. But USB cables are replacing them because they can
be easily plugged and are universal cables. The example of PS/2 cable is given
below:

5mm Audio Cable

The 3.5mm audio cables are the type of computer cable that are simply used to
connect earphones and headphones to the system. Commonly, they are used for
connecting mini-stereo audio device, a PC sound card, or any portable CD player
to any multimedia speaker.

USB cables
The USB cable is a popular, standard cable that enables a computer device to
interact with peripheral and other devices. It stands for Universal Serial Bus, and
there are various devices that are connected through USB cable, such as
keyboards and mice, music players and flash drives, etc. Its first version, 1.0, was
released in January 1996, which was later adopted by companies like Microsoft,
Compaq, Intel, and others. The USB ports are presented on the computer system,
which is used to connect USB cables. For example, mice and keyboards have a USB
cable that is connected to the computer. Whenever the device is connected
through the USB cable, and you need to remove the USB cable while the device is
running, first you should eject safely, and then you can remove it from the system.
The below picture is an example of a USB cable.
There are many earlier computer systems in which sound cards contain MIDI port
that connects electronic musical instruments and computers. The devices like a
MIDI keyboard or a synthesizer can be connected to the computer through a MIDI
cable.
SATA Cable
SATA cable is a special wire that helps connect the host bus adapter, such as a
motherboard and massive storage device. It supports hot plugging, meaning the
OS can recognize the device without restarting full device. As the name suggests,
the data cable is used to transfer data. The connector of this cable has 7-pins. You
need to connect one end to the PC’s SATA interface and the other end to the hard
drive. The cable usually adopts a flat line to ensure fast transferring speed.
Some other common types of computer cable
o Serial (RS-232): An asynchronous port on the computer that is used with a
mouse and Modem and capable of transmitting one bit at a time.
o S/PDIF: It transmits digital audio between home theater systems and audio
equipment and transmits signals in a compressed form. It is commonly used
with DVD and surround sound, which stands for Sony and Phillips Digital
Interconnect Format.
o Firewire (IEEE-1394): Firewire was first developed by Apple in 1995, which
supports PnP (plug and play) devices. The devices digital cameras and
external drives commonly use this cable that is also known as IEEE-1394.
o Mini plug: A Mini Plug is a 3.5mm male connector, widely used speaker,
microphones, and headphones. The location of the Mini Plug on the sound
card is determined by the device you are using. For example, a computer
speakers and microphone jack plug into the sound out jack, and a headset
plugs into the line out.
 o Coaxial: A Coaxial cable contains high transmission and bandwidth capacity
and widely use with TV and projectors. This cable is also used in network,
and to connect TVs to a cable TV service by most users.
o Composite: It is primarily used with TV, projectors, and comes with yellow,
red, and white connectors on each end. The devices like gaming systems,
VCRs, DVD players, or other audio/video devices are connected to TV
through a composite cable.
o DisplayPort: It is a digital audio and video interface, which comes with two
different connections; the smaller Mini DisplayPort and standard
DisplayPort. But both connection varieties transmit identical signals.
Power Supply
20/24-Pin Motherboard Cable
This cable is the main connector that provides power to your PC's motherboard.
While it's not the only connector your PC needs, this is the main one in charge of
delivering the correct voltage to your motherboard and, by extension, most of
your PC's components. This includes your RAM, storage devices, PCIe devices
without auxiliary power, and pretty much everything else in your motherboard.
You'll normally find this connector sitting prominently around the edge of your
motherboard. In older ATX motherboards, as well as lower-end ones, you'll find
that the main connector actually has 20 pins rather than 24. Likewise,
some power supplies come with a 20+4 connector (with 4 pins that can be
separated) instead of a straight-up 24-pin. This is because older PCs with lower
power requirements can make do with 20 pins instead of 24, and power supplies
have mostly stayed the same over the years.
4/8-Pin CPU Connector
Then, we have the CPU connector. The CPU is one of the few parts of your PC that
needs auxiliary power on top of the power provided to your motherboard. The
CPU connector is there to step in.
The CPU connector is normally found close to your PC's CPU socket. Just plug it in
after you're done with your motherboard connector, and you're good to go.
Depending on the computer, you might find this connector a little different. In
lower-end PCs, you'll find a 4-pin connector on your motherboard, which should
be able to provide enough electricity for these lower-end chips. On mid-range and
high-end CPUs, you can expect to find an 8-pin instead, giving enough power to
almost every chip.
Almost always, your PC's power supply will include an 8-pin connector that breaks
in two, known as a 4+4-pin. This allows it to be connected to both 4-pin and 8-pin
connectors—just put one of them aside if you don't need to use it.
6/8-Pin PCI Express Cable (GPU Cable)
Technically, all PCI Express power needs are already served by the motherboard
connector. After all, if you put something like a Wi-Fi card there, it'll work
perfectly. However, some devices (most commonly GPUs) need extra auxiliary
power on top of what the motherboard provides. This is where PCIe cables come
in. These are sometimes called GPU cables since they're mainly used by GPUs.
They'll come in both 6-pin and 8-pin flavors and connect on top of a GPU.
Depending on what GPU we're talking about, you might make do with one single
connector, or you might need two, or a whopping three, depending on the power
requirements of the specific card. If the power requirements of a card aren't fully
satisfied, users might experience performance drops or even instability and
frequent crashes.
Other PSU Cables
SATA Power Cable
First off, we have the SATA power cable. These are still widely included in power
supplies nowadays, and if the SATA name is giving you hints as to what it's for,
then your hunch is probably right. The SATA power cable is mainly in charge of
providing power to a hard drive or another SATA drive directly from the hard
drive. It's not to be confused with the SATA cable, which is the actual connection
between your hard drive and your PC—the SATA power cable provides power,
while the SATA cable provides everything else.
Molex
Molex is largely retired these days, but there's a chance you might still see it on
older or lower-end PCs. Like SATA, Molex connectors are meant to provide you
with auxiliary power. Molex connectors used to be present in everything from
hard drives to case fans.
Over the last decade, though, Molex has largely disappeared. The reason? It's
generally regarded as an annoying connector to deal with, breaking easily and
being overall unreliable. Those use cases that still need auxiliary, Molex-like power
have since transitioned to SATA.
 SOLDERING & DESOLDERING
Soldering is a joining process used to join different types of metals together by
melting solder. Solder is a metal alloy usually made of tin and lead which is melted
using a hot iron. The iron is heated to temperatures above 600 degrees Fahrenheit
which then cools to create a strong electrical bond.
Types of Soldering
There are three types of soldering which use increasingly higher temperatures,
which in turn produce progressively stronger joints:
1. Soft soldering (90 °C - 450 °C) - This process has the lowest filler metal
melting point of all the soldering types at less than around 400°C these filler
metals are usually alloys, often containing lead with liquidus temperatures
under 350°C. Because of the low temperatures used in soft soldering, it
thermally stresses components the least but does not make strong joints
and is then therefore unsuitable for mechanical load-bearing applications. It
is also not suited for high-temperature use as this type of solder loses
strength and melts.
2. Hard (silver) soldering (>450 °C) – Brass or silver is the bonding metal used
in this process, and requires a blowtorch to achieve the temperatures at
which the solder metals.
3. Brazing (>450 °C) – This type of soldering uses a metal with a much higher
melting point than those used in hard and soft soldering. However, similarly
to hard soldering, the metal being bonded is heated as opposed to being
melted. Once both the materials are heated sufficiently, you can then place
the soldering metal between them which melts and acts as a bonding
agent.
EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS
A. Soldering Iron
 A soldering iron is used to heat the connections to be soldered.
 For electronic circuits, you should use a 25- to 40-watt (W) soldering iron.
B. Solder/Soldering Lead
  Solder has a lower melting point than the metals that are being connected
do. The solder melts when it is heated by the soldering iron, but the metals
being joined will not melt.
 For most electronics work, a solder with a diameter of 0.75 millimeters
(mm) to 1.0 mm is best.
C. Soldering Stand
 There are a variety of stands available. It is important to always keep the
hot iron in its stand when not in use.
D. Sponge
 The damp sponge is used to clean the tip of the iron.
E. Solder Braid
 This is used to remove solder.
 To use the braid, place it over the solder to be removed and heat it from
above with the iron. The solder will flow into the braid.
F. Prototype Board
 A prototype board is used to assemble the circuit.
 Prototype boards have copper tracks or pads for connecting components.

PROCEDURE
1. Solder needs a clean surface on which to adhere.
 Buff the copper foil of a PC board with steel wool before soldering.
 Remove any oil, paint, wax, etc. with a solvent, steel wool, or fine
sandpaper.
2. To solder, heat the connection with the tip of the soldering iron for a few
seconds, then apply the solder.
 Heat the connection, not the solder.
 Hold the soldering iron like a pen, near the base of the handle.
  Both parts that are being soldered have to be hot to form a good
connection.
3. Keep the soldering tip on the connection as the solder is applied.
 Solder will flow into and around well-heated connections.
 Use just enough solder to form a strong connection.
4. Remove the tip from the connection as soon as the solder has flowed where
you want it to be. Remove the solder, then the iron.
5. Don't move the connection while the solder is cooling.
6. Don't overheat the connection, as this might damage the electrical
component you are soldering.
 Transistors and some other components can be damaged by heat when
soldering. A crocodile clip can be used as a heat sink to protect these
components.
7. Soldering a connection should take just a few seconds.
8. Inspect the joint closely. It should look shiny.
 If you are soldering a wire (called the lead) onto a PC board (on the
track), it should have a volcano shape.
 If the connection looks bad, reheat it and try again.

9. Wipe the tip of the iron on a damp sponge to clean it. The tip should now
be shiny.
10.Unplug the soldering iron when it is not in use.

DESOLDERING
EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS
a. Solder Sucker/ Desoldering Pump
The most commonly used and convenient equipment needed for desoldering is
the desoldering pump. A good manual solder sucker like this one works pretty well
for selectively removing through holes parts from a PCB.
PROCEDURE
One of the nicest ways to desolder a component involves using a desoldering
pump. A desoldering pump is essentially a small, high-pressure vacuum. After
heating up the solder, you can use the desoldering pump to suck the solder up
and out of the way. Here are the basic steps for using a hand-powered desoldering
pump:
1. Heat up the solder you want to remove with a soldering iron (some
desoldering pumps also come with attached irons).
2. Press down on the plunger (If your pump has a bulb, just squeeze the
bulb).
3. Once the solder is molten, place the tip of the desoldering pump against
the solder that you want to remove.
4. Release the plunger or bulb. Some desoldering pumps have a release
button so that you don't have to hold it the whole time.
5. Remove free component.
6. Repeat steps 1-4 to remove any excess solder.
7. Dispose of the solder inside the pump by repeatedly pressing down and
releasing the plunger.