PS/2

Updated: 12/10/2023 by Computer Hope

PS/2 may refer to any of the following:

Green and purple computer PS/2 ports.

1. The PS/2 (Personal System/2) port, also called the mouse port or keyboard port, was developed by IBM. It is used to connect a computer mouse or keyboard to an IBM compatible computer. The PS/2 port is a mini DIN plug containing six pins and is still sometimes found on all IBM compatible computers.

Note

Today, new computers use USB (universal serial bus) for the keyboard and mouse.

The picture shows what the PS/2 ports may look like on the back of your computer. As seen in the pictures, many computers have adopted the color codes purple and teal as identifications for each of the port. The mouse is teal and the keyboard is purple.

Note

PS/2 was featured as a top term of 1990.

Below, the picture shows a teal green PS/2 plug and an illustration of the PS/2 connection with its pin layouts.

PS2 computer mouse cable

Why is my PS/2 port half purple and half green?

For newer motherboards that still have a PS/2 port, for backward compatibility there may be one PS/2 port that is half purple and half green (teal). This port can accept either a PS/2 keyboard or PS/2 mouse.

What gender is the PS/2 port and plug?

The PS/2 port is a female and the PS/2 plug is a male gender.

6 pin PS/2 specifications

Pin Voltage Assignment
1 +2.0 to +5.5v Keyboard Data
2 +4.8 to +5.5v Reserved
3 Ground Ground
4 +2.0 to +5.5v +5.0V DC
5 +2.0 to +5.5v Keyboard Clock
6 +2.0 to +5.5v Reserved

2. PS/2 was an IBM computer introduced in 1987. It featured improved graphics, a 3.5-inch diskette drive, a proprietary bus to help prevent clone makers competition, and a bidirectional 8-bit port.

3. PS2 is short for PlayStation 2, see our PlayStation page for further information about this console and other PlayStation consoles.

AT Keyboard, Cable, Computer acronyms, Connection, Data cable, Hardware terms, Keyboard terms, Motherboard terms, Mouse terms, Port, PS/2 Bus