BNC connector
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The BNC (bayonet Neill-Concelman) connector is a type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable.
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[edit] Use
The BNC connector is used for professional video connections, both for analog and Serial Digital Interface signals, amateur radio antenna connections, aviation electronics (avionics) and on nearly every piece of electronic test equipment manufactured in the last 35 or so years. This connector is an alternative to the RCA connector when used for composite video on commercial video devices, however many consumer electronics with RCA jacks have been utilized on commercial video equipment with BNC jacks via adaptor. BNC connectors were commonly used on 10base2 thin Ethernet networks, both on cable interconnections and network cards, though these have largely been replaced by newer Ethernet devices whose wiring does not use coaxial cable. Some ARCNET networks use BNC terminated coax.
[edit] Specifications
BNC connectors exist in 50 and 75 ohms versions. Typically, they are specified for use at frequencies up to 4 and 2 GHz, respectively.
[edit] History
The connector was named after its bayonet mount locking mechanism and its two inventors, Paul Neill of Bell Labs (inventor of the N connector) and Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman (inventor of the C connector), and is much smaller than both the N and the C connectors. Other backronyms the BNC has picked up over the years include: "Baby Neill-Concelman", "Baby N connector", "British Naval Connector", and "Bayonet Nut Connector".
The basis for the development of the BNC connector was largely the work of Octavio M. Salati, a graduate of the Moore School of Electrical Engineering of the University of Pennsylvania (BSEE '36, PhD '63). He filed a patent in 1945 (granted 1951) while working at Hazeltine Electronics Corporation for a connector placed on coaxial cables that would minimize wave reflection/loss.
[edit] Similar connectors
A threaded version of the BNC connector, known as the TNC connector (for Threaded Neill-Concelman) is also available. It has superior performance to the BNC connector at microwave frequencies.
BNC connectors are commonly used in NIM electronics, but they are now often replaced by LEMO miniature connectors which allow for higher densities. For higher voltages, MHV and SHV connectors are typically used. MHV connectors are easily mistaken for BNC connectors and can be made to mate with them by brute force. The SHV connector was developed as a safer alternative to MHV connectors and will not intermate with ordinary BNC connectors.
Twin BNC connectors use the same bayonet latching shell as an ordinary BNC connector but contain two independent contact points (one male and one female), allowing the connection of a 78 ohm or 95 ohm shielded differential pair such as RG-108A.[1] They are capable of operation at 100 MHz and 100 volts. Twin BNC connectors will not intermate with ordinary BNC connectors.
[edit] See Also
[edit] External links
- Microwave connector reference
- Information on BNC Connector
- Amphenol web page about the BNC connector. Confirms the source of the name.
- ShowMeCables.com Tutorial on BNC connectors
- Patent by Octavio M. Salati
| Audio and video connectors |
|---|
| Single conductor: Binding post | Banana plug | Fahnestock clip |
| Audio: RCA | Jack plug | XLR | DIN / Mini-DIN | BNC | DB25 | Speakon | TosLink |
| Video: DVI / Mini-DVI / UDI | RCA | VGA / Mini-VGA | DFP | BNC | DIN / Mini-DIN | 13W3 | D-Terminal | DisplayPort |
| Multi: ADC | P&D | HDMI | TRS | SCART | F | Belling-Lee | DisplayPort |
