Cabletron Systems 100BASE-FX, Cabling Manual

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Cabling Terms
2-4 Physical Components
Housing (Shell)
The basis of the connector is its housing. A housing is the metal or plastic parts
that make up the shape of the connector and determine its characteristics and
what ports or other connectors it may be attached to. The purpose of the housing
is to separate and organize any strands in the cable being connected and arrange
them in a standard fashion for connection to a port or other connector.
If a housing can be assembled and disassembled easily, or is made up of several
separate sections, it may be called a shell.
Pin
A pin is an exposed metal prong or wire that is either inserted into a channel or
allowed to touch a contact. In this fashion, the pin creates a path for network
signals to flow from the connector to the port or device it is connected to.
Pins may be fully exposed, for insertion into a channel, or partially exposed, for
connection to a contact. Fully exposed pins will protrude from a housing or
insulator. Partially exposed pins are encased on two or three sides by the
construction material of the connector housing. An example of a partially exposed
pin is that used in the RJ45 modular connector.
Contact
A contact refers to a location where one electrical transmission carrier meets
another and creates a link through which electrical signals may be passed.
Contacts, when referred to as physical parts of a connector or port, are usually
flat, exposed metal surfaces.
Channel
A channel is a hollow cylinder, usually metal, that receives a fully exposed pin.
The pin is inserted into the channel, where an electrical contact is made.
The cabling term “channel” should not be confused with the networking term
“channel,” which refers to a logical path or group of paths of transmission and
reception for network signals.