There are still some major companies like LG and who choose to launch their flagship products with the headphone jack. If you plan to repair a headphone jack of this size or create your own audio media. It’s this tutorial, I will teach you What is a 3.5 mm Jack connector and its connection variantsplus some connection diagrams.
What is a 3.5 mm Jack connector?
The 3.5 mm Jack headphone connector is a of electrical connectors typically used for analog audio signals. It is also known by other names such as Phone Jack, Audio Jack, Auxiliary Input, etc.
On the other hand, there are cases where these headphone jacks are used for digital audio signals. For example, “Google Chromecast” It can output analog or digital signals through its single (3.5mm) output connector.
Female and male connectors
In the electrical and mechanical manufacturing trades, each half of a pair of mating connectors or fasteners is conventionally assigned the designation male or female.
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Unfortunately, the audio industry has not been unified in the way it describes the electrical and mechanical trades that describe the different types of connectors. You will often find that the word “plug” which is used to describe the male connectors, while the 3.5 mm Jack connector (in this case) is used to describe the female connectors.
Evolution of the Jack connector
CE Scribner Patent
The origin of the term “Jack” dates back to 1874 when “CE Scribner” patented, what he calls, a connector “jack knife”.
The oldest known connector was a (¼) inch (6.35 mm) version and it still has primary uses today, as you will see below.
Rounded to pointed tip profile
In the early days of development, there were many different plug designs. The rounded tip design was particularly popular because it was compatible with different manufacturers. The rounded tip quickly gained traction as “the de facto cutting edge profile for audio equipment”.
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But with the rise of stereo audio, a different tip profile was needed to prevent the old rounded tip from damaging the circuitry when inserted into incompatible equipment. A tip plug “pointy” It will prevent a bullnose plug from being inserted completely, so that would solve the problem.
Anatomy of Jack Connectors
1. Drivers
Regardless of its size, all headphone jack connectors have conductors. These conductors are the contact points of the plugs that close the circuit.
A headphone plug has a minimum of 2 conductors and usually up to 5. If for example it has 3 conductors, it may be called a jack. “Jack 3.5 with 3 conductors”. Some manufacturers use poles to replace the conductor. Therefore, it can also be called “3.5 3-pole Jack connector”.
2. Identification of drivers
Each driver has a specific name:
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- Tip (T).
- Ring (R).
- Sleeve (P) or (S).
All plugs have at least one tip and a cover. It is the number of “Rings” what differentiates them. If the plug only has one ring, it is a 3-conductor plug or a TRS connector. If it has two rings, it is a 4-conductor plug or TRRS connector.
Note: Do not confuse the black band with a ring as this is an insulating band. The band separates the parts of the plug so that a short circuit does not occur between them.
3. Headphone plug nomenclature
- 2 conductors, 2 poles, TS
- 3 conductors, 3 poles, TRS
- 4 conductors, 4 poles, TRRS
- 5 conductors, 5 poles, TRRRS
Configuration of different plug-in connectors
Depending on the drivers available, manufacturers may choose to configure a connector “jack and plug” in different ways. Both must be complementary to each other.
1. 2 conductor plug (TS)
As far as available connectors are concerned, there are only the tip and cover connectors.
Connector connection:
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- 1 – Terrestrial (land).
- 2 – Signal.
The connection is quite simple here. One connector is used to carry the audio signal while the other acts as a return and ground path.
Therefore, the ground acts as a reference point for the signal, but also picks up interfering noise like an antenna. The longer the cable, the greater the chance that more noise will be picked up.
Common use: You can find TS connectors primarily with guitars, instruments, and applications that don’t require a long cable connection.
2. 3 conductor plug (TRS)
Available Connectors In addition to the tip and cover, there is an additional ring connector with two insulating bands around it.
Connector connection:
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- 1 – Terrestrial= Terrestrial= Terrestrial.
- 2 – Optional (microphone, etc.) = Signal – (Cold) = Right audio channel.
- 3 – Signal= Signal + (Active)= Left audio channel.
With the addition of another driver “R”we open up different possibilities, such as supporting balanced mono signals and unbalanced stereo signals.
In this case, the engineer may choose to use the additional conductor to carry a microphone signal instead. In this case, when the audio is unbalanced, we can sometimes also refer to this as a single-ended plug.
TRS cannot yet carry a balanced stereo signal. For that, see the TRRRS connector below.
Common use: the most common form of jack connectors. You see them on the end of most standard headphone cables.
4 conductor plug (TRRS)
With a 4-conductor plug, we have two additional rings with three insulating bands.
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Connector connection:
- 1 – Microphone.
- 2 – Terrestrial.
- 3 – Right audio channel.
- 4 – Left audio channel.
The above connection configuration follows the standards of the “Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA)”. This connection format is also called “3.5 mm CTIA TRRS Jack connector format”.
Common use: It is the most commonly adopted standard for modern smartphones and game consoles where the cable supports a microphone and stereo audio connection at the same time.
5 conductor plug (TRRRS)
For a 5-conductor headphone plug, we have 3-ring connectors. TRRRS connectors are used to support a balanced stereo signal. You’ll find that XLR connectors (3-pin, 4-pin, and 5-pin pairs) are also a common choice for balanced stereo headphones.
XLR connectors have been the standard balanced connector in the professional audio market for decades. It’s no surprise that when balanced headphone connections grew in popularity, the standard XLR became a go-to solution.
XLR5 female (L) XLR5 male (R)
Unlike TRS connectors, XLR connectors have pins instead of tips, rings, and covers. However, they work the same way. The XLR5 connector has 5 conductors just like a TRRS connector.
On the other hand, Sony company made a TRRRS headphone jack: 4.4mm Pentaconn jack. (Penta means “5” and conn is short for connector). Please note that Pentaconn connectors are new and have not been widely adopted by the industry.
For them, you must obtain an adapter to accommodate the 5-pole connector or purchase a compatible Sony amplifier.
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Diagram of a 3.5 mm Jack connector and headphone plug
This 4-pole isolated jack connector is suitable for audio and video. 4-pole connectors are used in audiovisual applicationssuch as connecting peripherals to television monitors, such as when connecting a camcorder or DVD player.
They are also capable of carrying a microphone channel, which is why they are frequently used in headphones. As such, they have wide uses in both professional and home settings.
On the other hand, the connector features a molded strain relief that prevents connector wear caused by pulling and bending the connection cable. His shape ergonomic hexagonal It makes it easier to handle, which is an advantage when plugging and unplugging in hard-to-reach places.
The nickel-plated 3.5 mm Jack connector is suitable for high-quality applications.
Features and Benefits
- Ergonomic shape.
- Integrated strain relief.
- Silver plated for excellent conductivity.
- PBT insulator.
- Plug that should not be used with the FC68128 plugs.
Applications
The 3.5mm Jack connectors made up of 4 poles differ from the 3-pole jack plugs in that they have an additional channel which can be used for things like video or microphone as well as stereo audio signals. This means they are an ideal all-in-one connector for audiovisual applications, and are commonly found.
- Auxiliary smartphone sockets
- Headphones and headphones
- Digital camcorders
- Television and media peripherals
3.5 mm TRRS headphone jack connector color codes
You can usually see that there are four terminals of that audio connector. The red terminal is for right audio, blue is for left audio, yellow is for MIC and green is for ground for all audio channels and microphone.
I mention that this is not standard for everyone. Different manufacturers use different color codes. The blue terminal is connected to the tip, the red terminal is connected to the top ring, the yellow terminal is connected to the bottom ring, and the green terminal is connected to the sleeve or cover.
Here you can see the connection of a stereo headset.
Here, you can see that there are two speakers: the left speaker and the right speaker. The left speaker has two terminals: blue and green. The blue terminal is connected to the tip of the headphone plug and the green terminal is grounded.
The right speaker also has two terminals: red and green. Here too the green is for common ground and the red is connected to the top ring of the headphone jack. The microphone has two terminals: yellow and green (purple in this case). A touch switch is connected in parallel across the microphone terminals.
The main function of that switch is to short between the yellow and green terminals when pressed.
Other diagrams:
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