12 pin Sony Playstation special connector at the Playstation.
The Sony AV Multi Out is a proprietary 12-pin square-type connector (Sony internal designation “CONNECTOR, SQUARE TYPE 12P”) used as the sole audio/video output port on all PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 consoles. Designated CN502 on PlayStation hardware schematics, the connector carries composite video, S-Video (Y/C), RGB, stereo audio, and a +5 V DC supply output across its twelve pins. PlayStation 2 extended the same connector to also output YCbCr component video and XGA progressive-scan signals by electronically re-assigning the RGB pin group depending on the accessory cable connected. The pin assignments and connector body remained unchanged across all PlayStation hardware revisions from the original SCPH-1000 (1994) through PlayStation 3 Slim (2013).
| Pin | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GND | Ground |
| 2 | RT | Right Audio |
| 3 | LT | Left Audio |
| 4 | GND | Ground |
| 5 | Y | S-Video Y |
| 6 | SYNC | Composite Sync |
| 7 | C | S-Video C |
| 8 | VGND | Video Ground |
| 9 | B | Blue |
| 10 | +5V | +5 VDC |
| 11 | R | Red |
| 12 | G | Green |
Signals
- GND — Signal ground returns (pins 1 and 4); pin 1 corresponds to mono/mask ground (M_G in Sony schematics), pin 4 to audio ground (AUGND).
- RT — Stereo audio right channel output.
- LT — Stereo audio left channel output.
- Y — S-Video luminance (luma) signal.
- SYNC — Composite video signal; also serves as the sync reference when using RGB output, as no dedicated composite-sync pin is present.
- C — S-Video chrominance (chroma) signal.
- VGND — Video ground return (VIGND/YCGND in Sony schematics); shared reference for video signals.
- B — Blue component of RGB video; re-used for Cb/Pb in YCbCr component mode on PlayStation 2.
- +5V — +5 V DC output supplied by the console; labelled DCOUT in Sony schematics.
- R — Red component of RGB video; re-used for Cr/Pr in YCbCr component mode on PlayStation 2.
- G — Green component of RGB video; re-used for Y (luma) in YCbCr component mode on PlayStation 2.
Notes
The AV Multi Out connector is entirely Sony-proprietary; Sony Computer Entertainment never published a public specification for the connector body or its pin assignments. The connector part number is 1-779-029-11 on SCPH-9000 series hardware and 1-779-029-71 / 1-779-029-81 on PS one (SCPH-100 series) hardware. RGB output from PlayStation 1 requires coupling capacitors (approximately 220 µF) in each RGB line within the accessory cable, and uses the composite video signal on pin 6 as sync. PlayStation 2 outputs are officially listed as RGB, YCbCr, Y/C, composite video, audio L/R, and XGA through the same connector, with the active mode selected automatically by the console based on cable type. All six regional SCPH-9000 variants and all SCPH-100 series models carry a single AV Multi Out port on the rear panel.
References
- Sony PlayStation SCPH-9000 Series Service Manual (3rd Edition)
- Sony PS one SCPH-100 Series Service Manual (5th Edition)
- PlayStation SCPH-9000 Series Game Console Service Manual – schematic PU-23 board
- Sony PlayStation 2 SCPH-30000 Series Service Manual (6th Edition)
- Sony PlayStation 2 SCPH-50000 Series Service Manual (2nd Edition)