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The plug or male connectors shown, as visible when unplugged looking into the connector. Pin numbering for the plugs is from left to right, bottom row to top row. Pin 1 is on the lower left, and the highest pin number is on the upper right
PS/2 female socket pin numbering: note that it is a mirror of the male connector.
The mini-DIN connectors are a family of multi-pin electrical connectors used in a variety of applications. Mini-DIN 9.5 millimetres (3⁄8 in) is similar to the larger, older 13.2 mm diameter DIN connector.
Design
Color-codedPS/2 connection ports (purple for keyboards and green for mice) on the rear of a personal computerAn S-video connector: because this is a female connector, Pin 1 is at lower right
Mini-DIN connectors are 9.5 millimetres (3⁄8 in) in diameter and come in seven patterns, with the number of pins from three to nine. Each pattern is keyed in such a way that a plug with one pattern cannot be mated with any socket of another pattern. They are each drastically different from the other, with no simultaneously and directly overlapping similarities in (1) pin arrangement, (2) square key size and position, (3) circular shielding metal skirt notches and metallic additions: in this they differ from the nonstandard mini-DIN connectors which may have directly overlapping characteristics to each other or to the standard mini-DIN connectors.
Notable usage
Some notable examples of standard mini-DIN connectors include:
Mini-DIN-3 connectors were used in early implementations of Apple LocalTalk.
Mini-DIN-6 connectors were used for IBM PC compatiblePS/2 keyboard and mouse ports and for Acorn Archimedes keyboards (prior to the A7000, these were proprietary, while A7000 and later devices were standardised PS/2).
Mini-DIN-8 connectors were used for Sun Microsystems keyboard and mouse ports, as well as for serial printer, modem, and Apple LocalTalk connections. It was also used as the game pad connector for the PC Engine video game system and its variants (except the TurboGrafx-16 USA variant, which used a full sized DIN-8). The connector was used by the controller peripheral for the Philips CD-i video game system. Furthermore, some devices by Keithley Instruments feature it, too.
Mini-DIN-7 and Mini-DIN-9 connectors have been used for a variety of audio and video applications. Also, iRobot Roomba Vacuum cleaning robots use a Mini-DIN-7 to expose an interface for custom sensing and control.
Mini-DIN-6 and Mini-DIN-8 connectors are frequently used in ham radio applications to interface with computers for data packet communications and radio programming.
Non-standard connectors
The plug or male connector are shown, as visible when unplugged; female sockets are mirror images
Several non-standard sockets are designed to mate with standard mini-DIN plugs. These connectors provide extra conductors and are used to save space by combining functions in one connector that would otherwise require two standard connectors.
Other non-standard connectors mate only with their matching connectors and are mini-DIN connectors only in the sense of sharing the 9.5 mm plug body. These mini-DIN style plugs are not approved by the Deutsches Institut für Normung, the German standards body, and many applications could be considered proprietary. The Sega Saturn uses a 10-pin non-standard connector.
A non-standard, 7-pin socket (female) variant compatible with an S-Video Mini-DIN-4 plug (male)
The plug or male connectors shown, as visible when unplugged looking into the connector. Pin numbering for the plugs is from left to right, bottom row to top row. Pin 1 is on the lower left, and the highest pin number is on the upper right
The plug or male connector are shown, as visible when unplugged; female sockets are mirror images
