10 replies to this topic

[killersquirel]

Hi All,

I'm looking into building a controller for the atari 2600 (and maybe 7800 as well). Does anybody know of a place where I can buy a 9pin female joystick connector (db9) that is either already wired or able to wire it up and still look somewhat professional (i.e. no open wires) when finished? Thanks in advance.

-mike

[boog]

I usually just hack controller extension cables for building/modding any custom controllers. They're cheap, and will still look perfect on the console end since you only have to hack off the end that's going into your controller...

[amiman99]

Altex sells 9DBM connectors with housing, for a cable you could use a Ethernet cable which contains 8 wires, you can get them in many colors.
You can get many different types of 9DBM connectors, crimp on ribbon, solder, or crimp on pins.

[Nukey Shay]

Any modern PC's COM (serial) port extension cable will do. No shortage of those.

[BillC]

Nukey Shay, on Tue Mar 8, 2011 10:26 PM, said:

Any modern PC's COM (serial) port extension cable will do. No shortage of those.

I believe the issue is that he is looking for a joystick type connector, one without the mounting ears/screws.

[horseboy]

BillC, on Wed Mar 9, 2011 12:28 AM, said:

Nukey Shay, on Tue Mar 8, 2011 10:26 PM, said:

Any modern PC's COM (serial) port extension cable will do. No shortage of those.

I believe the issue is that he is looking for a joystick type connector, one without the mounting ears/screws.

Yep. I am sure he wants it to look good. As far as extension cables go, the Atari/sega type extension cords have become hard to find. You certainly can't find them for cheap in bulk like you used to.

[David_P]

As I recall MyAtari.com carries/carried joystick replacement cables - they're the joystick plug on one end, the black covered cable, and then the wires at the other end.

If they're out, you can try Best electronics as well.

[BigO]

Chop the cable off of a Sega Genesis controller. They're cheap and all 9 wires are populated.

[horseboy]

BigO, on Wed Mar 9, 2011 7:28 PM, said:

Chop the cable off of a Sega Genesis controller. They're cheap and all 9 wires are populated.

Surely there is a better solution than this...

[BigO]

horseboy, on Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:23 PM, said:

BigO, on Wed Mar 9, 2011 7:28 PM, said:

Chop the cable off of a Sega Genesis controller. They're cheap and all 9 wires are populated.

Surely there is a better solution than this...

I"m sure there is, depending on your definition of "better".

Manufacturing new ones would be better in that you don't have to destroy a dwindling resource to do it. But, that'd get pricey.

Finding a cache of NOS cables would be nice. I bought some old Atari computer interface boxes of some sort (with RCA jacks) one time, NOS, but the cables were only two feet long.

Edited by BigO, Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:40 PM.

[tpugmire]

Best Electronics does sell replacement cables. I've bought a few. Seems like they were kind of expensive though...