What type of banana plugs do i need

They are a type of wire terminal found on speakers, receivers, and amplifiers as well as test and measurement instruments, high-voltage test equipment and various hand held devices. Binding posts accept bare wire and four different types of connectors: pin connectors, spade connectors, banana plugs, and dual banana plugs. Banana plugs are inserted into a hole in the back of the binding post.

Click here to see Mueller Electric's binding posts. A Banana Jack is another word for the female connector that the banana plug is inserted into. Jacks have different kinds of pins on the front end which allow them to connect or plug into many different electrical items.

Click here to see Mueller's banana jacks. Dual plugs are simply two plugs together. They are designed for use with amplifiers or speakers that use traditional binding posts. Dual plugs and posts make it safer to plug in two wires with no chance of stray wire strands creating a short across contacts.

Dual Binding posts are two posts together - often what a dual plug will plug into. These are 2mm or 3mm banana plugs. Pictured left is a mini banana plug compared to a regular banana plug.

Banana plugs and jacks are commonly color coded. There are also stackable sheath banana plugs and stackable retracting sheath banana plugs. They are nothing but plugs that come with the benefits of the basic types. They are not as common as the others but are right up there. Banana plugs may be small but are very important in the electrical world. Choosing the wrong size, style, or type can damage your electrical devices. This is why you must be aware of the options available.

It will help you assess which one to choose and safeguard your equipment. They will be more than happy to guide you. E-Z-Hook is happy to provide a guide to what those banana plug features are, when to use them, and which E-Z-Hook part is compatible for your specific testing requirements. We offer individual connectors as well as banana plug test leads and banana plug cable assemblies. This enables users to create their own DIY do-it-yourself components or to provide users with already assembled test leads and cables.

Banana plugs come in various sizes, most commonly standard and miniature. A standard banana plug often refers to a 4 mm banana plug, especially in Europe. All E-Z-Hook standard banana plugs are compatible to a 4 mm banana socket. A mini miniature banana plug is a smaller version of the standard banana plug. They may very in size so understanding your connection requirement or diameter is important.

More common miniature banana plugs measure between 3 mm and 2 mm. It is important to understand that the overall diameter of the plug tip does not measure exactly 2 or 4 mm, but it implies that the banana plug fits into that size socket. Banana plugs are popular components across many fields for electrical testing and creating connections. For most industrial applications a standard banana plug size is used, but occasionally a smaller miniature banana plug size is required. In automotive diagnostics, most digital multimeters DMM use banana plug test leads in conjunction with the sockets integrate into the design of the DMMs.

Many other pieces of equipment are designed with integrated banana sockets. You will find banana plugs used to connect low power circuits, speaker cables, and model railway applications. They are also popular in medical equipment and technician test kits in both the telecom and energy fields. Most commonly used banana plugs have either a 4 or 9 leaf design. The protruding leaves plug into a banana socket banana jack and hold it securely in place. The majority of E-Z-Hook parts utilize 4 leaf banana plugs, however we do offer some plugs with the 9 leaf style.

This connector style is still considered the original or standard design style and most common in the United States. This connector style was originally more common in Europe but is now equally prevalent.

Both styles provide the same form, fit and function. There are three common banana plug styles in regards to protective sleeving: shrouded, unshrouded, and retractable shrouded.

The original banana plug was built as an unshrouded also called unsheathed banana plug. Shrouded also called sheathed banana plugs have a covering over the metal pin for safety requirements that are often required, especially in high voltage environments.

An unshrouded banana plug is an unsheathed plug that features a bare metal pin that is uninsulated no protective plastic sleeve around the connector and visible. This type of banana plug is common for use in lower voltage VDC electrical testing applications. In order to make this easy, pull the wires away from each other so you have one or two inches of separated cable. Let the force of the arm on the stripper put pressure on the cable as you spin the stripper around the cable to strip away the jacket.

Peel the cut jacket off the bare wire and remove the cable stripper. This will expose the bare wire so you can attach the banana plug. Once you have stripped both cables, you will be able to attach the banana plugs. You will no longer need the wire stripper. Place one of the sets of wire between your finger and thumb, then slide your finger across the top to cause the wires to twist around each other. Each pair of cables will use a red striped banana plug and a black striped banana plug.

The banana plug with the red stripe will attach to the grey cable with the red stripe printed on it. The other banana plug will attach to the black cable. Take the banana plug with the red stripe and unscrew the bottom about half way and feed the speaker wire into the bottom of the banana plug.