Computer keyboard and mouse question

BTW, I didn't see that coming. All these years and I don't remember every learning about mini-DIN, and all I know about DIN is that car radios come in that size.

Deutsches Institut für Normung The German standards agency. They are sort of like NEMA or SAE

DIN is a "standaed" - not a size.

DIN, Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (German Institute for Standardization) develops norms and standards for rationalization, quality assurance, environmental protection, safety and communication in industry, technology, science, and government, as well as the public domain

something like ISO and SAE and ANSI and ASTM combined.

The first I heard of DIN was in about 1975, with my father's tape deck (IIRC, the brand name was Dokorder). At one time he suspected that the problem was in the audio connectors. Since this tape deck had a (5-pin) DIN connector (same as old PC keyboards?) he got an adapter (4 RCA jacks to 5-pin DIN plug).

Ed Pawlowski posted for all of us...

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Ok, I didn't read it correctly (again) :-(

Mark Lloyd posted for all of us...

Thanks for the correction.

It's probably better to refer to these round connectors as PS/2 connectors, although they are a mini-DIN connector. "DIN connector" covers a lot of things that aren't used for PC keyboards and mice.

Just as examples, the IBM AT keyboard connector is a DIN connector, and both Apple and Sun used mini-DIN connectors for keyboard and mouse connections.

IIRC, MIDI connectors are also mini-DIN.