What is this cable?

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phoon
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What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

Sorry if im posting in the wrong section but i ran across a cable that really intrigued me. its an nes controller port male to what looks like a 26 pin dsub. any ideas? I feel like ive seen it used but i cannot remember what for.
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koitsu
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by koitsu »

Looks like NES controller to DB25 (not 26), probably parallel port. Likely some custom adapter, maybe for something like using a SNES pad on the NES (SNES -> DB25 -> NES). You tell us what it's for!
tepples
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by tepples »

If you have a multimeter: To which wire on the DB25 side is each wire on the NES side continuous?
phoon
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

tepples wrote:If you have a multimeter: To which wire on the DB25 side is each wire on the NES side continuous?
the only multimeter i have right now is the one i got at harbor freight for free with a coupon.. my old dvom rip was stolen :(

i will say thought that the pin side looks official. meaning its concave where the cable goes in just like the contoller port side.
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phoon
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

Having issues using Android. I hope this only posts once.
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koitsu
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by koitsu »

The wiring here looks exactly like that for the Miracle Piano. Reference: http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=588444 Again: You tell us what it's for! :D
phoon
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

no pin 3 is wrong
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koitsu
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by koitsu »

There's nothing on pin 3 of the DB25 connector.

The Miracle Piano pinout is as follows, for sake of comparison, along with official Nintendo controller wiring colours (which in actuality mean nothing, esp. if you're using an aftermarket controller connector -- you tell us!):

Code: Select all

DB25 pin 1  = supposedly unnecessary
DB25 pin 7  = NES controller pin 1 (ground) (brown)
DB25 pin 10 = NES controller pin 4 (D1/data) (yellow)
DB25 pin 13 = NES controller pin 3 (OUT0/latch) (orange)
DB25 pin 19 = NES controller pin 2 (CUP/clock) (red)
We know definitively that the Miracle Piano uses DB25 pins 7, 10, 13, and 19. So, to me, it really looks like what you have is a Miracle Piano adapter, with one difference on yours (again assuming colours match official spec): DB25 pin 1 is connected to NES controller pin 7 (VCC/5V). That's the only difference.

If this was intended for a DB25 parallel port, the situation becomes this:

Code: Select all

DB25 pin 1 (strobe, in/out) = NES controller pin 7 (VCC/5V) (white)
DB25 pin 7 (data 5, out)    = NES controller pin 1 (ground) (brown)
DB25 pin 10 (ack, in)       = NES controller pin 4 (D1/data) (yellow)
DB25 pin 13 (select, in)    = NES controller pin 3 (OUT0/latch) (orange)
DB25 pin 19 (ground)        = NES controller pin 2 (CUP/clock) (red)
...which doesn't make much sense at all. So, parallel port is probably out. It could still certainly be for something custom, however.

For a new-user first-post thread, you aren't being particularly helpful in tracking down the answer to your own question.
phoon
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

For a new-user first-post thread, you aren't being particularly helpful in tracking down the answer to your own question.[/quote]

no offense, i am trying searching on my end, but life aint a box of chocolates and real life comes first. to be honest, im racking my brain trying to remember where i have seen it before.
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Memblers
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by Memblers »

It does appear to be a Miracle Piano adapter. I have one too that I found at Goodwill in the mid-late 90s, didn't know what it was at the time either. Mine looks very different, though. The DB25 backshell is wider, and it doesn't have an obvious way of opening up, while yours has the screw and nut. There was a small hole exposing what looked like green soldermask inside, but I can't even imagine why there'd be a board in there.

I found (stole) a picture of what it looked like, attached.

It's possible that they are both official. Yours looks more hand-built, but it could still be official from a smaller production for replacement parts or something. Hard to tell. It has the VCC (white) wire hooked up, which that forum post says is unused, so at least we know it's not based on that guide.
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calima
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by calima »

~15 years ago I considered making a HTPC inside a NES case. Connecting the controllers to the parallel port with a cable similar to that was the simplest way back then. So it could be a custom cable for that, NES controllers to PC.
phoon
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

Memblers wrote:It does appear to be a Miracle Piano adapter. I have one too that I found at Goodwill in the mid-late 90s, didn't know what it was at the time either. Mine looks very different, though. The DB25 backshell is wider, and it doesn't have an obvious way of opening up, while yours has the screw and nut. There was a small hole exposing what looked like green soldermask inside, but I can't even imagine why there'd be a board in there.

I found (stole) a picture of what it looked like, attached.

It's possible that they are both official. Yours looks more hand-built, but it could still be official from a smaller production for replacement parts or something. Hard to tell. It has the VCC (white) wire hooked up, which that forum post says is unused, so at least we know it's not based on that guide.
its not a miracle adapter. the pinnouts are completely different
phoon
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

i dont know if this might be some sort of rs232 adapter?
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lidnariq
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by lidnariq »

Nothing is connected to pins 2, 3, 14, or 16, which would be mandatory for it to be RS232.

Why are you convinced it's not a Miracle Piano adapter? You say "the pinouts are completely different", but why do you think that?
phoon
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Re: What is this cable?

Post by phoon »

DB25 pin 1 = supposedly unnecessary
DB25 pin 7 = NES controller pin 1 (ground) (brown)
DB25 pin 10 = NES controller pin 4 (D1/data) (yellow)
DB25 pin 13 = NES controller pin 3 (OUT0/latch) (orange)
DB25 pin 19 = NES controller pin 2 (CUP/clock) (red)

as you can see in the picture above of my connector the pinouts are different. now if you look at the diagram, the clock and latch seen to go to the appropriate pins on rs232. makes me think that it acts as a serial port for some other peripheral.
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