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03 May 2006
Hermaphroditic Connectors A photo essay about the proliferation of connectors used in consumer electronics. Would doing away with sex result in greater user satisfaction?
There are design reasons why connectors are "male" and "female". Many times one side of the connector is more sensitive to exposure. In the case of power cords, the end that is "hot" is female to reduce the risk of electric shock. In many electronics applications, the pins that connect to sensitive electronics are female to help prevent random static electricity from harming the delicate processors and such inside.