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I'm having difficulties to find PCB mount "MIDI" connectors by a supplier like Farnell, no search with the keyword "MIDI" succeeds. I know a MIDI connector is a DIN5 connector, but there seems to be many variations of "DIN5".

For example, do you think that a product like this is suited for standard MIDI cables (for electronic music devices)?

The image looks ok but I wonder if the "angle" of each "line hole"/pin is not a little bit different than usual MIDI devices...

Here is the datasheet.

Here is a connector that I know working for MIDI, I wonder if the one I linked is similar.

Edit: The angle of the "linear holes" seems to be very different from one item to another. Why? By the way, why is it a "linear hole" and not just a round hole like all other connectors?

enter image description here


Linked to 5-pin DIN socket advertised as MIDI, not the same as on my MIDI gear but not a duplicate since here I have a more precise question about the angle of the linear holes (not present in the other question).

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    \$\begingroup\$ Possible duplicate of 5-pin DIN socket advertised as MIDI, not the same as on my MIDI gear \$\endgroup\$
    – CL.
    Dec 2, 2019 at 7:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ @CL. Linked, but not really a duplicate since here I have a more precise question about the angle of the linear holes (not present in the other question), I have edited and included images to be more precise. Please note that this other question has no image, no link about the models they have, so it's rather unclear. \$\endgroup\$
    – Basj
    Dec 2, 2019 at 8:19

4 Answers 4

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While one might expect that the socket's contacts would be a round metal receptacle, there is another design that looks like a fork. The two extensions of the fork make contact with the plug's pins by contacting the pin on either side. This fork-contact has a flat profile, and during manufacture, it is inserted into the slot that you see as a "line". The sides of the fork also flex inside this slot in order to provide a spring-loaded contact with the pin from the plug.

So these "lines" (slots), and the angle they are made at, have nothing to do with the pin arrangement in the socket. Only the round hole where the pin actually enters is a factor in whether the "pins are in the right place".

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Something may be adding to the confusion. There are indeed 2 different types of 5-pin DIN connector.

enter image description here

In this image they are called 5-way 180º and 5-way 240º, and yes, there is a difference in angle between them.

  • 5-way 180º: centerlines of the holes are across a 180º arc
  • 5-way 240º: centerlines of the holes are across a 240º arc

The one you need for MIDI is the 5-way 180º. As the other answers have indicated, the angle of the slit across each pole is not important.

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If you look inside the socket you will see that the contact is a fork with two prongs. They are angled to prevent interfering with each other.

The important point is that the circular pin entry points are in the required pattern, 3 o'clock, half-past four, 6, half-past seven and nine o'clock.

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MIDI uses 5 pin 180 degree connector. It seems that the datasheet you linked matches this specification, 45 degrees between pins. The datasheet has only one 5-pin connector and it does match up.

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    \$\begingroup\$ PS: I edited the question at the end to give more details about my question about angle. \$\endgroup\$
    – Basj
    Dec 1, 2019 at 22:18
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    \$\begingroup\$ That is an artifact of how the connector is constructed and is normal. That angle has nothing to do with pin locations and angles. Connector is suitable for MIDI. \$\endgroup\$
    – Justme
    Dec 1, 2019 at 22:53

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