December 22nd, 2009
Basic VGA Connector (or DE-15)
You might just know of a VGA connector as your “monitor” connector. It’s probably what you used on your first computer to connect to the screen — you probably still use VGA now. Even HDTV sets have VGA inputs. And it’s a great way to hook up your computer to a projector, too.
A VGA connector (or DE-15) usually looks like a long trapezoid with 15 tiny pins and a screw on either side. It’s usually blue. Some people call it and an “RGB connector,” a “D-sub 15” or a “mini D15 connector” — but you don’t have to memorize those names — “VGA” or “DE-15” is fine.
Mini-VGA Connector
You might also have heard of a “mini-VGA” connector. These are common to new laptops, especially Apple computers. A mini-VGA connector is simply a smaller version of its older brother — with some added conversion flexibility (to composite and S-video). Either way, you’ll need an adapter to connect mini-VGA to most projectors.
Mini-VGA is about the size of a USB port and has 14 pins.
Basic VGA connector image used through Creative Commons 3.0 license, courtesy of Bela Nemeth.
Leave a Reply
