The Clarity of Polarity

There’s not a simple, universal selection of pinouts for DC power cables: There are just too many to list! Yet, that didn’t stop me from giving it my best shot below. These are the ones I’ve seen and used most frequently on set. It’s far from complete, but should cover the essentials, at least from a DIT perspective.

I’ve sorted this gallery by the general category of connector (either brand or style) followed by smallest/simplest/fewest pins to most pins. It’s not as comprehensive as I’d like it, but it’s a start. Since you’re likely making cables with this information, male is the default orientation for the below connectors. For certain connectors, the referenced orientation may appear visually ambiguous, so when in doubt please refer to the connector’s pin numbers as they’re the most reliable reference point across connector types. Some of the most common connector/polarity combinations are denoted below with a white rectangular border.

If you don’t know the exact connector you’re seeking, check with the product OEM. If you need measurements for something like a barrel connector you use, you can use a digital caliper or, if the port on the hardware is female, a barrel testing kit to identify the proper physical fit.

Have a common DC power pinout you’d like to see added? Please contribute!

Barrel

3.5mm x 1.35mm

  1. –
  2. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • AJA Pak Dock (12V)

5.5mm x 2.1mm​

  1. –
  2. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • SanDisk G-Drive Project Thunderbolt 3 External Hard Drive (12V)
  • ProCool Silent 2U Rackmount Fan System (12V)
  • G-Technology RAID (19V)

5.5mm x 2.5mm​​

  1. –
  2. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • Decimator
  • TP-Link
  • Ubiquiti Networks
  •  Sonnet (SF3 Series Card Readers) (12V)
  • Client Hard Drives

5.5mm x 2.5mm​​

  1. +
  2. –

Components:

Example Products:

  • Brother PTD600 (12V)

5.5mm x 3.3mm

  1. –
  2. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • AXS-CR1 USB 3.0 Card Reader (12V)

6.0mm x 4.4mm

  1. –
  2. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • Sony AXS-CR3 Card Reader (19.5V)

7.4mm x 5.0mm

  1. +
  2. NC
  3. –

Components:

Example Products:

  • CalDigit Element Hub (19V)

Lemo & Femo

0B 2-Pin (Male)

  1. –
  2. +

Example Connectors:

Example Products:

  • Teradek (Various)
  • Camera Control Bridges (Various)

0B 2-Pin (Male Socket)

  1. –
  2. +

Example Connectors:

Example Products:

  • Codex Compact Drive Dock (Thunderbolt 3) (12V)

0B 4-Pin (Male)

  1. –
  2. –
  3. +
  4. +

Example Connectors:

Example Products:

  • Tilta Wireless HD Video Transmission Suite (12-17V)

1B 6-Pin (Female)

  1. –
  2. –
  3. CANH
  4. +
  5. +
  6. CANL

Example Connectors:

Example Products:

  • DJI Wireless Video Transmitter (6-18V)

Fischer

S102 3-Pin (Male)

  1. –
  2. +
  3. R/S

Example Connectors:

Example Products:

  • Camera Bodies (Various)

Molex

Micro-Fit 4 Position (Female)

  1. –
  2. +
  3. –
  4. +

Components:

Example Products :

  • AJA (Various)

Mini-Fit Jr. 6 Position (Female)

  1. +
  2. +
  3. +
  4. –
  5. –
  6. –

Components:

Example Products:

  • OWC Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock (12V)

XLR

Mini 4-Pin (Female)

  1. –
  2. NC
  3. NC
  4. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • FSI BoxIO

Mini 4-Pin (Female)

  1. +
  2. –
  3. NC
  4. NC

Components:

Example Products:

  • AJA ColorBox (10-18V)

3-Pin

  1. –
  2. +
  3. NC

Components:

Example Products:

  • Block-style batteries
  • HDR monitors
  • DO NOT USE for Panavision hardware

3-Pin

  1. +
  2. –
  3. NC

Components:

Example Products:

  • Panavision cameras
  • Panavision block batteries

4-Pin

  1. –
  2. NC
  3. NC
  4. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • Leader Measurement Tools
  • FSI Monitors
  • AJA IO Series

4-Pin

  1. –
  2. –
  3. +
  4. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • Remote Audio Meon LiFE

 

This schematic is used for devices for either redundancy or to allow for higher amperage loads (physical limitation of pin size).

Miscellaneous

Circular Connector 3-Position (Female)

  1. –
  2. +
  3. –

Components:

Example Products:

  • Convergent Design Odyssey7Q+ (6.5-34V)

DIN 4-Pin (Male)

  1. +
  2. +
  3. –
  4. –

Components:

 

Instructions

Example Products:

  • Black UX-1

Micro-Con-X 2-Position (Female)

  1. +
  2. –

Components:

Example Products:

  • AJA Signal Converters

P-Tap

  1. –
  2. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • Camera AKS (Various)

General DC Power

Anderson Powerpole

Black: –

Red: +

Components:

Example Products:

  • EcoFlow Batteries

XT30, XT60, XT90

  1. –
  2. +

Components:

Example Products:

  • Solar Panels
  • EcoFlow Batteries
  • Inverters

ALWAYS test your cables using a multimeter and verify device polarity from the OEM. Just because one product uses the same connector as another, even in the same industry, does not imply the pinout is the same. DOT LOL, INC. is not responsible for incorrect wiring nor any damage caused by user error. (Psssst, if you don’t wanna worry about it, you can always just have me make the cable for you.)

*** This page utilizes affiliate links for eBay and Amazon listings. ***