Homemade Atari Cables

[Junie]

I just finished creating two extenstion cords for the Atari controllers.

 

They were made with a 9 Pin Male and a 9 Pin Female D-Subminiature connectors. I used some wire I already had, some 22 AWG single strand wire. I actually braided the 9 pieces of wire together, they look almost like one piece of wire. Then I soldered on the connectors, after I used my Digital Multi-Meter to find out where the same wire was on both ends.

 

I finished up my connections by securely wrapping it in electrical tape. I plan to later add the connector housing's, once I get some more cash to give it a more proffesional look and make it a lot more strong.

 

I got the connectors at Radio Shack for $1.49 each. So it cost me $2.98 per joystick extension cable, and some time.

 

The extension cables are about a 1/4" short of 9 feet So now I can play the Atari just about anywhere in my room. 9 feet might be a bit over-kill, but the extension cords work great. I tested them with a Joystick and a set of Paddles.

 

Also I created a simple adapter to allow me to play my Atari on my newer cable ready TV. I didn't feel like paying $7 or more, so I simply made it from parts I already had so it cost me $0.

 

It consists of a coaxial cable cut in half, I use one of the parts, and at the end of it I added a RCA Female jack. I simple stripped the wire and connected and soldered the middle wires together and the other wires. Then I finished it off with electrial tape as well.

 

The Atari to TV cable has to be hooked-up and unhooked to switch between TV and the Atari, but I don't care. Perhaps I'll throw in a small project box and a switch to make it a actual switch box.

 

The image from the Atari seems to be a lot clearly than the image I get from my switch box and older TV. Of course I don't have to turn the dial on my newer TV to fix the sound which is nice

 

I plan to make a Y-adapter so I can have a joystick and a set of paddles always plugged in.

 

My only complaint about the joystick extension cables is that the set of paddles are both laying in bed. Perhaps I'll make a special Y-adapter and split the set of paddles so I can leave one of them by the Atari and the other where every I am playing

 

Anyone have any other Atari cable ideas?

 

Junie

[Nukey Shay]

You could use a serial-port extension cable as an extension. And the Coleco Gemini controllers have the paddle built-in, but an extra paddle in bed might be useful if you have a twisted mind

Paddle fight!

[Junie]

quote:

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Originally posted by Nukey Shay:

You could use a serial-port extension cable as an extension

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Which are you referring to-- The cable is already to go? Or simply use the cable for the wire when making a extension?

 

The only type of cable I have found ready to go, only connects a few of the pins, not all 9 of them. For example a mouse uses only 5.

 

Junie

[jsoper]

I bought a DIN 9 extension cable at an electronic supply store and it was fully wired out.

 

Genesis extension cables will be too, I've picked a few up in Funcoland for a buck or two, not very rare

John