Monoprice 101597 DB25 M/F 100ft Molded Cable

The Monoprice 101597 is a 100-foot DB25 male-to-female molded cable designed for extending legacy parallel and serial connections over long runs. The DB25 connector — a 25-pin D-subminiature interface — was the standard for parallel printer ports (IEEE 1284), RS-232 serial communication, and various industrial control applications before USB and Ethernet took over. At 100 feet, this cable targets installations where legacy equipment sits far from its host system — think warehouse printers, industrial controllers on a factory floor, or broadcast equipment in a facility where cable runs pass through walls and ceilings. The male-to-female configuration makes it function as an extension cable, connecting directly between an existing DB25 port and a device or adding length to a shorter existing cable.

Molded connectors provide integrated strain relief, which matters on a cable this long because the weight of the run itself creates pulling force at the termination points. That said, 100 feet pushes the practical limits of DB25 parallel communication — IEEE 1284 signals degrade beyond roughly 15-30 feet at higher data rates, so this cable is most reliable for serial RS-232 applications where the spec supports runs up to 50-100 feet at standard baud rates. The listing's note that the received item may not match the photo or specs introduces some ambiguity, so confirming the exact pinout and shielding upon receipt is advisable for mission-critical installations. For the price point, this is a practical solution for legacy connectivity problems where custom cable fabrication would be the only alternative.