Wongo's Pictorial Guide to Cable Trimming

+wongojack · June 26, 2013

9 and 15 pin extension cables are sometimes expensive, but their PC counterparts can be found much cheaper. Problem is that those PC cables don't fit nicely into our game consoles.

I took the time to trim up some cables and found it was easier than I thought. Here is part 1 of my pictorial cable trimming guide which shows how to remove the metal frame around the female end of most DB9 and DB15 cables.

Here's my DB15 cable next to its 5200 brother. If you measure the area that extends from the base and fits into the console, the 5200's is only slightly longer. I think its less than 1/8". That and the shape makes it so that these cables come out of the 5200 or don't fit in at all. Remove the screw fasteners that are on the sides of most PC cables by simply unscrewing and pulling them out.

The metal tops on these are made up of a thin molded sheet of metal on top of another metal piece that extends down into the plastic molding. I like to separate the top sheet using some cuticle scissors. You can get into the small hole and pry upwards usually causing some separation between the 2 layers.

Once it is separated a little, you can cut or pry the top layer up. It's usually connected only at the holes, so you can typically get it apart with some pliers and your cuticle scissors. Get out the wire clippers if you need to cut at it and eventually you'll get it.

Snip it off and any excess left behind usually just falls off

Once the top piece is removed, the plastic fitting that protects the contacts may or may not fall off. On this one, it stuck on pretty well, but I've removed it here to show you what it looks like.

Normally you can stop here and use your cable. You've gotten back some of that 1/8 of an inch and it will fit much more snugly. This cable works fine with my 5200 in this state.

That being said, I know some of you are over-achievers, so in part 2, I'll go through how to trim it down further.

+wongojack · July 1, 2013

Ok, time for Part 2

If your cable doesn't fit at this point, it's probably not a question of depth but of clearance against the plastic/vinyl part of the cable that holds the connector in place. As you'll see in my pictures, this can typically be cut with minimal force with an exacto knife. There is a raised area that extends above the edge of the metal piece left behind. Just try to shave the raised area in a downward slope so that the part that meets with the metal is completely flat. I have NOT done this in the pictures that follow because I saved it for last, but it is usually the only problem remaining after part 1.

For the over-achievers, get out your safety glasses because we're gonna trim some metal. Seriously, the metal can fly off in tiny little pieces that will blind you if it gets in your eyes. Take precautions to cover the cutting area and wear protection on your eyes.

My goal for part 2 is to get rid of that metal left around the cable end and to make sure I have access to the full depth of the connector. To do this lets start by cutting a small amount under the metal. On the sides you can really dig in up to the middle area where you have to then slice around. It's kinda like cutting the white part of a hardboiled egg from the yolk.

You once you effectively separate a section of the casing, you can usually pull it off with pliers in two or three big pieces. I usually make a parallel incision all the way around the cable and then a perpendicular one right in the middle. This lets me grab the middle part and pull it away from the cable. If I've done enough cutting, it usually just pulls off.

For the real over-achievers, you can now remove the plastic cover on the connection pins. But Wongo, "It's got that pesky base that holds it onto the cable." We can remove that easily with some precision wire cutters. You could also use the tools made to build and adjust tabletop game figurines for this. It extends from the side of the cover slightly and it will probably never prevent cable insertion, but like anything we don't understand, let's attack it. It's basically four or five cuts and you are really getting some major depth now. Be careful as the contacts underneath can be very fragile and sensitive.

You'll now need to re-attach the cover. I use Loctite super glue for stuff like this. Put it at the base of the contacts. Do not put it on the piece you removed as you don't want to get any glue near the top end of those contacts. Just squeeze some out and then move it between the base of the contacts gently with a toothpick, replacing the cover that you just trimmed when you are ready to stick it down. Because of the orientation of the contact pins, it will only go on one way.

Now it's time to cut the metal off. Technique here is up to you. I trim off the two sides first like removing a set of wings. Then I cut into the corners of the remaining metal housing so that I can cut of the four sides in almost straight cuts. At some point you'll think "I've been cutting enough, surely it's ready." And it will be. Just cut until you are satisfied that you got it down as much as needed. BTW - This is the part when you need to be careful with flying metal. I use wire cutters and they tend to pinch off pieces and fling them across the room. Point your cutting away from your face (at least) or prepare to block flying metal with something.

If you do this once, you'll find that probably every step in part 2 was unnecessary except for shaving down the raised casing. However, now that cable is ready for the deepest, darkest hole you can find. Stick it in and get happy! But try not to force it - Seriously, now that you've got a cable with a lot of depth, you don't need to jam it into place with extreme force. Just push it gently and stop when you meet resistance. Test by just plugging it into the other end of the same cable and you'll see how much still sticks out.

+wongojack · July 13, 2013

Here is a final pic of this cable shaved down a little. This one is working great for me:

+wongojack · March 22, 2021

Read my own guide today, 7.5 years later . . .

+wongojack · March 30, 2021

When I first posted this, I had access to an almost endless supply of these PC DB9 and DB15 cables. If you have a pile of these then maybe consider trimming them. Otherwise, just buy Sega Genesis or replica cables and cut them. You will need all 9 wires in the DB9 (aka DSub 9 pin) for some consoles, so there's that in favor of the PC style.

Anyway, I came back to this because I decided to make some adapter cables for the Intellivision Flashback controllers. It is particularly difficult to get a PC DB9 cable into the Intellivision II which has narrow and recessed controller ports. Anyway, I whittled a few more all the way down and glued the blue end back on to come up with a functional cable that fits into the Intv II and probably anything else. I tried to speed up the process by chopping off a bunch of the plastic early, and I ended up breaking 2 by creating a disconnect in one of the pins. So, if you are insane enough to try this . . . go slow and try not to cut yourself.