plugboard
nounUK /ˈplʌɡbɔːd/
US /ˈplʌɡbɔːrd/
A board with holes where you put plugs to connect things.
The old computer used a plugboard to change how it worked.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A removable panel on a machine where cables are plugged in.
He connected the printer to the plugboard on the back of the machine.
3. A device used in early computers and cipher machines to set connections by hand.
The Enigma machine's plugboard swapped letters before encoding.
4. A board in a telephone exchange where operators plugged cords to connect calls.
The operator pulled a cord from the plugboard to link the two callers.