LPT Connector: The D-Sub 25 and Centronics 36 Parts
The ‘LPT connector’ is the parallel port’s connector as the part – the D-Sub 25 on the computer side and the Centronics 36 on the printer side, in the male and the female, as the cable ends and the panel parts. Where the LPT port article covers the port and the lpt connector article covers the parts that mate with it: the D-Sub 25 male (the plug that seats in the port’s female), the D-Sub 25 female (the socket, the panel mount, the adapter’s port), the Centronics 36 (the printer-side connector, the cable’s printer end), and the cable that carries the two together. The connector is the mechanical end of the parallel run – the shell, the pins, the keying, the gender – and the order fields that keep the two ends matched to the run between them. This guide covers the two connector families (the D-Sub 25, the Centronics 36), the genders (the male plug, the female socket), the parts they serve (the cable ends, the panel mount, the adapter’s port), and the order fields that keep the connector build correct.
Quick Answer / Technical Summary
The LPT connector is the parallel port’s connector as the part, and it comes in two families and two genders. The D-Sub 25 is the computer-side connector – the wide two-row 25, the male plug that seats in the port’s female, the female socket that is the port’s face and the adapter’s port. The Centronics 36 is the printer-side connector – the 36-pin connector the printer cable’s printer end carries, the input the legacy printer takes. The genders are the male (the plug, the pins) and the female (the socket, the receptacles), and the parts they serve are the cable ends (the D-Sub 25 male on the machine end, the Centronics 36 on the printer end), the panel mount (the D-Sub 25 female as the socket), and the adapter’s port (the D-Sub 25 female in the USB-to-parallel adapter’s body). The order fields: the family (D-Sub 25, Centronics 36), the gender (male, female), and the part’s role (cable end, panel, adapter).
The Two Connector Families
The parallel run’s connectors come in two families, one per end. The D-Sub 25 is the computer side: the wide two-row 25-pin shell, the D-Sub construction the legacy I/O built on, the connector the machine’s port carries (the female) and the cable’s machine end carries (the male). The Centronics 36 is the printer side: the 36-pin connector, the larger shell the printer cable’s printer end seats in, the input the legacy printer takes. The two families are the run’s two ends – the D-Sub 25 on the machine, the Centronics 36 on the printer – and the cable that joins them is the D-Sub 25 to Centronics 36 run. On the printers that take the D-Sub 25 direct, the run is the D-Sub 25 to D-Sub 25, the same family on both ends. The families are the connector field: the D-Sub 25 the computer side, the Centronics 36 the printer side, the printer’s input the spec that selects the cable’s printer end.
The D-Sub 25 computer side, the Centronics 36 printer side – the two families the run’s ends carry, the printer’s input selecting the cable’s end.
The Genders: Male and Female
The connector’s gender is the plug and the socket: the male carries the pins (the plug that seats), the female carries the receptacles (the socket that receives). The machine’s port is the D-Sub 25 female – the socket on the panel, the face the cable’s male seats in. The cable’s machine end is the D-Sub 25 male – the plug, the pins that seat in the port’s female. The adapter’s port is the D-Sub 25 female – the socket in the body, the recreated port the cable’s male seats in. The Centronics 36 on the printer cable’s printer end is the plug form that seats in the printer’s Centronics socket. The gender is the mating field: the male seats in the female, the plug in the socket, and the order states the gender per end – the cable’s machine end male, the port female, the adapter’s port female, the printer end against the printer’s input. The genders keep the run’s ends mated, and the mismatch is the connector that does not seat.
The male the plug, the female the socket – the gender per end stated on the order, the mismatch the connector that does not seat.
The Parts the Connectors Serve
The connectors serve three part roles. The cable ends: the D-Sub 25 male on the machine end of the printer cable, the Centronics 36 (or the D-Sub 25) on the printer end – the connectors as the cable’s terminated ends, the run’s mechanical face. The panel mount: the D-Sub 25 female as the socket – the port’s face on the machine’s panel, the panel-mount connector the build’s I/O carries. The adapter’s port: the D-Sub 25 female in the USB-to-parallel adapter’s body – the recreated port, the socket the cable’s machine end seats in on the modern machine. The three roles are the connector’s part life: the cable end, the panel socket, the adapter port – the D-Sub 25 and the Centronics 36 serving the parallel run at its ends and at the panel and the adapter. The order selects the role and the connector and the gender, and the part is the connector in its role.
The cable end, the panel socket, the adapter port – the connector’s three part roles, the D-Sub 25 and the Centronics 36 serving them.
The Order Fields for the Connector
The connector orders on three fields. The family: the D-Sub 25 (the computer side, the cable’s machine end, the adapter’s port) or the Centronics 36 (the printer cable’s printer end, against the printer’s Centronics input). The gender: the male (the plug, the cable’s machine end) or the female (the socket, the panel port, the adapter’s port). The role: the cable end (the terminated connector on the run), the panel mount (the socket on the build’s I/O), or the adapter’s port (the socket in the body). The three fields – the family, the gender, the role – state the connector on the order line, and the receiving check is the seat: the male in the female, the cable’s end in the port, the adapter’s port taking the cable. The connector is the mechanical end of the run, and the three fields keep it mated at both ends of the parallel connection.
The family, the gender, the role – the three fields of the connector order, the seat the receiving check.
Technical Specifications & Performance Benchmarks
| Item | The Detail | The Role | The Order Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-Sub 25 (computer side) | The wide two-row 25 | Port face, cable end, adapter port | Family: D-Sub 25 |
| Centronics 36 (printer side) | The 36-pin printer input | The cable’s printer end | Family: Centronics 36 |
| The male | The plug, the pins | The cable’s machine end | Gender: male |
| The female | The socket, the receptacles | The panel port, the adapter port | Gender: female |
| The roles | Cable end / panel / adapter | The connector’s part life | Role: the part’s position |
Industrial & Enterprise Application Scenarios
- The Cable’s Two Ends: The printer cable terminated – the D-Sub 25 male on the machine end, the Centronics 36 on the printer end, the families and the genders stated, the run mated at both ends.
- The Panel Socket: The build’s I/O panel carrying the D-Sub 25 female – the port’s face, the panel-mount socket the machine’s parallel connection seats in.
- The Adapter’s Port: The USB-to-parallel adapter’s D-Sub 25 female – the recreated port in the body, the cable’s machine end seating in it on the modern machine.
- The Receiving Seat Check: Inbound connectors checked by the seat – the male in the female, the cable’s end in the port, the family and the gender confirmed before the kit ships.
System Integration & Recommended Connectivity Infrastructure
To build a complete workstation or AV/network connectivity stack, pair these adapters, hubs, and conversion parts with our certified data, video, and network interconnect range:
- 25 pin printer port: The D-Sub 25’s pinout – the data, control, and status lines on the 25 positions – is the full guide in the 25 pin printer port article, the connector’s signal side.
- parallel interface cable: The run these connectors terminate – the D-Sub 25 to Centronics 36 and the D-Sub 25 to D-Sub 25 printer cables – is the cable guide in the parallel interface cable article.
- adapter series: The adapter’s D-Sub 25 female port – the recreated LPT on the modern machine – is the adapter series’ legacy-parallel member, the connector the adapter carries.
- lpt port: The port this connector mates with – the LPT port’s identification and the connections it serves – is the full guide in the lpt port article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is the LPT connector?
The parallel port’s connector as the part: the D-Sub 25 on the computer side (the port’s female, the cable’s male, the adapter’s port) and the Centronics 36 on the printer side (the cable’s printer end). The two families, in the male and the female, serving the cable ends, the panel, and the adapter.
Q: D-Sub 25 or Centronics 36 on my cable?
The D-Sub 25 on the machine end (seating in the port’s female or the adapter’s port), the Centronics 36 on the printer end (seating in the printer’s Centronics input). On the printers that take the D-Sub 25 direct, the run is D-Sub 25 to D-Sub 25 – the printer’s input selects the cable’s printer end.
Q: Male or female?
The machine’s port is the female (the socket), the cable’s machine end is the male (the plug), the adapter’s port is the female. The gender is stated per end on the order, and the mismatch is the connector that does not seat.
Q: How do I order the connector parts?
Three fields: the family (D-Sub 25, Centronics 36), the gender (male, female), and the role (cable end, panel mount, adapter port). The three state the connector on the line, and the receiving check is the seat.