That Weird 7-Pin S-Video Port on Old Laptops

Even though laptops from around the early 2000s came with just about every conceivable port on them, they still would often feature a somewhat unusual combined video output port. That Weird 7-Pin S-Video Port on Old Laptops. While at its core this was just a 4-pin analog S-video output, the three additional pins on the mini-DIN connector provided some more features.

Of course, as [VWestlife] found out during his archaeological research, not every manufacturer used the same pinout here. The naming for this specific port differs, with the name ‘S-video+’ appearing regularly, yet many descriptions glossing over the additional pins and only mentioning that it can be used with a 4-pin S-video connector. As it turns out, most manufacturers used roughly the same pinout, matching the shown Dell one.

This adds composite output, along with two S/PDIF digital audio pins that could be routed out with an adapter into their full-sized ports. Of course, the Apple PowerBook G4 had to be that exception again, with it omitting the audio pins and putting the composite signal on pin 5. This left the last two pins completely unused, but serving to completely confuse anyone who thought that they could get more out of the port with an adapter for those uncouth PC systems.