1406: Universal Converter Box - Revision history

2A02:C7C:6D8A:6800:F9ED:5960:9CC3:7ECA: Attempt clarification

2025-12-13T01:30:26Z

Attempt clarification

108.4.231.43: /* Right side */

2025-06-14T22:45:28Z

‎Right side

TheusafBOT: Reverted edit 359897 by 172.71.210.193 to 345616

2024-12-19T03:56:56Z

Reverted edit 359897 by 172.71.210.193 to 345616

172.71.210.193 at 03:56, 19 December 2024

2024-12-19T03:56:28Z

Elektrizikekswerk: /* Explanation */

2024-07-04T13:17:53Z

‎Explanation

172.70.90.99: /* Explanation */ Last rewrite made it look like a very narrow range ("not only USB, but also micro-USB!", yeah, not much variation there), making it back to an example of one particular fairly typical (YMMV) conversion. HDMI-to-RCA might be more exotic.

2024-05-30T19:11:20Z

‎Explanation: Last rewrite made it look like a very narrow range ("not only USB, but also micro-USB!", yeah, not much variation there), making it back to an example of one particular fairly typical (YMMV) conversion. HDMI-to-RCA might be more exotic.

Psychoticpotato: /* Explanation */

2024-05-30T16:23:07Z

‎Explanation

Show changes

172.71.182.239: /* Explanation */ added info about magsafe 3

2024-03-01T01:55:20Z

‎Explanation: added info about magsafe 3

Danger Kitty: It's probably not. I don't know where they would get that. There's no electronics.

2023-12-12T22:48:04Z

It's probably not. I don't know where they would get that. There's no electronics.

172.71.146.117: /* Left side */

2023-07-15T21:38:24Z

‎Left side

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 #{{w|Parallel port}}: A port that used to be used to connect printers to PCs.
 #{{w|S-Video (analog video standard)|S-video}}: A video with the video signal split in Y (luma) and C (chroma).
-#{{w|In-flight entertainment#History|Airline pneumatic tube audio}}: The seat would contain the loudspeaker, and the headphone connected to this unit with a pneumatic tube to conduct the sound.
+#{{w|In-flight entertainment#History|Airline pneumatic tube audio}}: Historically used for in-flight entertainment, by connecting the headphones to the in-flight entertainment unit with a pneumatic tube to conduct the sound.
 #{{w|PS/2 port|PS/2}}, PS/3 and PS/4: The PS/2 connector was used for mouse and keyboard connections in older computers; USB has superseded it. There are no PS/3 or PS/4 connectors. This is a play on the {{w|PlayStation}} line of video game consoles, which have recently seen their second, third, and fourth generations abbreviated to PS2, PS3, and PS4.
 #{{w|NEMA connector|120V AC}}: This style of plug is used for domestic power outlets in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and some other parts of the Americas. The pin marked "removable" is the ground pin. Not every device requires a ground pin, and some older power sockets do not have a hole for it.

@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 #{{w|MagSafe}}: Magnetically-attached power connectors used on Apple devices. The original MagSafe (introduced in 2006) was later replaced by MagSafe 2 (introduced in 2012); both come in "L" and "T" shapes as shown here for MagSafe and MagSafe 2, respectively, but are incompatible. MagSafe 3 did not exist when the comic was released but was introduced in 2021 with a similar shape to MagSafe 2. The MagSafe 3 charger in the comic appears to resemble the Apple Watch charger, interestingly. In October 2020, Apple introduced MagSafe for the iPhone 12 models. While not called "MagSafe 3" by Apple, it resembles the round shape shown here. Also, the MagSafe 4 "connector" appears to be broken; this is likely a joke about the {{w|MagSafe_(laptop_power_connector)#Defects|poor quality}} of the original MagSafe 1 cables.
 #{{w|Bluetooth#Communication and connection|Bluetooth dongle}}: A USB device that allows the converter to connect via the {{w|Bluetooth}} wireless networking standard to accessories like phones and computers for audio, general purpose file transfer, mouse and keyboard interaction and a wide variety of other uses.
-#{{w|SCART}}: An audio/video connector mostly used in Europe; it replaced other connectors like component video, but has itself been superseded by HDMI. Like DVI-I, it, too, was intended as a "universal" connector standard by bundling multiple parallel connections into one large plug, with the end devices selecting which ones to use based on common availability.
+#{{w|SCART}}: An audio/video connector mostly used in Europe; it replaced other connectors like RCA connecters and transmited video in many formats, but has itself been superseded by Display Port. Like DVI-I, it, too, was intended as a "universal" connector standard by bundling multiple parallel connections into one large plug, with the end devices selecting which ones to use based on common availability.
 #{{w|Tin can telephone|String}}: For connecting to a "tin can telephone", an analog device for transmitting sound through a physical connection rather than electronically or via radio waves.
 #{{w|Fuel dispenser#Nozzles|Fuel nozzle}}, with a switch to choose between different {{w|octane rating}}s and {{w|diesel fuel}}: Dispensers for fossil fuels used to power internal combustion engines. Presumably, this would be the gasoline/petrol tip [see trivia].

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 | date      = August 11, 2014
 | title     = Universal Converter Box
-| image     = emoji.png
+| image     = universal_converter_box.png
 | titletext = Comes with a 50-lb sack of gender changers, and also an add-on device with a voltage selector and a zillion circular center pin DC adapter tips so you can power any of those devices from the 90s.
 }}

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 | date      = August 11, 2014
 | title     = Universal Converter Box
-| image     = universal_converter_box.png
+| image     = emoji.png
 | titletext = Comes with a 50-lb sack of gender changers, and also an add-on device with a voltage selector and a zillion circular center pin DC adapter tips so you can power any of those devices from the 90s.
 }}

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 ====Left side====
-#{{w|VGA connector|VGA}} (Video Graphics Array): This a video connector (standard is blue) that connects computers and monitors or projectors. It has fifteen pins in a D-shell.
+#{{w|VGA connector|VGA}} (Video Graphics Array): This is a video connector (standard is blue) that connects computers and monitors or projectors. It has fifteen pins in a D-shell.
 #{{w|Digital Visual Interface|DVI}} (Digital Visual Interface): This is a video connector (standard is white) that uses a D-shell with flat pins. DVI is only partially compatible with VGA ports, itself being designed as a "universal" connection standard via its sub-types of DVI-D (digital-only), DVI-I (digital+analog), and the incredibly-rare DVI-A (analog-only).
 #{{w|HDMI}} (High Definition Multimedia Interface): This is an audio-video connector that supports high-definition video and audio. It is largely backward-compatible with DVI-D but does not support analog connections from DVI-I or DVI-A.

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 Converter boxes are used to connect two or more devices which otherwise couldn't be, due to differently shaped plugs, different voltages, or different communication protocols.
-Converter boxes or cables are commonly found for several plugs at the top of the list - from USB to micro-USB. As this is supposed to be a Universal Converter Box, many connections exist.
+Converter boxes or cables are commonly found for several plugs at the top of the list – such as from USB to micro-USB. As this is supposed to be a Universal Converter Box, many connections exist.
 The humor from this comic comes from the sheer number of [[927: Standards|different standards]] that all claim to be the universal way to connect two devices, in their target market, as well as the progressively ridiculous conversions that this box is capable of doing, for example, converting audio from a 1/8&nbsp;inch / 3.5&nbsp;mm headphone jack into a variety of fuel suitable for running your car.

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 #{{w|Registered jack#RJ11, RJ14, RJ25 wiring|RJ11}}/{{w|Ethernet over twisted pair|Ethernet}}: Ethernet connections, which use a {{w|TIA/EIA-568|TIA/EIA-568 connector}} (often mistakenly called RJ45 because of its visual similarity), are the most common fixed wire connection for computer networking. The RJ11 connector is used for land-line telephones.
 #{{w|Token ring}}: The token ring was a late-80s competitor to Ethernet for fixed-wire network connections. Its connectors were large and boxy, but were unique in that they were genderless.
-#{{w|MagSafe}}: Magnetically-attached power connectors used on Apple devices. The original MagSafe (introduced in 2006) was later replaced by MagSafe 2 (introduced in 2012); both come in "L" and "T" shapes as shown here for MagSafe and MagSafe 2, respectively, but are incompatible. MagSafe 3 and 4 do not actually exist yet (and probably never will, now Apple is using {{w|USB-C}} to charge its laptops). The MagSafe 3 charger appears to resemble the Apple Watch charger, interestingly. In October 2020, Apple introduced Magsafe for the iPhone 12 models. While not called "Magsafe 3" by Apple, it resembles the round shape shown here. Also, the MagSafe 4 "connector" appears to be broken; this is likely a joke about the {{w|MagSafe_(laptop_power_connector)#Defects|poor quality}} of the original MagSafe 1 cables.
+#{{w|MagSafe}}: Magnetically-attached power connectors used on Apple devices. The original MagSafe (introduced in 2006) was later replaced by MagSafe 2 (introduced in 2012); both come in "L" and "T" shapes as shown here for MagSafe and MagSafe 2, respectively, but are incompatible. MagSafe 3 did not exist when the comic was released, but was introduced in 2021 with a similar shape to MagSafe 2. The MagSafe 3 charger in the comic appears to resemble the Apple Watch charger, interestingly. In October 2020, Apple introduced Magsafe for the iPhone 12 models. While not called "MagSafe 3" by Apple, it resembles the round shape shown here. Also, the MagSafe 4 "connector" appears to be broken; this is likely a joke about the {{w|MagSafe_(laptop_power_connector)#Defects|poor quality}} of the original MagSafe 1 cables.
 #{{w|Bluetooth#Communication and connection|Bluetooth dongle}}: A USB device that allows the converter to connect via the {{w|Bluetooth}} wireless networking standard to accessories like phones and computers for audio, general purpose file transfer, mouse and keyboard interaction and a wide variety of other uses.
 #{{w|SCART}}: An audio/video connector mostly used in Europe; it replaced other connectors like component video, but has itself been superseded by HDMI. Like DVI-I, it, too, was intended as a "universal" connector standard by means of bundling multiple parallel connections into one large plug, with the end devices selecting which ones to use based on common availability.
@@ Line 89: / Line 89: @@
 There are two common systems for showing octane numbers on fuel pumps; the numbers shown (87, 91, 93) most closely map to {{w|Octane rating#Anti-Knock Index (AKI) or (R+M)/2|Anti-Knock Index}} values which is used for the North American market and a number of other countries, the other system used in the rest of the world is Research Octane Number. In the AKI system; 87 octane (91 RON) is regular US, 91 octane (95 RON) is regular European, 93 octane (98 RON) is premium European, and in US both 91 and 93 are considered premium/super depending on the regulations of a particular state. Some states, such as California, forbid the sale of the gasoline above 91 octane. Only very rarely could both 91 and 93 be found at the same gas station. The typical line-up is "regular" (87), "plus" (89), and "premium"/"super" (depending on the state and on the fuel brand, 91, 92 or 93 octane). A standard diesel nozzle (24mm) is slightly larger diameter than a standard petrol nozzle (21mm) so you cannot tank diesel into a petrol car but if this nozzle has the petrol nozzle diameter you are still able to tank with it into some diesel cars. Some manufacturers such as Volkswagen fit a misfueling guard and fuel filler neck cap or have redesigned the fuel filler to prevent a petrol nozzle being used in a diesel car.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 #{{w|In-flight entertainment#History|Airline pneumatic tube audio}}: The seat would contain the loudspeaker, and the headphone connected to this unit with a pneumatic tube to conduct the sound.
 #{{w|PS/2 port|PS/2}}, PS/3 and PS/4: The PS/2 connector was used for mouse and keyboard connections in older computers; it has been superseded by USB. There are no PS/3 or PS/4 connectors. This is a play on the {{w|PlayStation}} line of video game consoles, which have recently seen their second, third, and fourth generations abbreviated to PS2, PS3, and PS4.
-#{{w|NEMA connector|120V AC}}: This style of plug is used for domestic power outlets in the US, Canada, Mexico, and some other parts of the Americas. The pin marked "removable" is the ground pin. Not every device requires a ground pin, and some older power sockets do not have a hole for it.
+#{{w|NEMA connector|120V AC}}: This style of plug is used for domestic power outlets in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and some other parts of the Americas. The pin marked "removable" is the ground pin. Not every device requires a ground pin, and some older power sockets do not have a hole for it.
 #{{w|Floppy disk|Floppy}}, {{w|Parallel ATA|IDE}}, {{w|Hard disk drive|2.5"}}, {{w|SCSI connector|SCSI}}: These are {{w|Insulation-displacement connector|IDC connectors}} for connecting to media drives to processors using different numbers of pins, and hence different widths of {{w|Ribbon cable|cable}}. Despite this similarity, real plugs would not work with break-away parts as the pinout has no similarities and the connectors are keyed differently.