Hirose 7-pin DUB

The Hirose 7-pin DUB connector (also called locking 7-pin DIN or 7-pin DUB connector) is a circular locking connector manufactured by Hirose Electric, used on U-matic VTRs and some professional S-VHS equipment for carrying Y/C DUB color-under signals.

Overview

The connector features a locking ring mechanism similar to a BNC connector, providing a secure connection resistant to accidental disconnection. It carries separated luminance and chrominance video signals at color-under frequencies, along with sync and framing pulse signals.

The Hirose 7-pin DUB connector is found on most U-matic decks as "DUB IN" and "DUB OUT" ports, enabling direct machine-to-machine dubbing and connection to time base correctors without the signal degradation introduced by composite encoding and decoding.

Part Numbers

Part Number	Type	Usage
RM12BPE-7P (71)	Male plug	DUB OUT (on VTR)
RM12BPE-7PH (71)	Male plug (right-angle)	DUB OUT (on VTR)
RM12BPE-7S (71)	Female socket	DUB IN (on VTR)

Pinout

Pin	Signal	Description
1	Y	Luminance
2	C	Chrominance (color-under frequency)
3	GND	Ground (Y)
4	GND	Ground (C)
5	Sync	Composite sync
6	CF	Color framing pulse
7	GND	Ground (Sync/CF)

Note: Pinout may vary between manufacturers. Some early JVC S-VHS equipment used the same physical connector with a different pinout for standard-frequency Y/C signals.

Compatible Equipment

The Hirose 7-pin DUB connector is found on:

Most Sony U-matic decks (VO-5800, VO-5850, BVU-series, etc.)
Some JVC professional S-VHS decks
Time base correctors with DUB input support (DPS-295, FOR-A FA-300, etc.)
Transcoders such as the Digital Processing Systems DPS-210

Sourcing

The connectors are still manufactured by Hirose Electric and available from electronics distributors such as Digi-Key and Mouser. Pre-made DUB cables with genuine Hirose connectors are available from specialist suppliers.