Pinout Diagrams

All electronic components have pins (also referred to as leads), which are electrical connections consisting of a length of wire that allows the component to be mounted on a circuit board and connected to other components. While components, such as capacitors, resistors, and inductors, contain only two pins,integrated circuits (ICs) have many more.

A pinout (or a pinout diagram) is a diagrammatic representation of the pins of an electronic component with labels indicating their function.

The functions of pins in components are power or data related, must be clearly specified for proper connections to be made with other ones in the circuit or to the power supply. When components are connected, all connected pins must be compatible in function. If pins of disparate functions are allowed to make contact, the circuit will not function as expected and even result in damage to the chips. Therefore, pinouts are a vital reference when designing, assembling, and testing circuits.

The pinout can be shown as a table or diagram, with clear instructions on how to view the diagram, stating if it shows the front or back of the component. Components usually have a notch or a dot or some reference indicator that serves as the basis for orientation to read the pinout diagram.