patchboard
nounUK /ˈpætʃbɔːd/
US /ˈpætʃbɔːrd/
A board with many holes where you plug in wires to connect things.
The engineer plugged the cables into the patchboard to connect the phone lines.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A board used in early computers where wires were plugged to set up a program.
The old computer used a patchboard to control its circuits.
3. A panel in a recording studio for routing audio signals.
She patched the microphone into the mixing desk through the patchboard.
4. A board with patches or small pieces of material attached.
The quilt was made from a colorful patchboard of old fabrics.