explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2377: xkcd Phone 12

2020-10-27T03:57:29Z

Zootboy: Add detail about breakdown voltage.

{{comic
| number = 2377
| date = October 26, 2020
| title = xkcd Phone 12
| image = xkcd_phone_12.png
| titletext = New phone OS features: Infinite customization (home screen icons no longer snap to grid), dark mode (disables screen), screaming mode (self-explanatory), and coherent ultracapacitor-pumped emission (please let us know what this setting does; we've been afraid to try it).
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PERSON NAMED MAX. Closed timelike curves need more explanation. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is the "12th" in the ongoing xkcd Phone series in which Randall explains his new joke phone designs with many strange and useless features. It is also a reference to the recently released {{w|iPhone 12}}. However, there have only been 9 comics released, with the previous two being [[2000: xkcd Phone 2000]] and [[1889: xkcd Phone 6]].

The note about the xkcd Phone 12 and the xkcd Phone 12 Max (only for people named Max) is a joke about the different models of iPhone 12: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The xkcd Phone 12 Max would be expected to have a larger screen, but it seems that this phone is also only for people with the name Max.

The slogan '"The only phone you'll ever own"' has the "registered trademark" symbol, with that symbol supposedly itself trademarked, which is highly unlikely.

* '''Full drivetrain warranty''' - A common warranty feature for automobiles--see {{w|drivetrain}}. As a side note, the phone here would be cheaping out on the warranty if it were a car; a "drivetrain" warranty covers everything ''except'' the engine; only if it was a "{{w|powertrain}}" warranty would it cover the engine. A phone typically has none of these things, although this one seemingly does.
* '''Coated for easy swallowing''' - A common feature on solid medicines meant to be taken orally. Phones do not belong in the set of edible objects, much less orally-taken medicines{{Citation needed}}. Since some parents of young children let them teethe on their phones, this would be an undesirable feature.
* '''Surgical-grade apps''' - "Surgical-grade steel" is sometime used as a selling point indicating quality materials. This feature suggests that the apps themselves are made from high-quality material, although this is absurd because an app is (as the name suggests) a software application, not any physical object that could be reasonably defined as 'surgical-grade' or not.
* '''Built-in 600 lb magnet for magnet fishing''' - {{w|Magnet fishing}} is an activity for searching for objects that can be pulled in by a strong magnet. A 600 pound magnet can lift a 600 pound object (at Earth's surface). This would tend to make the phone stick to any iron or steel objects (such as refrigerators) and be impossible to remove with human strength, and only the strongest humans could pick up the phone even if it were properly insulated.
* '''Oral-B partnership: hold phone against teeth to ultrasonically remove plaque''' - This is a reference to {{w|ultrasonic toothbrush}}es. {{w|Oral-B}} does not produce any ultrasonic toothbrushes, but does produce ''{{w|sonic toothbrush}}es.'' There is a logical connection between electric toothbrushes and smartphones, namely they are both electronic and both vibrate; however, most phones cannot perform dentistry autonomously{{Citation needed}}.
* '''40 mL emergency water supply''' - Many phones are now water-resistant to some degree; this phone ships with water included. Furthermore, {{w|survival kits}} often come with pouches that can hold several litres of water, in case of emergency. This would be a silly feature, and it is unclear what emergencies would be solved by having such a small amount of water.
* '''Security feature: unmarked side buttons''' - Some modern phones have unmarked side buttons, so the secureness of this feature is doubtful. This phone is likely to have trillions of buttons though, just to confuse the user. No buttons are visible which could indicate the side of the phone functions is touch sensitive and the buttons are not only unlabeled but not visible.
* '''3,000,000-volt arc allows wireless charging from a range of up to 36 inches''' - Possibly from a Tesla coil. 3,000,000 volts is very lethal{{Citation needed}}, and would make using the phone impossible due to the high voltage emitted. The {{w|Electrical breakdown}} voltage of air is approximately 3 kV / mm, which would allow a 3 MV potential to jump a distance of 100 cm. 36 inches (91 cm), however, is within reach of a simple extension cord.
* '''99.9% BPA- and hands- free''' - {{w|Bisphenol A}} (or BPA) is a compound that is used in making plastics. BPA has been found to exhibit hormone-like properties, so there is a movement to produce BPA-free plastics using alternative bisphenols. {{w|Hands-free}} describes using the device "without hands", e.g. using voice commands. This is important when using a device while driving. These are 2 unrelated ideas, but both have the suffix -free.
* '''Extended release charge cable''' - Electronics manufacturers support standards to reduce time to fully recharge, e.g. Qualcomm {{w|Quick Charge}} standard. This is a reference to "extended release" medication. It's unclear what purpose would be served by charging a phone slower than normal.
* '''Closed timelike curves''' - Given that {{w|Closed timelike curves}} are usually associated with solutions to general relativity that allow for time travel...
* '''Fits in standard shipping container''' - An {{w|intermodal shipping container}} is large enough to fit automobiles, raising the question of just how big this xkcd phone is.
* '''Interlocking, stackable''' - A quality of, among other things, LEGO bricks. Probably a bad idea to use this feature, given how close the phone is to critical mass.
* '''Nintendo partnership: GameBoy Printer compatibility''' - The {{w|Game Boy Printer}} was a thermal paper printer originally paired with the Game Boy Camera. This device was released in 1998 and discontinued in 2003, so this partnership would be obsolete.
* '''Sustain pedal''' - A {{w|sustain pedal}} is commonly associated with a digital keyboard or piano; it lets the note continue sounding when the key is released. It's unclear what purpose it would serve in a phone.
* '''CDC partnership: when in an indoor space with too many people, phone begins playing "We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)" at slowly increasing volume until everyone leaves''' - An allusion to the COVID-19 pandemic. "{{w|We Like to Party! (Vengaboys song)|We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)}}" is a 1998 Eurodance/techno hit by the Vengaboys, and is perhaps most familiar to Americans from a series of Six Flags ads.
* '''Sacrificial anode''' - Useful if something metal (like, say, a boat) will be in a wet environment for a long time. The {{w|sacrificial anode}} is made of a material with higher redox potential (typically zinc), and will corrode faster than the (more valuable) metal object it's attached to. It's unclear if the phone HAS a sacrificial anode or IS a sacrificial anode.
* '''Tactical helium reserve''' - Since 1925, the United States has had a {{w|National Helium Reserve|strategic helium reserve}}. Helium is very rare on earth and has important scientific and military uses, so it’s important to have a supply in case supplies disappear. But here we have a tactical helium reserve, which suggests it's smaller and focused on shorter-term goals. Compare {{w|strategic bombing}} focused on destroying entire cities or countries and {{w|tactical bombing}} aimed at destroying individual targets or military units.
* '''50% below critical mass (2x safety factor)''' - Indicates the phone contains fissile material. This "2x safety factor" means that if you put 2 phones next to each other, or put one phone next to a {{w|neutron reflector}}, you would have a {{w|criticality accident}}, which may explain why you would not own another phone after this one. A phone with this much fissile material would pose a radiation hazard. The "2x safety factor" claim may be related to physicist {{w|Richard Feynman|Richard Feynman's}} famous criticism of NASA in the {{w|Rogers Commission}} report on the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Feynman found that when he confronted NASA engineers with a part worn one third of the way through, which was not supposed to be worn through at all, the engineers claimed that this demonstrated a 3x safety factor rather than a failure of the part.
* '''Shake for factory reset''' - A {{w|factory reset}} is often possible on electronic devices, and is usually accomplished either by pressing a button or closing an electrical bridge. This one works like an Etch-a-Sketch. This would not be preferred, as slight disturbances could easily cause massive losses of data. This would not be possible to shake anyway, given the 600-pound magnet stuck inside, so it would probably have to be extremely sensitive, which is not in any way a plus.
* '''Norton MacAfee protection: if you're ever attacked by John MacAfee, Peter Norton will come out of retirement to defend you'''. {{w|Norton (software)|Norton}} and {{w|MacAfee}} are competing software security companies. This "protection" combines the two of them and claims that Norton (the person) will defend you if MacAfee (the person) attacks you.

The title text mentions xkcd phone OS updates, including:
* '''Infinite customization (home screen icons no longer snap to grid)''' - Whether on-screen icons snap to a grid is a very minor aspect of customization. Not having it would be the ultimate bane of anyone with {{w|obsessive-compulsive disorder}}, as it would make it very difficult to get icons exactly lined up vertically and horizontally.
* '''Dark mode (disables screen)''' - Dark mode is a popular feature on websites/apps with light backgrounds like Twitter and Reddit, changing the background to a dark color to help late-night users sleep better. Disabling the screen would not be a pleasant surprise when a user goes to turn on beloved dark mode. May be impossible to turn off if the screen is no longer touch sensitive when darkened unless the unmarked buttons can be used to disable it. Also a possible reason to want to use the shake-activated factory reset.
* '''Screaming mode (self-explanatory)''' - The phone screams. Reference to the screaming-while-falling [[1363: xkcd Phone|xkcd Phone 1]].
* '''Coherent ultracapacitor-pumped emission (please let us know what this setting does; we've been afraid to try it)''' - This mysterious feature has a terrifying name, with even the developers refusing to test it out. This option would probably be very easy to accidentally tap, given the style of every xkcd Phone ever. Possibly activated with one of the unlabeled buttons making it even more dangerous. Coherent and Emission are associated with laser devices and the use of a laser could justify the helium reserve. Raises the question of who designs the phone if the people marketing it don't know what it does.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

* Full drivetrain warranty
* Coated for easy swallowing
* Surgical-grade apps
* Built-in 600 lb magnet for magnet fishing
* Oral-B partnership: hold phone against teeth to ultrasonically remove plaque
* 40 mL emergency water supply
* Security feature: unmarked side buttons
* 3,000,000-volt arc allows wireless charging from a range of up to 36 inches
* 99.9% BPA- and hands- free
* Extended release charge cable
* Closed timelike curves
* Fits in standard shipping container
* Interlocking, stackable
* Nintendo partnership: GameBoy Printer compatibility
* Sustain Pedal
* CDC partnership: when in an indoor space with too many people, phone begins playing "We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)" at slowly increasing volume until everyone leaves
* Sacrificial anode
* Tactical helium reserve
* 50% below critical mass (2x safety factor)
* Shake for factory reset
* Norton MacAfee protection: if you're ever attacked by John MacAfee, Peter Norton will come out of retirement to defend you

The xkcd Phone 12* and 12 Max**

<nowiki>*Standard</nowiki> **For people named Max

"The only phone you'll ever own"®™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]

2317: Pinouts

2020-06-08T23:24:04Z

Zootboy: USB type C details.

{{comic
| number = 2317
| date = June 8, 2020
| title = Pinouts
| image = pinouts.png
| titletext = The other side of USB-C is rotationally symmetric except that the 3rd pin from the top is designated FIREWIRE TRIBUTE PIN.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FIREWIRE TRIBUTE PIN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Connecters are designed to transport both data and power. Each pin on a connecter can only carry either 1 bit at a time or 1 voltage of power. In this comic there is an absurd alternative to the actual pins used in connecters

=== HDMI ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| Data
| Most digital communications cables contain at least one wire that carries data. Typically there will be a more descriptive name if there are multiple data pins.
|-
| +5V
| Many actual pin configurations use +5 volts to supply power to a device. That's not what this means.
|-
| +6VI
| V is usually used to represent volts, but here, VI represents the Roman numeral 6.
|-
| +7VII
| V is usually used to represent volts, but here, VII represents the Roman numeral 7, continuing the pattern from above.
|-
| Antidata
| Some ports use differential signaling, where a signal and its inverse are sent over a pair of pins (e.g. D+ and D-). This mixes that practice with a humorous reference to the notion of matter verses antimatter. There is no such thing as antidata.
|-
| Water
| Labs often have ports connecting to common supplies of various supplying (Oxygen, water, fuel, vacuum).
|-
| Vacuum
| Labs often have ports connecting to common supplies of various supplying (Oxygen, water, fuel, vacuum).
|-
| Amazon Copyright Pin
| HDMI can optionally be protected by a DRM scheme known as HDCP. This pin humorously implies the presence of a different DRM scheme specific to Amazon.com.
|-
| Decorative
| Decorative elements are pieces of an assembly that serve only an aesthetic purpose without any technical function. This would not be particularly useful inside a connector, as almost no one will ever see it.
|-
| +3.3V DC
| As with the +5V pin, this could be used to supply power to a device. 3.3V is a typical internal voltage, however it is not usually sent across long cabling due to the losses inherent in low voltage.
|-
| -3.3V DC
| Negative voltages were used more frequently in the past, however modern systems typically generate any negative voltages they might require internally from the given positive voltages.
|-
| Tx
| "Tx" typically refers to pins used to transmit as opposed to "Rx"/receive
|-
| Wx
| "Wx" does not typically exist in the "Tx"/"Rx" scheme, it might imply a possible W for "write" next to the R of "Rx" which might be read as "read" instead of "receive".
|-
| Rx Only
| "Rx" typically refers to pins used to receive as opposed to "Tx"/transmit, in this case "Rx" is used as part of a pun on "Rx (prescription) only"
|-
| Unknown
| Occasionally extra pins will be included for future use, however they will typically be labeled "reserved" to point out that their usage is not yet defined.
|-
| +240V DC
| High voltage DC is not typically used in small communications connectors. It would need to be low current to avoid generating excess heat.
|-
| 5V AC
| Pins often supply low voltage direct current to devices. This pin supplies 5V alternating current, which is not typically supplied.
|-
| GND
| GND typically refers to "ground" on pinout diagrams.
|-
| Ground
| Compared to the above pin, this appears to be the same ground pin. However, the presence of both GND and Ground seems to imply that GND represents something other than the standard "ground" pin. Some systems have different grounds for analog and digital sections, but they would typically be disambiguated by terms like AGND.
|}

=== Micro USB ===

A ground pin is commonly found on USB and other pin connectors. At least one ground is necessary to complete the circuit, however having many more ground pins than data pins serves no purpose. Therefore, it seems rather silly for the micro USB to have 4 ground pins and only 1 functional "USB" pin. It also does not give much information about what the "USB" pin would do, as opposed to a standard pinout diagram. This diagram also leaves out the +5V power pin that is present in the real micro USB connector, which would render most USB peripherals unable to function.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| USB
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|}

=== USB-C ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| +5V DC
| A common electronics supply voltage.
|-
| +3.3V DC
| Another common electronics supply voltage. This pin is not present on USB type C, mostly because the voltage is too low to supply useful levels of power at the current limit of the pins.
|-
| +120V AC
| Residential supply voltage in the United States; its use on an electronics connector would be very unusual, as it would burn out any unguarded transistor-logic electronics.
|-
| Boobytrap Pin (Pure Solder)
| Solder is a metal alloy with a low melting temperature, used to bond electronic components together permanently. Making a connector pin out of it would likely result in the pin overheating and melting, thus bonding the connector to its receptacle, and thereby "trapping" the receptacle.
|-
| Mechanical
| All connectors include portions whose job is to ensure a solid connection between the cable and the port. This is typically not the job of the pins, however. In real USB type C connectors, this task is performed by the center tongue of the female connector.
|-
| +3.3eV/C
| Electron-volts per coulomb would be a very unusual unit to see in a pinout. It is equivalent to volts, however, so technically this pin would be a +3.3V pin.
|-
| Candlepin
| Unlike the bowling pins used in ten-pin bowling, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_pin#Candlepins candlepins]" are almost cylindrical, and could in theory be used as connector pins. If your connector needed a pin 7.5 cm wide and 40 cm long, that is.
|-
| Facebook Use
| This would imply that Facebook had a hand in specifying USB type C, and had a pin dedicated to their use. This would be strange given Facebook's primary business is web technology and would have little need for a dedicated pin in the USB standard.
|-
| +5V (Positrons)
| Positrons are the antimatter counterparts to electrons. So this pin is supplying +5V, but using antimatter instead of regular matter. NOTE: Positrons cannot be conducted through normal matter conductors as they would annihilate with each other.
|-
| Pin Roulette
| Presumably in the same vein as "Chat Roulette", this pin's purpose is not rigidly defined and is instead left to chance.
|-
| GND
| Ground pin. Typically denoted as "GND".
|-
| SKY
| Reference to the ground pin, which refers to the common grounding on the larger metal body. There is no corresponding "sky" pin, although sky is often thought as the opposite of ground.
|}

=== Coax ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| Pin
| A coax connector has two contacts - one pin, and the shield; typically the whole connector is labeled with whatever function/signal is carried by the pair.
|}

==Transcript==

:[Caption at top]
:Pinouts
:Quick Reference Guide

:[Four common connectors are depicted - vertically, rather than the usual horizontal orientation.]

:[The first connector is a 19-pin HDMI connector.]
:[The nine pins on the left are labeled:]
:*Data
:*+5V
:*+6VI
:*+7VII
:*Antidata
:*Water
:*Vacuum
:*Amazon Copyright Pin
:*Decorative
:[The ten pins on the right are labeled:]
:*+3.3V DC
:*-3.3V DC
:*Tx
:*Wx
:*Rx Only
:*Unknown
:*+240V DC
:*5V AC
:*GND
:*Ground

:[The second connector is a 5-pin Micro USB connector.]
:[The five pins are labeled:]
:*GND
:*GND
:*GND
:*USB
:*GND

:[The third connector is a 24-pin USB-C connector, with only the right side labeled.]
:[The twelve pins on the right are labeled:]
:*+5V DC
:*+3.3V DC
:*+120V AC
:*Boobytrap Pin (Pure Solder)
:*Mechanical
:*+3.3eV/C
:*Candlepin
:*Facebook Use
:*+5V (Positrons)
:*Pin Roulette
:*GND
:*SKY

:[The fourth and final connector is a 1-pin COAX connector.]
:[The one pin in the center is labeled:]
:*Pin

{{comic discussion}}

2317: Pinouts

2020-06-08T23:04:51Z

Zootboy: More detail in the micro USB description.

{{comic
| number = 2317
| date = June 8, 2020
| title = Pinouts
| image = pinouts.png
| titletext = The other side of USB-C is rotationally symmetric except that the 3rd pin from the top is designated FIREWIRE TRIBUTE PIN.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FIREWIRE TRIBUTE PIN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Connecters are designed to transport both data and power. Each pin on a connecter can only carry either 1 bit at a time or 1 voltage of power. In this comic there is an absurd alternative to the actual pins used in connecters

=== HDMI ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| Data
| Most digital communications cables contain at least one wire that carries data. Typically there will be a more descriptive name if there are multiple data pins.
|-
| +5V
| Many actual pin configurations use +5 volts to supply power to a device.
|-
| +6VI
| V is usually used to represent volts, but here, VI represents the Roman numeral 6.
|-
| +7VII
| V is usually used to represent volts, but here, VII represents the Roman numeral 7, continuing the pattern from above.
|-
| Antidata
| A humorous reference to the notion of matter verses antimatter. There is no such thing as antidata.
|-
| Water
| Labs often have ports connecting to common supplies of various supplying (Oxygen, water, fuel, vacuum).
|-
| Vacuum
| Labs often have ports connecting to common supplies of various supplying (Oxygen, water, fuel, vacuum).
|-
| Amazon Copyright Pin
| HDMI can optionally be protected by a DRM scheme known as HDCP. This pin humorously implies the presence of a different DRM scheme specific to Amazon.com.
|-
| Decorative
| Decorative elements are pieces of an assembly that serve only an aesthetic purpose without any technical function. This would not be particularly useful inside a connector, as almost no one will ever see it.
|-
| +3.3V DC
| As with the +5V pin, this could be used to supply power to a device. 3.3V is a typical internal voltage, however it is not usually sent across long cabling due to the losses inherent in low voltage.
|-
| -3.3V DC
| Negative voltages were used more frequently in the past, however modern systems typically generate any negative voltages they might require internally from the given positive voltages.
|-
| Tx
| "Tx" typically refers to pins used to transmit as opposed to "Rx"/receive
|-
| Wx
| "Wx" does not typically exist in the "Tx"/"Rx" scheme, it might imply a possible W for "write" next to the R of "Rx" which might be read as "read" instead of "receive".
|-
| Rx Only
| "Rx" typically refers to pins used to receive as opposed to "Tx"/transmit, in this case "Rx" is used as part of a pun on "Rx (prescription) only"
|-
| Unknown
| Occasionally extra pins will be included for future use, however they will typically be labeled "reserved" to point out that their usage is not yet defined.
|-
| +240V DC
| 240V would be an absurdly high voltage to be present on a data cable, and would likely not be safe on a typical HDMI connector due to arcing and shock hazards.
|-
| 5V AC
| Pins often supply 5V DC to devices. This pin supplies 5V AC, which is not typically supplied.
|-
| GND
| GND typically refers to "ground" on pinout diagrams.
|-
| Ground
| Compared to the above pin, this appears to be the same ground pin. However, the presence of both GND and Ground seems to imply that GND represents something other than the standard "ground" pin. Some systems have different grounds for analog and digital sections, but they would typically be disambiguated by terms like AGND.
|}

=== Micro USB ===

A ground pin is commonly found on USB and other pin connectors. At least one ground is necessary to complete the circuit, however having many more ground pins than data pins serves no purpose. Therefore, it seems rather silly for the micro USB to have 4 ground pins and only 1 functional "USB" pin. It also does not give much information about what the "USB" pin would do, as opposed to a standard pinout diagram. This diagram also leaves out the +5V power pin that is present in the real micro USB connector, which would render most USB peripherals unable to function.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| USB
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|}

=== USB-C ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| +5V DC
| TODO
|-
| +3.3V DC
| TODO
|-
| +120V AC
| TODO
|-
| Boobytrap Pin (Pure Solder)
| TODO
|-
| Mechanical
| TODO
|-
| +3.3eV/C
| TODO
|-
| Candlepin
| TODO
|-
| Facebook Use
| TODO
|-
| +5V (Positrons)
| Positrons are the antimatter counterparts to electrons. So this pin is supplying +5V, but using antimatter instead of regular matter. NOTE: Positrons cannot be conducted through normal matter conductors as they would annihilate with each other.
|-
| Pin Roulette
| TODO
|-
| GND
| Ground pin. Typically denoted as "GND".
|-
| SKY
| Reference to the ground pin, which refers to the common grounding on the larger metal body. There is no corresponding "sky" pin, although sky is often thought as the opposite of ground.
|}

=== Coax ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| Pin
| A coax connector has two contacts - one pin, and the shield; typically the whole connector is labeled with whatever function/signal is carried by the pair.
|}

==Transcript==

:[Caption at top]
:Pinouts
:Quick Reference Guide

:[Four common connectors are depicted - vertically, rather than the usual horizontal orientation.]

:[The first connector is a 19-pin HDMI connector.]
:[The nine pins on the left are labeled:]
:*Data
:*+5V
:*+6VI
:*+7VII
:*Antidata
:*Water
:*Vacuum
:*Amazon Copyright Pin
:*Decorative
:[The ten pins on the right are labeled:]
:*+3.3V DC
:*-3.3V DC
:*Tx
:*Wx
:*Rx Only
:*Unknown
:*+240V DC
:*5V AC
:*GND
:*Ground

:[The second connector is a 5-pin Micro USB connector.]
:[The five pins are labeled:]
:*GND
:*GND
:*GND
:*USB
:*GND

:[The third connector is a 24-pin USB-C connector, with only the right side labeled.]
:[The twelve pins on the right are labeled:]
:*+5V DC
:*+3.3V DC
:*+120V AC
:*Boobytrap Pin (Pure Solder)
:*Mechanical
:*+3.3eV/C
:*Candlepin
:*Facebook Use
:*+5V (Positrons)
:*Pin Roulette
:*GND
:*SKY

:[The fourth and final connector is a 1-pin COAX connector.]
:[The one pin in the center is labeled:]
:*Pin

{{comic discussion}}

2317: Pinouts

2020-06-08T23:01:15Z

Zootboy: Updated HDMI explanations.

{{comic
| number = 2317
| date = June 8, 2020
| title = Pinouts
| image = pinouts.png
| titletext = The other side of USB-C is rotationally symmetric except that the 3rd pin from the top is designated FIREWIRE TRIBUTE PIN.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FIREWIRE TRIBUTE PIN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Connecters are designed to transport both data and power. Each pin on a connecter can only carry either 1 bit at a time or 1 voltage of power. In this comic there is an absurd alternative to the actual pins used in connecters

=== HDMI ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| Data
| Most digital communications cables contain at least one wire that carries data. Typically there will be a more descriptive name if there are multiple data pins.
|-
| +5V
| Many actual pin configurations use +5 volts to supply power to a device.
|-
| +6VI
| V is usually used to represent volts, but here, VI represents the Roman numeral 6.
|-
| +7VII
| V is usually used to represent volts, but here, VII represents the Roman numeral 7, continuing the pattern from above.
|-
| Antidata
| A humorous reference to the notion of matter verses antimatter. There is no such thing as antidata.
|-
| Water
| Labs often have ports connecting to common supplies of various supplying (Oxygen, water, fuel, vacuum).
|-
| Vacuum
| Labs often have ports connecting to common supplies of various supplying (Oxygen, water, fuel, vacuum).
|-
| Amazon Copyright Pin
| HDMI can optionally be protected by a DRM scheme known as HDCP. This pin humorously implies the presence of a different DRM scheme specific to Amazon.com.
|-
| Decorative
| Decorative elements are pieces of an assembly that serve only an aesthetic purpose without any technical function. This would not be particularly useful inside a connector, as almost no one will ever see it.
|-
| +3.3V DC
| As with the +5V pin, this could be used to supply power to a device. 3.3V is a typical internal voltage, however it is not usually sent across long cabling due to the losses inherent in low voltage.
|-
| -3.3V DC
| Negative voltages were used more frequently in the past, however modern systems typically generate any negative voltages they might require internally from the given positive voltages.
|-
| Tx
| "Tx" typically refers to pins used to transmit as opposed to "Rx"/receive
|-
| Wx
| "Wx" does not typically exist in the "Tx"/"Rx" scheme, it might imply a possible W for "write" next to the R of "Rx" which might be read as "read" instead of "receive".
|-
| Rx Only
| "Rx" typically refers to pins used to receive as opposed to "Tx"/transmit, in this case "Rx" is used as part of a pun on "Rx (prescription) only"
|-
| Unknown
| Occasionally extra pins will be included for future use, however they will typically be labeled "reserved" to point out that their usage is not yet defined.
|-
| +240V DC
| 240V would be an absurdly high voltage to be present on a data cable, and would likely not be safe on a typical HDMI connector due to arcing and shock hazards.
|-
| 5V AC
| Pins often supply 5V DC to devices. This pin supplies 5V AC, which is not typically supplied.
|-
| GND
| GND typically refers to "ground" on pinout diagrams.
|-
| Ground
| Compared to the above pin, this appears to be the same ground pin. However, the presence of both GND and Ground seems to imply that GND represents something other than the standard "ground" pin. Some systems have different grounds for analog and digital sections, but they would typically be disambiguated by terms like AGND.
|}

=== Micro USB ===

A ground pin is commonly found on USB and other pin connectors. However, it generally serves no data purpose. Therefore, it seems rather silly for the micro USB to have 5 ground ports and only 1 functional "USB" port. It also does not give much information about what the "USB" port would do, as opposed to a standard pinout diagram.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|-
| USB
| TODO
|-
| GND
| TODO
|}

=== USB-C ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| +5V DC
| TODO
|-
| +3.3V DC
| TODO
|-
| +120V AC
| TODO
|-
| Boobytrap Pin (Pure Solder)
| TODO
|-
| Mechanical
| TODO
|-
| +3.3eV/C
| TODO
|-
| Candlepin
| TODO
|-
| Facebook Use
| TODO
|-
| +5V (Positrons)
| Positrons are the antimatter counterparts to electrons. So this pin is supplying +5V, but using antimatter instead of regular matter. NOTE: Positrons cannot be conducted through normal matter conductors as they would annihilate with each other.
|-
| Pin Roulette
| TODO
|-
| GND
| Ground pin. Typically denoted as "GND".
|-
| SKY
| Reference to the ground pin, which refers to the common grounding on the larger metal body. There is no corresponding "sky" pin, although sky is often thought as the opposite of ground.
|}

=== Coax ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Label !! Explanation
|-
| Pin
| A coax connector has two contacts - one pin, and the shield; typically the whole connector is labeled with whatever function/signal is carried by the pair.
|}

==Transcript==

:[Caption at top]
:Pinouts
:Quick Reference Guide

:[Four common connectors are depicted - vertically, rather than the usual horizontal orientation.]

:[The first connector is a 19-pin HDMI connector.]
:[The nine pins on the left are labeled:]
:*Data
:*+5V
:*+6VI
:*+7VII
:*Antidata
:*Water
:*Vacuum
:*Amazon Copyright Pin
:*Decorative
:[The ten pins on the right are labeled:]
:*+3.3V DC
:*-3.3V DC
:*Tx
:*Wx
:*Rx Only
:*Unknown
:*+240V DC
:*5V AC
:*GND
:*Ground

:[The second connector is a 5-pin Micro USB connector.]
:[The five pins are labeled:]
:*GND
:*GND
:*GND
:*USB
:*GND

:[The third connector is a 24-pin USB-C connector, with only the right side labeled.]
:[The twelve pins on the right are labeled:]
:*+5V DC
:*+3.3V DC
:*+120V AC
:*Boobytrap Pin (Pure Solder)
:*Mechanical
:*+3.3eV/C
:*Candlepin
:*Facebook Use
:*+5V (Positrons)
:*Pin Roulette
:*GND
:*SKY

:[The fourth and final connector is a 1-pin COAX connector.]
:[The one pin in the center is labeled:]
:*Pin

{{comic discussion}}