DIN-5 MIDI Pinout
The 5-pin 180-degree DIN connector carrying the MIDI current-loop serial signal.
Overview
MIDI uses a 5-pin 180-degree DIN connector but only three of its pins are active: the signal travels as a 5mA opto-isolated current loop. Pin 4 is the current source and pin 5 the current sink, carrying the 31.25 kbaud serial data; pin 2 is the shield.
Pins 1 and 3 are left unconnected in standard MIDI to maintain opto-isolation between devices, which prevents ground loops. The connector body and pin numbering follow the DIN 41524 standard.
Pinout
| Pin | Name | Function | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not connected | SIGNAL | Unused in standard MIDI (leave open) |
| 2 | Shield / Ground | GND | Cable shield, connected at output end only |
| 3 | Not connected | SIGNAL | Unused in standard MIDI (leave open) |
| 4 | Current source (+) | SIGNAL | Loop current source from the driving output |
| 5 | Current sink (data) | DATA | Switched serial data line (current sink) |
Notes
- Pin numbering on a 5-pin DIN is not sequential around the arc: order is 1, 4, 2, 5, 3 left to right.
- Pins 1 and 3 are reserved/unused in classic MIDI; some implementations use them for power.
Reference: MIDI 1.0 Electrical Specification / SparkFun MIDI Tutorial· verified 2026-06-27