Pin Jacks (or Pin Tip jacks) vs Banana Jacks - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: codeboy2k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 06:17:01 am
content: Does anyone remember Pin Jacks. Sometimes called Pin Tip Jacks. I remember these from my teens, and I still see them occasionally being used,but not so much anymore. I used them a lot back then, almost every power supply or thing that needed power that I ever made at home and atwork used pin tip plugs and jacks. Us older guys on the board will have familiar memories of these, I think.These days, the first thing that comes to mind is usually a banana plug and jack.I've still seen pin jacks and plugs being used in some Linear Technologies video demos, on their demo hardware, so some engineer(s) at LT is (are) still usingthemI am asking because I recently received a bunch of these from my aging Dad. He's not doing much anymore with electronics, and he started mailing me stufffrom his collection of parts. I got a whole lot of new old stock, including some pin plugs and jacks.So I was curious about a few things related to pin jacks and plugs..(1) are they dead? obsolete? I know you can still buy them, and adapters for them.(2) how are they different electrically from banana plugs and jacks... I couldn't find much data on the web about these.i.e. I once heard they were inferior to banana plugs and jacks, but I want to know is it true, and why.besides just the look of them, how are they different from banana plugs and jacks? what makes them inferior?(3) since you can still buy them, would you ever choose a pin jack over a banana jack, and why?The pictures attached are ones I found on the web, I didn't take these picture. It's just to show the youngsters what it is.Thanks!

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 07:25:04 am
content: Land rovers used to have a pair mounted on the dash panel. If they are inferior to banana plugs it is only that the spring part of the contact is in the socket and there fore harder to change when worn. I have never liked banana plugs they have always given trouble unless made to a very high standard in which case there are better alternatives.

author: Dawn
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 09:27:59 am
content: They're still in use in biomedical equipment, most often on electrodes. Many EKG, Tens Units, EEG and other pieces of equipment still use both pin jack sizes although the ultra small ones are the most popular. They (the larger jacks) are also still found as chassis test points in some pieces of electronic equipment to hold a DMM/VOM probe in place. They used to be quite common in radio equipment until manufactures discovered the merits of using high density and RJ type jacks for proprietary metering and test equipment. Up to the 70's, many VOMs still used them instead of banana jacks. Years ago, the Simpson 290 bench VOM I used had them as well as my field Triplett.Blasting to the past, how many of you remember Fahnestock clips? For those of you that remember when breadboarding meant a piece of plywood that sockets and jacks were literally screwed down onto the board and wires and components were routed point to point on the surface will remember these and when batteries had letter designations. That wasn't that long ago.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 01:48:48 pm
content: I've still got a few things using 2mm pins around. I have a couple sets of test leads which have 2mm adapters, they're handy. They neatly fit into just about any screw, spring, or push-fit terminal, too.

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 02:02:47 pm
content: I know these as 2mm banana plugs. They're still around, I recently sold a shit load of 2mm / 4mm adaptors to a customer who's in the military/aircraft/aerospace maintenance business. No idea what they do with them.One of my VHS VCR's has got a couple of them on the front, they carry some test signals. They're kind of handy to directly stick your meter's probes into.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 02:25:37 pm
content: I would guess they are being used as probes for cable sockets, to enable test signals to be measured or injected for testing, or to check cable continuity. Probably easier to do than make literally hundreds of jigs for this purpose.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2012, 03:17:25 pm
content: Solder a pin on the back of them,push your probe tips into them ,& you can "back probe" the really small Molex connectors,or similar.

author: codeboy2k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2012, 05:52:46 am
content: thanks for the replies. I still like them. Now that I have a bunch, I'll probably put them on the front or back of hobby projects and also make or buy a banana to pin jack adapter for when I need that.Quote from: G7PSK on May 31, 2012, 07:25:04 amWhat was the purpose on the dash?Quote from: Dawn on May 31, 2012, 09:27:59 amYes, I was in radio early on too, so I saw them a lot then. And yes, I remember my old Simpson had them too.QuoteI had to google them, but when I saw the pictures, I remember them now. I never knew what they were called, but I did use them in my teens.Quote from: vk6zgo on May 31, 2012, 03:17:25 pmCool idea. I need something like that too.Thanks for all the replies. l still don't see why they have fallen out of favor though. Maybe the pins bent to easily in the tool bag? Maybe it has something do with with the invention of the 5-way binding post; maybe it couldn't be done with a pin jack, so they invented a banana jack to go along with the binding post. And now everything has binding posts, so everyone only thinks about banana jacks these days.Still wondering....

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2012, 07:44:05 am
content: They were there as a power outlet. They did not fit lighter type sockets in Land Rovers then MK1 and MK2 and Mk3 had them but after that they stopped fitting them, not sure how much power they would handle but they would work a small lamp or a hand held radio.

author: bradleytron
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2012, 06:22:31 am
content: Quote from: Dawn on May 31, 2012, 09:27:59 amI always liked the ultra small ones, very helpful for compact projects.