A coaxial converter is a device which converts an audio-visual connector to a single-pin plug. Technically coaxial refers to a type of physical cable, but in this context it usually means a specific type of plug. It’s possible to use a coaxial converter in more than one setting, with different technology used in each. The most common are in converting RCA audio-visual leads, or in converting an optical audio lead.
Coaxial cables involve four components: a central copper cable, a plastic insulator around this, a copper shield around that, and a plastic sheath around the outside. This set-up allows the cable to transmit information through radio frequencies in the form of an electric current, while minimizing interference. The term coaxial comes from the fact that the two copper components travel in the same direction: that is, they share an axis.
In the context of a converter, coaxial has more than one possible meaning. The converter may simply be a physical converter which combines multiple signals into a single coaxial lead and socket. It may also refer to changing a signal from an optical pulse to an electrical signal.
One specific form of coaxial converter works with RCA cables. These are a set of three cables which carry the picture, left-channel audio and right-channel audio respectively. They are known in some countries as composite cable.
The converter used in this situation will take these three cables and combine the information into a single coaxial cable. This then plugs into a one-pin socket on a television. This socket is known as either an RF socket or simply an aerial socket. It’s worth noting that this is only a physical solution and won’t necessarily produce a suitable signal to display a picture. That will either require a separate device known as an RF modulator, or for the signal to be routed through something with a modulator built-in, such as a video recorder.
Another form of coaxial converter works in digital audio. It takes a signal from a device emitting an optical signal which works by sending light pulses down a fiber optic cable. The converter then takes the information from this optical signal and outputs it as an electrical signal which can be carried by a coaxial cable. Because this is changing the signal itself, rather than just making the cable physically fit a socket, this type of coaxial converter will normally require its own power supply.
