Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before (some kind of DB9 adapter kit for non DB9 intellivisions?)

[8bitwidgets.com]

First draft.. need to get a few things adjusted but i'm happy with it.. very snug and sturdy frame to protect the wires and be accessible if a wire ever came lose to fix.  

[8bitwidgets.com]

Looking forward to print this iteration tonight:

 

[8bitwidgets.com]

Almost there, slight trap door issue towards the front (to let the solder pins drop down) and some added support for the removeable plate to address a slight squishy.. 

 

also doing 5% infill which is still impressively strong but i guess at 2mm thick it's basically solid without much infill going on.  PLA is impressive stuff.  

 

Once I get this down I can make the 10 or so adapter cables.  I have to map out the colors and test things out..  definitely want to get it right..  don't want to fry something! 

[8bitwidgets.com]

Print turned out great.  It's ironed out, but I am working on making the top cover snap in without relying on glue or screws.  once I get a quality print of that adjustment I should be able to start producing this for anyone interested.  I have my own flashback controllers to test with.  

[8bitwidgets.com]

Pretty much done.  this will be one of mine.  i'm making another tweak for others though so there's no squeak when you press on the case..  (was skimpy on supports around the middle)

[8bitwidgets.com]

 

Does this look right?  Isn't working so far..   IN meaning the signal from the INTV..  and the OUT representing the pins of the Flashback Controller.  

 

The colors of the IN represent the 1-9 pin colors of the batch of cables I have.  I got a faint

[8bitwidgets.com]

OK made a rookie mistake.  I was numbering them like 1-9 in a WW zig zag..   not 1-5 top row 6-9 bottom row..  

 

however still it's acting different but not acting right..   seems like some wires are still crossing.. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

[mr_me]

There's a standard to DE-9 male and female pin numbers.

[8bitwidgets.com]

oooooooooooo...  another rookie mistake!  

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Caleb Garner

[8bitwidgets.com]

This is the reference i referenced.. i assumed this would be arranged facing each end.. but i guess it could have been still inverted once you go to arrange the order.

[8bitwidgets.com]

yep that did the trick!   

 

 

[8bitwidgets.com]

So if anyone would like a 1-2 of them just selling them for $10 a piece + flat rate $5 shipping in 48 states.  Canada is likely going to be $17 based on a recently (first time) shipping one of my couplers to a fella in BC.  

 

I think I have enough to make 10 cables  at this time.  I could make more but I may have to order some more parts.   30 Days or so from AliExpress.  Just PM me here if you want to know more.  

[mr_me]

9 hours ago, Caleb Garner said:

yep that did the trick!   

Just want to say that your schematic diagram is correct but the numbering on the Intellivision (female) side of the adapter is reversed right to left.

[8bitwidgets.com]

40 minutes ago, mr_me said:

adapter is reversed right to left.

the final pic i shared worked but yes that diagram is mean to convey looking at the back visually at the male and female ports..  it just made it easier for me to keep my head straight.   

[mr_me]

I didn't say the adapter is reversed, the numbering is.  If you had a female connector like your male connector, the numbers printed on the connector wouldn't match.  It could cause confusion for others.

[8bitwidgets.com]

Just now, mr_me said:

the numbering is.

would it not be 1-5 left to right for the top row and 6-9 left to right on the bottom row?  

  

 

That's how I have it..  if you were looking above at you.. looking at the male and female ports..  this is how i wired that final diagram to reflect this.  

 

I moved the 6-9 over to the right for each just to make it easier to have the arrows point to the respective pins without a lot of overlap.  

 

 

[8bitwidgets.com]

but i do see what you mean.. and this is what screwed me up the first time.. i thought both ends were Left to Right numerically..  but i prefer it being this way just to keep the two straight / consistent for my mind..  when i have to think forward with one and backwards with the other and then route wires to various non-standard color..   i just need to just dumb it down for myself.. heh heh.   

[+fdr4prez]

2 hours ago, Caleb Garner said:

would it not be 1-5 left to right for the top row and 6-9 left to right on the bottom row?  

  

 

That's how I have it..  if you were looking above at you.. looking at the male and female ports..  this is how i wired that final diagram to reflect this.  

 

I moved the 6-9 over to the right for each just to make it easier to have the arrows point to the respective pins without a lot of overlap.  

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Caleb Garner said:

but i do see what you mean.. and this is what screwed me up the first time.. i thought both ends were Left to Right numerically..  but i prefer it being this way just to keep the two straight / consistent for my mind..  when i have to think forward with one and backwards with the other and then route wires to various non-standard color..   i just need to just dumb it down for myself.. heh heh.   

 

 

If you were to connect your Male and Female connectors together, then you'd have pin1 on the male connected to pin 5 on the female - etc...  So hopefully you can see that if you used your numbering scheme, then things will be wired wrong.

 

If they were connected together as a single unit and you take a knife and split down the middle and turn them so the mating ends are facing you then the number will look like this:

 

      

 

This is why the correct numbering looks wrong, but it is really correct.

 

When you connect them together, then pins M1 connects to F1, M2 connects to F2, etc.

[8bitwidgets.com]

3 hours ago, fdr4prez said:

This is why the correct numbering looks wrong, but it is really correct.

yep and my brain hurts when i'm trying to match up pins when testing leads on the male and female ends..      

 

Because it's not just wiring in reverse.. it's wiring in reverse with certain wires going to other pins..   just wanted to make it as straight forward 1:1 as possible when wiring then testing pins.. 

 

So i number it like it is to just make it easier..   using my readers..   holding those dumb multimeter leads..   i just got tired of trying to remember if it was one way or the other so i made them all 1-5 left to right and mapped accordingly.  i know it's not standard, but my db9 wire colors are not standard either..  so long as the owners know the color order at the end of the day it doesn't matter too much.  

 

I figure as long as it works (and it does) it's fine. 

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Caleb Garner

[8bitwidgets.com]

I see what you mean though..  looking at it..  the pins are number right (using the reverse way) i just physically have them going Left to Right in the chart.  I could revise it to simply arrange the top numbers to be 5,4,3,2,1 and 9,8,7,6..  but when I get home i'll look at it again.   it was late..  i was getting impatient..  but yea i will update the layout tonight when i go through it taking the illustration that @fdr4prez showed.     

 

it didn't help me that my wires had completely different color schemes from the graphic i was working from..   heh

[+fdr4prez]

2 hours ago, Caleb Garner said:

I figure as long as it works (and it does) it's fine. 

This is a very correct statement.

 

If you are making them and it works, then that is all that really matters.

 

There are two or three other threads on here that talk about wiring up these adapters and they all are not on the same page in regards to "doing it right"

 

so, so long as it works for you and you can repeatedly get it done correctly, then the battle is over.

[8bitwidgets.com]

34 minutes ago, fdr4prez said:

There are two or three other threads on here

Well I do respect standards and such.  I'd like the next person who wants to try my approach succeed so i will definitely at least make sure i myself am clear on my own method.. lol . 

 

It was a blur last night..  going to get some sleep early tonight, but i will revisit as i'm printing a few more sets of these and i'm going to be redoing this numerous times so i will make sure at least i don't confuse myself with the next one and that should be a good indicator it's repeatable for others, heh.