You’re trying to do exactly the same thing as I am at the moment. Strange…
Are you using an official Saturn pad? And if so, which version?
I’ve been sent a pad but for some reason it was posted with a broken plug (thanks, eBay). On the plus side I can see the pin colours, on the downside 3 of these are broken so have no idea where they are supposed to go, especially as my multimeter exploded several months ago.
I’d be surprised if Sega deviated from any particular cable colour coding with each model of Saturn pad, so I’d like to think they’d follow a standard (so if we both have the same model & region pad then they should share the same colours). So once you get yours tested out with a multimeter please post up the results either here or on NeoEmpire.
You can use controller cables. I used to go to thrift stores and grab broken controllers for the cords. Im not sure if wierd accesories such as lightguns or music instruments will always work.
One thing I’d like to add here…
Most third-party controller extension cords are 6 ft max. You generally can’t find them longer than that.
HOWEVER, depending on the system (Sony, Sega, Nintendo, MS) and the brand name of the controller manufacturer (Hori, Sega, Sony, etc.) controller cords are inconsistent.
My longest controller cords I’ve used to create RJ-45 cables (outside of 10ft USB cable) have been the Sega Saturn cords from Sega, Ascii, and Hori brand controllers for the Saturn. They’ve measured from at least 7ft to 9ft. That’s way more than most other systems’ controller cords.
(The sacrifice of those Saturn controllers was NOT planned. Thank goodness I didn’t destroy a perfectly good Japanese Saturn pad! Considering how little I paid for my Saturn joysticks, it wasn’t that big a loss and the cords work very well with the MC Cthulu!)
The average cord length really seems to be on the order of 6ft but it’s not always so.
It’s not hard. Just be sure to use a Multimeter and match up cord colors to the connnector pins.
IF you are modding an official or licensed cord, chances are that the colors will be the same as the diagrams for the tutorial.
NEVER assume that they are and always double-check.
I’ve done this a total of 8-10 times. Funny thing is that the Sega cords were the easiest to slide into the RJ-45 housing!
The hardest by far to mod are the USB cables. People would think more cables are harder to push into the RJ-45 housing but USB is harder because of the larger number of unoccupied pin slots between the mini-cabling!
I just finished modding an SE Wii stick with an MC Cthulhu and made a USB and a Gamecube cable.
However, instead of paying for shipping on a gamecube extension cable online or buying a cheap controller or scavenging for an extension cable at a GameStop (they aren’t actually the easiest things to find), I decided to use an old Gameboy Advance -> Gamecube cable, the ones used to play Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Four Swords Adventure. They are only 99 cents at GameStop, and I have found are much easier to find.
Anyways, these cables do not have 6 or 7 pins or whatever like full extension cables or cables for corded controllers. They lack pins for stuff like rumble motors (similar to the Wavebird receivers) and for the three pins they do have, they do not match those of a regular 6 pin controller.
Anyways, after making an ethernet plug with three regular wires hanging out of the ground, data, and vcc slots, and mixing and matching the three cords I had to work with between those three wires, I finally figured out what wires were which, and what pins where what.
tl;dr : Extension cables for gamecube are hard to find at GameStop. Look for a Gameboy Advance to Gamecube cable instead. They’re 99 cents. Here is the pinout:
If you get the official Nintendo one, here’s the wire colors (same as the ones I used in the pinout image):
(yes it looks like I missed the yellow wire, but it does in fact hit the far left lane at the top of the plug)
I’m considering doing a stick with DIN-8 (Normal size, not the mini DIN-8). If I use the female panel mount in the tutorial, what size hole saw bit would I need to use to create the right size hole for the DIN-8?
And I’m guessing I just slide the boot on the cable before I solder the wires, then after I solder them, slide them over the connector, correct?
Not all Din connectors are exactly the same. You should measure when you get them.
When i was messing with din connectors for my tg16, I actually had two types that assembled differently. You will just have to figure it out when you get them.
I contacted Digi-key about the diameter of the Din-8 panel mounts they have on sale. The representative I spoke to said that the needed hole diameter to properly mount these is 15mm, so if you opt to use the Din-8’s linked to in this guide, you will also need a 15mm hole saw bit.
skimmed the thread and didn’t see anything about where you guys are picking up cables. is there somewhere that stocks everything or are you just ebaying them 1 at a time? finally ran out of stuff i had laying around.
You should be able to get that information off the datasheet in the future. If it doesn’t have a datasheet, don’t buy it!
That said, DIN is huge – I’m a big fan of the Mini-DIN setup I’ve got. Buy extras – I nearly trashed one or two making my Mini-DIN cords. And, obviously, measure twice, cut once. That would’ve saved me from having some of the problems I had.
@godspu: I don’t do sales so if I can buy it off Digi-Key I do that in approximately the numbers I need for a single project (plus a few spare) and if I can’t I buy it off eBay (plus a few spare.) I usually buy the two-packs of extenders and buy about 10% extra for wastage. (I use very little of my wastage though, so meh.)
I honestly don’t mind the size factor. The DIN-8’s look easier to solder to than mini din’s. And this is going on a Korean case so there’s plenty of clearance to fit them into.
USB will not register. lsusb hangs for about 30 seconds when I try to probe to see if it is recognized on my computer. Holding Guide on my stick does not make it register in 360 mode.
Once again, Imp, MC Cthulhu + SE Fightstick board, Din-8 setup.
#1 test connections from USB end to matching columns on the Cthulhu, or for D+/D-, to the imp. #2 D- is column D. D+ is column E. The two images dont seem to match up unless Im missing something.
Well, unless I’m mistaken, the soldering on the male plug should be a mirror of the female mount, right? So if that’s the case, then my soldering is right. If I’m wrong, then please correct me, and I’ll rewire. This is honestly my first time working with Din-8 and I’m just under the assumption that it works like D-Subs.
