Coaxial connectors are composed of an insulated, central conducting wire wrapped in another cylindrical conductor (the shield). The cable is usually wrapped in another insulating layer and an outer protective layer. Coaxial cables and coaxial connectors have the capacity to carry vast quantities of information. They are typically used in high-speed data and CATV applications. A coaxial connector can be male or female in gender; have copper, gold, nickel, or silver plating; and be straight or right-angled.
There are many different types of coaxial connectors. Many products use lettered or numbered designations. Lettered connectors include BMA, BMMA, BNC, BNC, DVI, FME, MCX, MMCX, MHV, RCA, SC, SMA, SSMA SMB, SSMB, SMP, TNC, UHF, XLR and ZNA connectors. Numbered devices include 1.6 / 5.6, 7-16, and 1.0 / 2.3 connectors. There are several types of numbered, metric coaxial connectors: 1.85 mm, 2.4 mm, 2.92 mm, 3.5 mm, and 7 mm, for example. Type C, Type F, Type G, Type N, Triax, Twinax, mini-UHF, USB Type A and USB Type B connectors are also available. USB is an acronym for universal serial bus.