In electronics, a cable is 1 or more wires (fibers) bound together and running parallel to each other such that larger amounts of data/current can be transmitted at faster speeds than would be accomplished with a lower amount of wires. A cable can refer to an audio, visual, data, electrical or any other numerous types of cables.
Questions tagged [cable]
761 questions
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votes
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Why does a gigabit/sec Internet connection via cable (coax) not offer symmetrical speeds like fiber?
In our area, we have Cox Communications (cable) which offers 1 Gbit/s down, and 30 Mbit/s up, while CenturyLink (fiber) offers 1 Gbit/s up and down.
Why does copper only 'allow' fast speeds for download, but not upload? Is this a limitation…
v15
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Why do some RJ45 plugs have the lock release clip under a rubber cover?
Some RJ45 plugs have an exposed lock release clip, like this:
However, others place the release clip under a rubber cover, like this:
I find that the rubber cover is almost never anything but a nuisance.
Does it actually have a function besides…
user
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What is that cylinder on cables?
There's always that pesky cylinder thing on every cable I have.
What is it?
And more importantly, why don't Apple's products have them?
digitxp
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What is the little twist in this floppy ribbon cable for?
There is a twist of a few lines in this floppy cable. Why? What is the purpose of it?
totymedli
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Does a USB 3.0 connection require a USB 3.0 cord?
Does a USB 3.0 connection require a USB 3.0 cord to reach USB 3.0 speeds (SuperSpeed)? Will any USB cord support any USB 3.0 device?
Xavierjazz
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The locking clip/tab on my Ethernet cable's plug is broken. How can I fix it?
I have a 10 meter long Ethernet cable. One plug has the little locking clip missing, just like missing the part in red ellipse in the following picture.
How can I fix it? Is this something I should even attempt to fix myself, or is it better to…
Tim
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Maximum length of a USB Cable?
I want to use a very long USB cable to place a webcam in a different room. The maximum length that I found was five meters.
What is the maximum length of a USB cable?
What is the maximum length achievable when using USB extension cables?
Click Ok
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What is this female plug with two rows of ten holes (one hole filled in) on the other end of my USB 3.0 cord?
When I built my computer I had a USB 3.0 cord where one side looked like a normal USB to stick into a USB port but the other end has this blue thing:
Where do I stick that in?
Chris
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How to declutter and organize the cables on and under my desk?
Computer cables and external devices are a continuous source of frustration for everybody who likes a clean working environment. The more devices you add to your home office, the more disastrous the situation under the table becomes: cords falling…
splattne
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Is there a difference between "Thunderbolt" and "Mini DisplayPort" cables?
TB-to-TB cables seems to be more expensive than mDP-to-mDP cables.
Is there any actual difference besides the branding?
This is for use in connecting a MacBook Pro to a dock with multiple ports (USB 3.0, FireWire, Ethernet, Audio, etc.)
Dan
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What is the purpose of this 4 pin cable with 3 wires that came with an old IDE DVD-ROM drive?
Stumbled on this cable today, it has 4 pins, of which only three are actually in use. It was found with a quick installation guide of an old DVD-ROM IDE drive and nothing else except some screws, so I'm not even sure it actually belongs to this. My…
mxt3
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I plugged in a molex cable the wrong way and the power supply exploded. Did it kill my hard drive?
I bought a cheap kit allowing me to use a 3.5 SATA hard drive with a laptop, by plugging it in with USB. It still requires external power supply so I used an adapter that came with this kit but I plugged it the wrong way - the molex cable has four…
jy196
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What kind of cable looks like HDMI but has only one slanted edge?
What kind of cable/connector is this? It looks like an HDMI connector, with very similar pins, but it has a slanted edge on only one side and the other side is square.
Chris_45
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How to unplug a network cable that's stuck?
I have plugged a network cable into my PC to temporarily adjust some settings on my router. Now I can't unplug it. The cable is physically stuck in the RJ45 port. I've tried squeezing every part of it but it won't come out.
Any suggestions for how I…
Nathan Osman
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How can you tell a USB cable version?
Here is a question a student asked me in one of my A+ certification classes: How can you tell a USB cable version? I honestly don't know the answer and I can't find one either.
USB cables are rated for versions 1, 1.1, 2, and now 3. I have seen…
Keltari
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