DIN-Stecker specifications

Category : Lexicon

On older Hi-Fi devices, you can still regularly find the so-called DIN plugs as a form of connection. This is an informal term for round, multi-pin connectors that have been and are being used in a wide variety of areas of electronics. Another colloquial term is diode connector. However, their distribution has been decreasing since the international standard RCA plugs have been used in the field of consumer electronics.

A smaller version of the DIN connector has found international distribution as a mini-DIN or Hosiden connector. In the field of consumer electronics, it is mainly used as an S-Video connector. In addition, there are numerous applications in computer technology.

The mechanical quality of both the DIN and mini-DIN connectors is usually quite moderate, and one can see the pursuit of cost savings, which also prevailed in consumer electronics decades ago. However, over time, more mechanically robust and lockable variants of the DIN connectors have also appeared, some of which also meet industrial requirements.

The currently valid standard for DIN plugs is DIN EN 60130-09.

Another DIN-related type of plug is the DIN speaker plug according to DIN 41529. This 2-pin plug has a flat center contact and a smaller round pin next to it. Today, it is almost completely replaced by screw or spring terminals in consumer electronics, and rightly so, because the mechanical and electrical properties of the plug are very doubtful for this application. At best, it is suitable for low performance and quality requirements.