# Anyone recognize this cable?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recognize-this-cable/188425>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 14, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recognize-this-cable/188425 "2003-07-14T17:05:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recognize-this-cable/188425/1 "2003-07-14T17:05:40Z")

</div>

I was cleaning up my house the other day and found a cable, still wrapped in plastic. It’s black, has a standard flat USB plug on one end, and a plug that looks like an RJ45 on the other, but upon closer examination, has got 10 pins (5 connected) rather than 8 as on an RJ45. Anyone know?

Thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recognize-this-cable/188425/2 "2003-07-14T19:23:13Z")

</div>

Could be almost anything. Got a UPS with USB connectivity? UPSs often have RJ style connectors on them for some reason, even if the connection is serial or other.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recognize-this-cable/188425/3 "2003-07-14T19:28:43Z")

</div>

Could be a UPS cable for hooking up the UPS to your computer. I got one in the last UPS I bought. It was exactly as you described, right down to the color. It came from a APC UPS.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-recognize-this-cable/188425/4 "2003-07-14T19:55:27Z")

</div>

That sounds like it, it was near the box from my APC UPS. Thanks!