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Intellivision Flashback Controller Adapters - Round 2


nurmix

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  • 2 months later...

Hi!

 

Are the adapters still available? I would like a couple for the Intellivision I :)

Yes, I am still making them. Send me a PM here with your email and mailing address and I’ll get you a total.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

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  • 1 year later...
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I have multiple probs with my INTVII.  I tried to make the controller adapters for my INTY II using Paul's video on wiring it and I looked at the various wiring diagrams which seemed to conflict.  I attempted to wire them..no dice.  I would rather buy them but Paul (nurmixis not responding to my hails. 

 

image.png.caa73c30bcf0eacd6ba7a17f47c9a5e4.png

 

Dragonstomper had this wiring did this work for people?

Socket (M) end      ->      Plug (F) end

    1                                    4

    2                                    6

    3                                    5

    4                                    2

    5                                    9

    6                                    8

    7                                    7

    8                                    3

    9                                    1

 

 

 :(  Can't use my nice shiny LTO flash very well with the original INTV II Controllers.  Anyone see what I did wrong?  Once I fix this or preferably buy the cables I can fix my lack of sound (using Fred Kono's RGB mod board, RGB is amazing I am sure I screwed up audio somehow).  Thanks.

-Mark

Edited by marfans
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I can check my pinouts when I can go dig out my notebook.  Probably a bad spec or wrong end of the cable.

 

Also happy to make some for you, but they're sort of expensive for the buyer, yet not worth the trouble for the seller (me) at the same time.  Not sure how that paradox works!

 

 

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I want to encourage you.  You can figure this out without any guide or help from anyone.

 

The pinout for the Intellivision controller is all over the place and you can verify the number positions by probing the contacts on the end of the cable and testing with the side buttons.  That will at least tell you if you've oriented your own pinout as expected.  From there, you should be able to compare to the documented pinout for the Inty FB controller and note the differences.

 

The adapter is just simply putting the wires in the right holes to change the pinout of the FB controller to the original.  Just be patient and probe a bunch with your meter and you will get there.  One way to test is to get a breakout board and a cheap serial cable.  Cut the serial cable in the middle and push the loose ends of the cable into the breakout board.  Then you can connect your controller to your breakout board and the other end into your Intellivision.  This should you let you test all the values you need and then swap wires to get the FB controller working.  It WILL take more time to do it this way, but you will be sure to have it right in the end.

 

Here's what I mean by "breakout board."  You won't need all those parts - just wires.  If you've done an RGB mod, this should be no trouble at all.

 

IntyBreakout.thumb.jpg.77d83f0ad29e6d39626de3d3c2f5a0ee.jpg 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
On 4/9/2015 at 1:46 PM, nurmix said:

Intellivision II / Sears Flashback Controller Adapters

(for the Intellivision II and Sears consoles with the removable db9 connector controllers):

 

Inty2_adapters_01R.jpg

 

Inty2_adapters_02R.jpg

 

 

 

Colecovision_Y-adapter.jpg

 

 

 

I came looking for some tips on how to patch these multi-wire cables so nice and neat.  I'm sure it took a lot of practice, but how do you solder these together so that there isn't a big bulgy mess left behind.  How do you get separation on the little wires inside.  Heat shrink tubing is nice, but when you are soldering teeny tiny connections, it can't be easily moved out of the way while working.  I know this is old, but do you by chance have any tips for me?

 

same question for @marfans

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Ok, I made 3 of these this week.  All 3 using donor PC DB9 cables.  One was sort of a prototype cable with disconnects that I can use for other projects.  I went to the extra (and somewhat insane) step of whittling down the female end of the PC DB9 so that it will fit into the Intv II controller port.  I've actually done that before, but was reminded how time consuming and silly of an idea it is.  Oh well, if you have a lot of those PC DB9 cables then know that it can be done.  The first time I attempted to whittle at them, I had a virtually endless supply.  Anyway, I managed to get all the wires re-connected and do it in a splice that is reasonably small and still follows the contour of the cord.  It is careful work, and I'm now convinced that Nurmix wasn't charging enough for these. 

 

I still have one question from these photos.  What is the extra piece of outer cord wrap on them?  I can't seem to find any kind of heat wrap that looks anything like it.  Did Nurmix use heatshrink on top of some split loom wrap or something here?  Same question about the pink stuff on the picture of the Coleco Y adapter above.

 

image.thumb.png.d81eb02354693288a661181c8ed92263.png

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Here are some pictures of the work I did just in case it helps someone else.

 

First how I whittled the female ends to get them suitable for the Intv II.  More whittling insanity is here:  Wongo's Pictorial Guide to Cable Trimming - Hardware - AtariAge Forums

 

2046061760_ExactoPrep.thumb.jpg.9f320ac25050fe20d0476cec0b2fb140.jpgSkinnyDB9Head1.thumb.jpg.8241eaf5def28a67e2672600acc172a8.jpg

SkinnyDB9Head2.thumb.jpg.73964b8d4750d42d48668f023d30d325.jpg

 

 

For wiring, all I really needed was this image from 2015.  This was made right after Nurmix figured out what the wires do for the Flashback.  This seems to match with what is posted as the "Dragonstomper pin mappings" above.  I just ignored the numbers and matched the colors.  Flashback Controller could be renamed "male" and Mattel "female."

 

1231275938_IntvFlashbackWiring.thumb.jpg.6849a1dadede358c75f230e146911a89.jpg

 

Here's how I worked out spacing the splices and then connecting everything.

SpacingSplice.thumb.jpg.25d2349a6e2f7e34e58bb944206dae24.jpgBeforeFinalHS.thumb.jpg.2318ad85c58587e7107da93584fbc358.jpg

 

The notes above reference the colors in my specific cord.  Your colors could be anything.

 

Here are the three Inty FB cables I made last week:

3Splice.thumb.jpg.e348fae7d7a23dffee3677291f7250a5.jpg

 

 

 

 

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30 minutes ago, Reality Studio said:

Thanks for that info! I tried contacting the people that made the original conversion cables and got no reply, so looks like I'll have to make my own like you did. I have a couple of db9 controller extension cables that I never use, think I'll use those for the conversion.

Let me be clear - whittling down the end of a PC DB9 cable is a good way break a cable or even worse to get rushed to the emergency room for stitches in your hand.  Just buy some Genesis extension cables and avoid the pain.

 

But I am enough of an idiot to do it, so who am I to talk . . . 

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