Cable and Interface Quick Guide

A reference page for Workshop 1 Hardware and Networks and Raspberry Pi - Setting Up. Use this when you're not sure what a cable is called or where it fits.

Every cable has a unique shape. If a cable feels like it's being forced, it's the wrong port. Below is the field guide — common name, the proper name, and what it plugs into. The photos show different examples from the ones in the Workshop 1 setup video, so you can recognise the same cable wherever you see it.

microSD card

A 2 GB microSD card. Image by Afrank99, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Common name: microSD
• Proper name: Secure Digital — micro form factor
• Fits into: the slim slot on the underside of a Raspberry Pi, in phones, in some cameras and drones. The full-size SD card is bigger and goes in laptops, DSLRs, and card readers.
• Holds: the Pi's operating system. It's the Pi's "hard drive".
• Look for: the tiny gold contacts on one side, and the diagonal corner that tells you which way is up.

USB-A

A USB Type-A plug. Image by André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Common name: USB plug, "the rectangular one"
• Proper name: USB Type-A
• Fits into: USB-A ports on the Pi, laptops, desktops, hubs, TVs.
• Used for: keyboards, mice, USB sticks, external drives, charging cables for older devices. Same plug on all of them — that's why one port can power so many different things.
• Look for: a flat rectangle. Only fits one way up — but you usually have to flip it twice before realising.

Micro HDMI

A micro HDMI cable end. Image by Pradeep717, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Common name: "the small HDMI"
• Proper name: HDMI Type-D (micro HDMI)
• Fits into: the Pi 5's two display ports. The plug at the other end of the cable is normally full-size HDMI (Type-A) for the monitor.
• Used for: carrying video and audio from the Pi to a monitor or TV.
• Look for: the flattened trapezoid shape — wider at one edge, narrower at the other. There's only one way it fits.
• Heads up: a regular full-size HDMI cable will not fit a Pi 5. You need the micro version, or a small adapter.

Ethernet (RJ45)

An RJ45 Ethernet port — the socket the cable plugs into. Image by Ajay Suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Common name: network cable, internet cable
• Proper name: RJ45 — short for Registered Jack 45 (an 8-pin connector)
• Fits into: the Pi's Ethernet port (the kind of socket pictured above), the back of routers, switches, modems, and most desktop PCs.
• Used for: wired internet — usually faster and more stable than Wi-Fi.
• Look for: the little plastic clip on top of the plug that clicks when fully inserted into the socket. To unplug, push the clip down with your thumb first.

USB-C

A USB-C plug. Image by Fructibus, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

• Common name: USB-C, the modern phone charger
• Proper name: USB Type-C
• Fits into: Pi 5 power input, recent Android phones, modern laptops, iPads, Switch consoles.
• Used for: power on the Pi. (USB-C can also carry data and video on other devices.)
• Look for: the small oval plug. Reversible — it fits both ways up. This is the only modern plug that doesn't make you flip it.
• Heads up: the Pi has no on/off switch. Plugging in USB-C power is what turns the Pi on. Always plug power in last, after everything else is connected.

Have a Go

Question ① — A cable has a flat rectangular plug at one end and a small oval plug at the other. What are the two names? Where does each end go on a Pi 5?

Question ② — Your monitor only has full-size HDMI ports. The Pi 5 only has micro HDMI ports. What do you need to buy?

Question ③ — Why does Ethernet click into place but HDMI just slides in? What problem is the click solving?

Question ④ — Pick a cable on this page. Find one at home. Take a photo of both ends and label what each end is called.

See also: Raspberry Pi - Setting Up · Workshop 1 Hardware and Networks · Raspberry Pi Foundation - What Is A Raspberry Pi

Last updated: May 2026.

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