Pin

(1) In dot-matrix printers, the devices that press on the ink ribbon to make dots on the paper. Printers are classified by how many pins they have on the printer head. The more pins a printer has, the higher-quality type it is capable of producing. Dot-matrix printers can have anywhere from 9 to 24 pins. A 24-pin printer can produce letter-quality print.

(2) A male lead on a connector.

(3) Silicon chips have an array of thin metal feet (pins) on their underside that enables them to be attached to a circuit board. The pins are very delicate and easily bent. If they are damaged, the chip will not sit correctly and will malfunction.

Webopedia Staff
Webopedia Staff
Since 1995, more than 100 tech experts and researchers have kept Webopedia’s definitions, articles, and study guides up to date. For more information on current editorial staff, please visit our About page.

Related Articles

@ Sign

Pronounced at sign or simply as at, this symbol is used in e-mail addressing to separate the user' name from the user's domain name,...

Munging

(MUHN-jing) Munging (address munging), is the act of altering an email address posted on a Web page to make it unreadable to bots and...

How to Create an RSS Feed

In the second installment of RSS how-to, we look at some of the nonrequired (optional) channel and item tags, discuss RSS specifications in-depth and...

Dictionary Attack

(n.) (1) A method used to break security systems, specifically password-based security systems, in which the attacker systematically tests all possible passwords beginning with...

ScalaHosting

ScalaHosting is a leading managed hosting provider that offers secure, scalable, and affordable...

HRIS

Human resources information system (HRIS) solutions help businesses manage multiple facets of their...

Best Managed Service Providers...

In today's business world, managed services are more critical than ever. They can...