# Pins on Plug from Monitor to Computer **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pins-on-plug-from-monitor-to-computer/452535 "2008-06-11T04:41:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![notlikely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@notlikely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notlikely)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pins-on-plug-from-monitor-to-computer/452535/1 "2008-06-11T04:41:39Z")
Ok I was going from my old comuter to my new one and I had to unplug the monitor from one to the other. In the process the pin in the plug that goes from the monitor to the computer got bent. It’s a CRT monitor and if you look you can see the plug (I guess that is what you call it) that goes from the montior to the computer has like four pins in three rows. … … … Somthing like that Well anyway I was trying to straighten the pin with a needlenose when it broke. Oh great I thought now I have to buy a whole new monitor. Anyway I plugged it in and turned on the computer and the monitor worked fine. So my question is why are there all those “pins” 2 rows of 4 pins (it might be 5 actually), why aren’t all of them needed? How come I was able to break off one (accidently) and still have the monitor work. I hope I described this well enough to make sense. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pins-on-plug-from-monitor-to-computer/452535/2 "2008-06-11T04:46:44Z")
[QUOTE=notlikely] Ok I was going from my old comuter to my new one and I had to unplug the monitor from one to the other. In the process the pin in the plug that goes from the monitor to the computer got bent. It’s a CRT monitor and if you look you can see the plug (I guess that is what you call it) that goes from the montior to the computer has like four pins in three rows. … … … Somthing like that Well anyway I was trying to straighten the pin with a needlenose when it broke. Oh great I thought now I have to buy a whole new monitor. Anyway I plugged it in and turned on the computer and the monitor worked fine. So my question is why are there all those “pins” 2 rows of 4 pins (it might be 5 actually), why aren’t all of them needed? How come I was able to break off one (accidently) and still have the monitor work. I hope I described this well enough to make sense. [/QUOTE] See > **[ePanorama.net - VGA analogue display connector](https://www.epanorama.net/documents/pc/vga_bd15.html)** Which pin is missing? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pins-on-plug-from-monitor-to-computer/452535/3 "2008-06-11T04:48:39Z")
You sound like you are describing a DB-15 VGA connector. it has 3 rows of 5 pins. Each color (R,G,B) has it’s own ground pin. If you break off one of these grounds, the monitor will still work, but that color might be a bit less sharp than otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![notlikely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@notlikely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notlikely)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pins-on-plug-from-monitor-to-computer/452535/4 "2008-06-11T05:55:24Z")
I’m missing the the first or fifth pin on the middle row.