Daisy chain (electrical engineering)

Daisy chains may be used for power, analog signals, digital data, or a combination thereof.

The term daisy chain may refer either to large scale devices connected in series, such as a series of power strips plugged into each other to form a single long line of strips, or to the wiring patterns embedded inside of devices.

Other examples of devices which can be used to form daisy chains are those based on Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, Thunderbolt and Ethernet cables.

For analog signals, connections usually consist of a simple electrical bus and, especially in the case of a chain of many devices, may require the use of one or more repeaters or amplifiers within the chain to counteract attenuation (the natural loss of energy in such a system).

Another reason for creating a daisy chain is to camouflage activity while engaged in cybercrime.