Create a Lynx cart connector with 3D printer

[+karri]

A small tutorial of how to make a cart connector. In my case there is a shop selling 22mm safety pins with 0.7mm wire thickness.

 

When I start Blender (www.blender.org, a free program for modeling in 3D) there is a large cube on the screen.

 

A cube is good so I just change the dimensions. You get the dimensions window by dragging it out from the + sign at the top right corner.

 

 

Then you should work with metric scales. So click on the third icon from left to display scale systems and chose Metric.

 

 

Change the size of the bar to 10mm x 68mm x 5mm.

 

 

We may need a few more bars. You can click on Duplicate Object on the left window to create a few more bars.

 

 

Duplicate one more and size it to 20mm x 1mm x 2mm. This is our safety pin holder.

 

 

We need 34 pins 1.59mm apart. Choose modifier "Arrary",

 

 

Type in the value suitable to get the array 34 pins x 1.59mm wide.

 

 

At this point I named my objects by choosing the object with the right mouse button and clicking on its name at top right. Then I choose my bar and choose modifier "Boolean" and "Difference".

 

 

When you move the bar up from the blue arrow you see that you got holes.

 

 

For doing tilted holes you need to tilt your safetypin guide.

 

 

Then you need to start assembling the pieces into place. Bottom part.

 

 

Middle part.

 

 

Top part.

 

 

Left top side.

 

 

Left bottom side.

 

 

Right top and bottom side.

 

 

Then we need two long holes to fasten this to the pcb. Choose cylinders.

 

 

The final part is to choose the low parts and choose modifier "Boolean" and "Union" the parts together. After that choose the part and choose modifier "Boolean" and "Difference" to cut holes.

 

 

After all the work you should have a bottom and a top design that can be exported as stl files.

 

 

It is very important to print these in the right orientation like below. Use "normal" settings. 80% fill. No support structures. No brim.

 

And here are also the final pieces as stl files.

 

stlfiles.zip

Edited August 29, 2015 by karri

[+karri]

The next part is to prepare the Safety pin without breaking it.

 

Bend the end without bending the wire.

 

 

Pull the end straight off.

 

 

The result should be an undamaged pin like this.

 

 

Then dip the thick end in paint to avoid shorts in the final connector.

 

[vince]

I tried to print the STL files provided (because I have a 3D printer and as everybody I use it to print things ) but the step doesn't match with official lynx cartridges, A real cartridge's width is ~2mm less than the STL provided.

 

(PS : sorry for the up)

[+karri]

Yeah. Even with the correct pitch I did not get this to work properly.

 

So I am back to desoldering connectors from a real Lynx

[vince]

What "connexions" do you use between lynx connector and rom programmer to have it working with different rom sizes ?

On my side, I'm finalizing a "custom" cartridge port in a "ZIF" approach.

https://www.mirari.fr/FaKU

https://www.mirari.fr/kY4S

https://www.mirari.fr/2rwv

[vince]

here a little video of how it works : https://www.mirari.fr/SuSW

 

(plans made with OPENSCAD, pogopins for contacts, I still have to solder/wrap wires from pogopins to a DIL connector for having this working with my Batronix rom programmer)

Edited April 3, 2018 by vince

[+karri]

Wow Vince! That is so professional!

 

I am using a Raspberry Pi for controlling the address pins, data pins and control signals. Look at https://bitbucket.org/atarilynx/lynxand go to source lynx/contrib/blankcart/programmer. There is code for dealing with different cart sizes inside the progverify.c.

 

The easiest way would probably be to create a PCB where the pogo pins sit directly on the PCB and then you can have a 40 pin ribbon cable to an ordinary Raspberry Pi.

 

Could you share your pogo pin 3D design? I really like the mechanics.