Why do banana plugs need these holes?
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37\$\begingroup\$ You can connect another banana plug in one of those holes. \$\endgroup\$– Andrew MortonSep 7, 2020 at 10:25
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43\$\begingroup\$ They don't need it, it is a (nice and useful) feature of these particular plugs. \$\endgroup\$– BimpelrekkieSep 7, 2020 at 10:28
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29\$\begingroup\$ Yo, dawg. They heard people liked banana plugs, so they put holes in your bana plugs so you can plug a banana plug while you plug a banana plug. \$\endgroup\$– dimSep 7, 2020 at 11:28
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80\$\begingroup\$ That choice of wire colours is making me twitch... \$\endgroup\$– user16324Sep 7, 2020 at 12:41
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5\$\begingroup\$ It's called a bananana plug. \$\endgroup\$– A. I. BreveleriSep 8, 2020 at 4:32
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2 Answers
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Your banana plugs have holes so that the plugs can act as banana jacks.
You plug one banana plug into the plug panel of, say, a power supply. You can then plug another banana plug into the first plug.
It's a helpful feature for making multiple connections with banana plugs.
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14\$\begingroup\$ "Jack" being "socket" in British English. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 8, 2020 at 8:29
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Does this banana plug picture help you understand why: -
You can get different variants too: -
And end-stacking types: -
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1\$\begingroup\$ With 4 of them and a little skill you can (probably) get a mechanically almost locked 4 wire connection :-). \$\endgroup\$– Russell McMahon ♦Sep 9, 2020 at 3:24
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2\$\begingroup\$ @RussellMcMahon it is not that difficult actually, it is not actually locked as it might seem. You just make two couples and then mate those. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 9, 2020 at 6:33
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\$\begingroup\$ @VladimirCravero Yes - I visualised how to put it together. Past experience (not with banana plugs) suggetss it MAY require "wriggling it all together" . Not hard but sometimes 3 hands needed. I'll try it some time :-) \$\endgroup\$– Russell McMahon ♦Sep 9, 2020 at 8:52
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\$\begingroup\$ If you have banana banana cables long enough, you can build yourself a nice pendant. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 9, 2020 at 13:01
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\$\begingroup\$ Banana #1 is also known as an insulated banana. The barely visible plastic around the pin helps against accidental short-circuits, particularly useful when working with mains voltage. This particular one probably has a retractable sheet, there are also plugs with fixed sheets. Those are less-stackable but even more safe. \$\endgroup\$– MastSep 9, 2020 at 13:12