VGA monitor connector. VGA connector pinout by color

VGA pinout. The VGA monitor connector is currently the most famous and popular monitor interface, which was developed by IBM more than thirty years ago. But even despite this, the VGA video standard can be found installed on most modern computer equipment. Especially on computers where it is necessary to display video in a simplified graphic mode, with a resolution of 640x480.

Absolutely all graphics cards produced in the world are compatible with this mode. The process of outputting high-resolution video information occurs exclusively after the graphics adapter drivers are loaded during startup operating system.

VGA pinout wires according to their color coding is very helpful in some cases, for example: When performing independent testing of conductors for breaks or, if necessary, increasing the length of the wire. Note: The industry produces VGA cables with a length of about thirty meters.

A fifteen-pin VGA connector, the design of which is a trapezoid shape with pins arranged in a three-row pattern, each row having five pins. To ensure correct connection of complementary connectors, the contacts in the block are installed in an asymmetrical order. Such a device, due to its shape, guarantees correct cable connection. The numbering sequence of the output contacts should be designated as shown in the picture below:

VGA pinout according to color coding

Mini VGA connector pinout

VGA connector(short for Video Graphics Array) is a popular monitor standard developed by IBM and introduced in 1987.

Despite the fact that the VGA video interface, which provides interaction between the monitor and the computer’s graphics card, was developed more than twenty years ago, it remains to this day the most famous standard for graphics on IBM compatible computers. There are two main reasons for this:

Firstly, the basic VGA modes - 80x25 display in character mode and 640x480 in graphics mode - are supported by all modern graphics cards, regardless of the resolutions supported by these cards. Therefore, when turned on, all computers activate the VGA mode and only after loading the operating system and video card drivers, the computer switches to the high-resolution mode that is built into the specific video card.

Secondly, despite the higher resolution and color depth of modern monitors and graphics cards, the connector used on most computers to connect a monitor is still VGA. Therefore, most people will talk about a VGA monitor, even if it is XGA, Super VGA or any other modern standard.

Although modern high-resolution displays are more focused on modern standards such as DVI, most lower-resolution video cards still use a 15-pin (DB15) VGA connector to connect to the monitor.

VGA connector pinout

The pinout of the VGA interface connector is shown below. The first three pins are designed to transmit the analog signal of the three main RGB colors(1-red, 2-green and 3-blue). The red, green, and blue signal lines have their own negative wires (6, 7, and 8). Pins 13 and 14 are intended for horizontal and vertical synchronization, respectively.

By appearance VGA connector similar to the COM port connector (DB9). But unlike DB9, the VGA connector has 15 pins arranged in three rows of 5 pins in each row. In addition to color rendering signals (RGB) and synchronization signals, the VGA connector also has an I2C digital interface, designed for two-way communication between the video controller and the monitor. This interface (I2C) gives VGA sufficient versatility.

It should be noted that I2C was not implemented in the first versions of the VGA standard, but was added much later with the advent of the VESA DDC2 standard. Using the I2C interface, the controller and monitor can exchange technical information, such as frequency and resolution availability, to prevent operational incompatibilities.

Greetings to my readers as we continue to discuss the various types of connectors used to transmit video signals. The subject of our conversation today will be the VGA connector, which is well known to many for its memorable blue color.

Some consider IBM to be the inventor of this connector, which in 1987 proposed using it to connect monitors to its PS/2 computers.

Then, with the help of such a connector, called the Video Graphics Array, an image of 640x480 pixels in size (which also became known as the VGA format) was transmitted.

But in fact, the progenitor of connectors of this type is a division of ITT Corporation. In 1952, she proposed the concept of compact connectors with a large number of pin contacts located inside the shield.

Its shape resembled an inverted beech D, which provided a connection only the right way. Thanks to the letter, these connectors began to be labeled D-sub (subminiature).

Fifteen important contacts

But let's go back 30 years ago, when the VGA connector became widespread in the computer industry (video cards, monitors). Its feature was line-by-line transmission of analog video. Each of his 15 contacts was responsible for certain parameters:

• Separate RGB signals;
• Synchronization methods;
• Other control channels

In more detail, the standard pinout looks like this:

Brightness indicators were determined by changing the signal voltage within 0.7-1 V.

This layout, together with a stable component video interface, provided fairly decent image quality with a fast refresh rate. The potential inherent in this system, allowed you to reassign tasks for individual contacts. And also provide signal transmission for more advanced equipment. An additional advantage of the connector was its fixation system using two screws, ensuring high reliability of the connection.

High potential connector

If at first the VGA connector was used to connect CRT monitors, then over time it began to be used in modern liquid crystal screens with a resolution of 1280 × 1024 and frame rates up to 75 Hz. In fact, a digital signal was transmitted using such a cable. Which underwent double conversion (to analog and back). Given the appropriate quality of the connecting wire, the presence of a shielding braid and a short connection length, the transmitted picture was quite good.

Over time, a smaller version appeared - mini VGA, which was used in compact equipment and laptops.

And the main standard size of the connector, due to its high reliability, has become in demand in industrial automation systems. Numerous adapters have also appeared for connecting the VGA plug to connectors of other types (RCA DVI-I, HDMI).

In addition, the analog signal allows you to simultaneously broadcast images to two monitors. What does the cable look like? VGA splitter, for such switching you can see in the picture.

Of course, today, for video with maximum resolution, the capabilities of analog VGA are no longer enough and you need to switch to digital broadcasting of the stream using, or even better, HDMI or, which has the highest data transfer rate. This idea is actively promoted by Intel and AMD. Officially stated that from 2015 their products will not support VGA.

That's all the information about VGA connectors. Finally, I would like to recommend that you conduct an audit of the monitor and TV you are using to ensure that you abandon analog cables in favor of digital ones. And I am sure that such an opportunity will exist.

That's all, see you soon on the pages of my new articles.

Both nature and technology pursue development from simple to complex, from lesser opportunities to greater ones. This fully applies to video equipment and, as its integral part, interface connectors and cables - they are also developing, there is a transition from outdated standards to new ones, within the framework of one standard there is a “fine-tuning” to the highest possible throughput and the fullest use of basic capabilities. At the same time, this evolution of connecting cables and interfaces leads to a certain confusion, because some features are hidden from view and are available only in engineering specifications, which the average user is not always able to understand. That is why the company “Peredhodniki TM” has prepared material that combines information about connectors and cables for transmitting video information - to help customers.

First, let's make a reservation: we will not consider exotic and rare types of interfaces like USB Type-C and wireless (Miracast, WiDi, DLNA), let's forget about anachronisms like SCART and S-Video, and we won't discuss RCA, since, in fact, there's nothing to discuss in it - it's as simple as an axe. The subject of our conversation will be modern and current types of connections and wires transmitting video signals: VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort and Thunderbolt.

A little theory you can’t do without

Despite the apparent complexity of the standards and the multitude of parameters, all video interfaces are characterized by three defining characteristics.

• Signal type (analog or digital).
• The highest possible resolution.
• Maximum throughput.

If there were ever any doubts about the future of digital video transmission, time has dispelled them without a trace - the analog format is currently present in the equipment rather for compatibility with older modules, but not as a modern technology. “Digital” is easier to transmit over long distances, more resistant to noise, a weakened signal is raised to standard levels almost without problems, and dropouts and distortions are processed and compensated. There is one more important consideration. In any modern device, the video signal is generated in digital format, and monitors operate in the same format, so it is more logical to immediately transmit this signal directly rather than convert it to analog for transmission, and then back. This legacy option is used only in cases where one of the connected devices does not have a digital interface.

Maximum resolution and throughput are interdependent. If a certain number of bytes are required to display a picture of a certain resolution, then it is the ability of the connection to transmit this number of bytes per unit of time that determines the restrictions on the maximum resolution.

Since we now know the basic parameters of interfaces, it’s time to move on to specifics.

VGA(Video Graphics Array)

Despite the fact that the world's leading manufacturers announced the abandonment of this interface already in 2016, we should give it its due - VGA, with minor improvements, began its journey back in 1987 and for almost thirty years faithfully served to transmit signals to monitors. It seems that he will also exchange his “fortieth century”, however, only in those devices that by that time will remain in operation.

With the exception of DVI-A, VGA is the only analog interface that is actively used to this day, but it does not have a single advantage over its more modern counterparts other than accessibility and simplicity.

Now with VGA there is also some confusion regarding the maximum supported resolution, and even in the specifications at some point 1280x1024 pixels are indicated, although everyone who has owned or owns a monitor with a VGA input will have plenty of examples of support for 1920 resolution ×1080 and even 2048×1536 pixels. This is not happening by chance. At a time when the VGA interface was at the height of its prospects, manufacturers tried to equip video cards and monitors with powerful, productive DACs and ADCs (digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters), and the performance of the entire VGA channel and, consequently, resolution depended on them. Nowadays, video cards and other video devices, if equipped with a VGA interface, are often equipped with chips from the lowest price range, simply not pulling out large parameters.

VGA pinout:

The maximum available to the VGA interface is HD quality. We are not even talking about any FullHD, let alone 3D transmission.

DVI (Digital Visual Interface)

The advent of the DVI interface opened up new horizons, but did not simplify, and even somewhat complicated, life for users. The fact is that the standard provides for the simultaneous existence of three varieties: DVI-A (analog signal only), DVI-D (digital only), DVI-I (both signal types), and the latter two have single-channel and dual-channel options. This whole “zoo” has different connectors and, of course, different parameters.

It's likely that DVI-A, which only supports analog video, will go away even faster than VGA, because the user is unlikely to tolerate for long an interface that has limited compatibility and seems flawed even within the native standard.

The situation is completely different with digital DVI options, and with two-channel ones it becomes even more interesting. Thanks twice higher speed information transmission, two-channel capable of supporting resolutions up to 2560×1600 pixels. It is even possible that a special standard will emerge for connecting two DVI-I cables for 4K2K transmission (such technologies are present on the market), if the interface is not supplanted by the HDMI standard, and then PisplayPort and Thunderbolt.

Type DVI	Type of interface	Maximum resolution	Bandwidth
	Analog
DVI-D Single Link	Digital		4.59 Gbps
DVI-DDualLink (dual-link)	Digital	2048x1536	9.9 Gbps
DVI-I Single Link	Analog/digital		4.59 Gbps
DVI-I Dual Link	Analog/digital		9.9 Gbps

DVI pinout:

The disadvantages of DVI are, however, considered to be not the excessive number of modifications, but sensitivity to the quality of cables and, in particular, to their length. However, for home use the maximum ten meters provided by the standard is quite enough.

Indisputable advantage (except technical characteristics) DVI is its prevalence. Nowadays it is difficult to find a video device that is not equipped with this interface, be it a professional video editing complex or a simple kitchen TV.

HDMI High Definition Multimedia Interface)

No matter how good DVI was, the group of companies Sony, Thomson, Hitachi, Philips, MatsushitaElectricIndustrial and SiliconImage were not satisfied with it in everything, and they initiated the development of a new interface, compatible with the previous one in terms of electrical signals, but with new connectors, more advanced capabilities and much larger bandwidth. We know what this has resulted in: HDMI is ready to overtake DVI in the interface race, more than a thousand manufacturing companies consider a complete transition to it a necessity, and video devices currently being produced are equipped with it by default.

The question arises: what new things did the developers bring to almost the same interface if it suddenly began to compete so fiercely with its predecessor? Perhaps we can’t do without listing.

• The interface now has the ability to transmit sound, and not just sound, but multi-channel (up to 32) high-quality digital audio. This innovation made it possible for the first time to talk about a cable “for all occasions”, suitable for any equipment configuration, be it home or professional. Audio data is transmitted in a copy-protected format.
• The interface allows you to transmit subtitles, as well as signals to control the “slave” device.
• The throughput was increased to 18 Gbit/s.

HDMI pinout:

Not without some overlays. The difference in interface versions (initial 1.0, and current 2.0) is significant, and when connecting devices with different versions With HDMI you will get the performance and features limited by the lower version. This applies not only to bandwidth, but also to such “goodies” as 3D - you may simply not get it due to an old cable or adapter. But the problem is not even this, but the fact that the majority of cables are not marked in any way, and even a specialist cannot immediately determine the version.

The cable length limit for HDMI is up to 20 m, but experts advise not to use cables longer than 10 m to avoid losses and artifacts in the image. If you need to work with HDMI over long distances, it is recommended to use repeaters, equalizers and video senders.

There are three types of HDMI connectors:

• HDMI (Type A)
• mini-HDMI (Type C)
• micro-HDMI (Type D)

HDMI version	Type of interface	Maximum resolution	Bandwidth
HDMI 1.3	Digital		10.2 Gbps
	Digital		10.2 Gbps
	Digital

Currently, the HDMI interface remains unrivaled, and it has not even reached its technological peak. Despite the emergence of faster and more powerful DisplayPort and Thunderbolt, their prices remain in the range beyond the reach of the mass user, so there is no alternative to HDMI yet.

DisplayPort

It may seem that this interface was designed to replace HDMI, but it would be a mistake to think so. It was created as an alternative to DVI, since the latter’s shortcomings and not very distant prospects were clear already in 2006. In addition, combat HDMI in the field of mass application new interface could not due to the higher consumables, therefore it was designed for use in the professional segment. However, it is still rarely found even on professional equipment, but specialists involved in video processing and editing, computer graphics and design recognize it as a higher-quality transmission of the “picture”.

We can talk about the ability of DisplayPort latest versions(1.2 and 1.3) work with 3D and 4Kx2K, one can discuss the amazing “rate of fire”, but its main “trick” is the presence of independent channels with high bandwidth, which allows you to sequentially connect up to four monitors with a resolution of 1920x1200, or two with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels.

It is noteworthy that from the very inception of DisplayPort, Apple focused its advanced products on it, and DisplayPort-based solutions did not immediately appear in the lines of other manufacturers of mass computers and video equipment. Now Apple is pursuing the same policy with regard to the Thunderbolt interface.

Types of connectors:

• DisplayPort
• MiniDisplayPort

Thunderbolt

The excellent performance demonstrated by the DisplayPort interface gave impetus to new research that was started by Intel and ultimately led to the emergence of a new standard - Thunderbolt. Initially conceived as a method of transmitting data exclusively via fiber optic cables, it later received an implementation option with copper. On the one hand, this made it possible to significantly reduce the cost of connecting cables, on the other hand, it made it possible to transfer power to peripheral devices, which fiber optics did not allow. As a result, both options are currently available on the market at the same time.

The Thunderbolt interface uses a MiniDisplayPort (MDP) connector and is electrically compatible with the DisplayPort format, but has its own quirks. The fact is that Thunderbolt cables are implemented as active devices with their own electronic circuit inside, and MiniDisplayPort cables are passive devices, therefore they are not suitable for connecting Thunderbolt devices in any of the options except “Source-Thunderbolt - Monitor-MiniDisplayPort”. For a Source-Thunderbolt - Monitor-Thunderbolt combination, a Thunderbolt cable must be used exclusively, and the MiniDisplayPort source cannot be connected to a Thunderbolt monitor at all.

Thunderbolt cable version	Type of interface	Maximum resolution	Bandwidth
	Digital	4096×2160
Optical fiber	Digital

Thunderbolt cables can extend up to several tens of meters in length and can support up to six display devices in a chain.

Although the standard is being actively promoted Apple companies and Intel, Thunderbolt is still very far from the masses; it remains the lot of professionals and an attribute of top-end Apple products. But, like any promising interface, over time it will steadily become cheaper and more accessible.

Conclusion

Whatever video system you build, the main goal is always to obtain the highest quality image, so recommendations for choosing connections will not be superfluous.

The first thing you should do is become familiar with the available interfaces. If devices have more than one of them, but, say, VGA and HDMI are adjacent, then the choice in favor of HDMI is clear if it is also present on the connected device. Actually, VGA, as a morally outdated standard, is generally advisable to use only where there are no other options. If there is a choice, then, as a rule, it is in the list of DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort.

As the most common, DVI and HDMI have the greatest chance of being used. Where viewing video in ultra-high definition is not expected and audio output is not required, DVI will be quite sufficient. If a modern video system is being built for viewing on a projector or large plasma TV, then HDMI can provide maximum quality.