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I am looking for a PCB mount RJ45 connector. I find that there are about 10-12 types of RJ45 connectors( 6pin, 8 pin, 10 pin, 12 pin, 14 pin ). Even the PCB footprint is different for some connectors with same number of pins. If there is no standard connector, I would like to know the most popular one. I concerned about the availability and cost of the connector.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ One way to gauge what's the standard part is by evaluating the 'in stock quantity' over time at a vendor such as digikey.com \$\endgroup\$
    – kenny
    Jul 9, 2012 at 11:16

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RJ45 is an 8-position 8-contact jack, so every plain RJ45 connector that has a different number of contacts is not an RJ45. But many connectors have contacts for additional features like shielding or built-in indicator LEDs.

Ethernet requires tranformers between the RJ45 connections and the driver chip. These transformers can be built into the connector, in which case the hybrid connector-transformer can have more PCB contact pins. Note that the specs (turn ratio's) of these transformers depend on the particular driver chip.

Sorry, there is no standard ethernet connector part. If you are concerned about long-term availability choose a part that has pin-compatible equivalents from at least one alternate manufacturer, and check whether the big suppliers (mouser, digikey, farnell, etc.) all stock these parts.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Those transformers are commonly called "magnetics" in the context of ethernet jacks (this may help the OP find the right item) \$\endgroup\$
    – pjc50
    Jul 9, 2012 at 9:03
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    \$\begingroup\$ Also, a jack with integrated magnetics is often called a "magjack" \$\endgroup\$
    – drxzcl
    Jul 10, 2012 at 13:28

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