The Sony K-connector is a 14-pin circular plastic connector (Hirose Electric type RM15, model D) introduced on Betamax portapak decks such as the SL-2000 and SL-3000 to replace the earlier EIAJ 10-pin (J-type) camera interface. Known by the cable designation CCK (Camera Cable K-type), it carries composite video in both directions, stereo audio to and from the camera, 12 V power, and several control lines including pause, record review, and a tally signal. Sony adopted the 14-pin format to add stereo audio channels and additional control functions that the earlier 10-pin standard lacked. Not all machines implement all available options, and several cameras use the pins for different purposes — only connect equipment designed to interface with each other.
14 PIN Female
14 PIN Male
| Pin | Signal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Camera video out |
| 2 | Camera video out ground |
| 3 | Camera video in |
| 4 | Camera video in ground |
| 5 | Camera pause. Shorting this pin momentarily to ground will toggle between pause and record or play mode. |
| 6 | Tally signal from the video to the camera. This causes the red light in the view finder to be displayed on the camera. It puts 5v on the pin when the video is in Record Mode, Playback, Audio Dub, x2 or Cue/Review mode. |
| 7 | Camera audio out CH-2 |
| 8 | Record review. When the record review switch is pressed on the camera the video plays the last three seconds of the previous recording for monitoring. |
| 9 | Camera audio out CH-1 |
| 10 | Audio ground |
| 11 | Camera audio in CH-1 |
| 12 | Camera audio in CH-2 |
| 13 | Camera power 12v in. Note, this is internally fused in the VCR |
| 14 | Power ground |
Notes
The connector body is a Hirose Electric RM15 series circular plastic shell; the inline mating plug is part number RM15TJD-10S and the panel-mount socket is RM15TRD-10S. The 12 V supply on pin 13 is fused internally within the VCR, not in the camera or cable. Pin 5 behaviour can differ between models: some cameras use a momentary low-going pulse to toggle pause, others use a sustained logic level or a high-going pulse of approximately 200 ms. The signal direction on pin 3 may also vary — on some implementations it carries video from the VCR to the camera (viewfinder feed) rather than camera video in. Always verify compatibility before interconnecting equipment from different model years. The CCK-4MP adaptor cable converts the K-type connector to BNC (video), phono, and mini-plug (audio) terminations over a 1.5 m length.
Signals
- Camera video out — composite video signal from camera to VCR (pin 1); pin 2 is the associated shield/ground
- Camera video in — composite video from VCR to camera, typically used as a viewfinder feed (pin 3); pin 4 is the associated shield/ground; direction may vary by model
- Camera pause — momentary grounding of pin 5 toggles the VCR between pause and record/play; trigger polarity and pulse duration differ across camera models
- Tally — pin 6 carries +5 V from the VCR to the camera whenever the deck is in Record, Playback, Audio Dub, ×2 speed, or Cue/Review mode, illuminating the camera’s record indicator light
- Camera audio out CH-1 / CH-2 — stereo audio signals from camera to VCR on pins 9 and 7 respectively; pin 10 is the shared audio ground
- Camera audio in CH-1 / CH-2 — stereo audio return from VCR to camera on pins 11 and 12 respectively; used for audio monitoring or dubbing
- Record review — grounding pin 8 via the camera’s record-review button causes the VCR to play back the last three seconds of the most recent recording for monitoring purposes
- Camera power — pin 13 supplies 12 V DC from the VCR to the camera; this rail is internally fused within the VCR; pin 14 is the power ground return