What kinda connector is this?

[wolfman005]

Went to a grade school to help them with some mic problems and the teacher that maintains their sound system gave me a bunch of weird XLR. Has a regular 3 pin male on one end and the other is like a female recepticale but the sleeves for the pins are pulled out of the XLR socket. They don't lock together so I wouldn't think it could be a goofy extension system. Any thoughts?

 

[Amiers]

Looks like bldg maintenance got a work order and didn't know what they were doing.

 

[cmckeeman]

Buy some regular xlr ends, cut up the old cables and make them right.

 

[wolfman005]

Looks like bldg maintenance got a work order and didn't know what they were doing.

They don't look damaged or forced to be like that. I think this was an off the shelf product but I can't imagine what for. Once I came across a fog machine that had a 5 pin adapter like this.

@cmckeeman I probably will at some point but as of now I'm more curious as to what these are for.

 

[Floobydust]

Looks like an XLR female with most of the body removed, leaving only the back part. As above, cut and replace with new connectors.

 

[wolfman005]

The body is there and the sleeves aren't pulled out of the green insulator. They actually extend to the back of the strain relief.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

It looks to *me* like someone built an XLR with the insert reversed; you're seeing the solder pots that ought to be inside the shell with cable soldered into them...

 

[wolfman005]

But what is the purpose?

 

[Jay Ashworth]

"Facilities engineer without a clue"?

It's too early for "April Fools Joke"...

 

[venuetech]

But what is the purpose?

the purpose is to get a person to recognize that "this ain't right" and replace the unusable connector.

Its likely that someone unfamiliar with the latch just forced the issue and ripped the connector apart in an attempt to unplug it. It would not surprise me if you found the remains still in the mate.

 

[wolfman005]

@venuetech, forgive me if I am misunderstanding your implied comment, but if you look at the 4th comment I already said I would replace the ends. I am just curious as to what this could have been used for because I like to know things that "ain't right"

 

[venuetech]

oops i missed your #4
I do not believe it was done on purpose but was the end result of some sort of abuse by someone who was "helping"
the insert is not made to come apart but it will if it is forced.
I have lost a neutrk shell to a camera operator who unscrewed the strain relief then took the cable and insert out of the shell rather than pushing the latch tab and unplugging the entire connector.

 

[wolfman005]

@venuetech, my apologies, just a bit tense right now. Probably shouldn't be on social media.
The thing the puzzles me the most is I have about 20 of these cables...I'd get it if one or two got forced but 20 is a lot.

 

[DuckJordan]

Unless they thought thats how it was supposed to be.

 

[taptotweet]

It looks to *me* like someone built an XLR with the insert reversed; you're seeing the solder pots that ought to be inside the shell with cable soldered into them...

I'm with Jay, it looks as if the the insert is the wrong way round. If you look closely, the pins have the solder pot on them.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Oh, you want motivation?

I think someone who didn't have either type of connector around to look at though they were supposed to be females, rather than the males I surmise they actually are, and soldered them on that way cause, see? they have female pins?

Alternatively, someone who knows was ordered to put "these female ends on these cables", and handed male plugs, and possibly ignored when they tried to correct someone, and this was White Mutiny.

I kinda lean to the latter explanation, myself.

 

[venuetech]

the photo is of a female insert that has been disassembled. Just why someone would do that to twenty connectors i don't know.
I retired an old switchcraft female, I tried to force it but ended up taking a grinder to the stainless steel shell. It was a real effort to take that thing apart.
the rear part of the insert is brown in this case not the blue-green of the outer part

 

[wolfman005]

I guess it will forever remain a mystery.

 

[Amiers]

You should post pictures of the connector everywhere in the building and say have you seen a connector like this call (yada yada) and see what kind of call ya get from the staff.