Hey,

As you know, we don’t have a link cable, or a suitable connector available for the VB. There’s several ways to make a cable that works, but in the end, it’s mostly ugly hacks for development/prototyping. I’ve been trying to come up with a way to make a quality cable that would just plug in… but so far have been unsuccessful.

So… it got me thinking… how about just making a proper cable? I contacted a custom part manufacturer (who I’ve used parts from in the past), and they said they could do it, but of course wouldn’t be “cheap”. I sort of based my design thoughts on the SNES A/V connector, which includes a plastic shell with crimp pins. So, I found some crimp pins which should work, but I didn’t have any way to make a 3D model of the plastic shell.

Well, of course I asked Hedgetrimmer (our resident 3D modeling expert), and he created a GREAT model of a plastic shell to house the pins. With that, I was able to verify with the MFG that it could be made, as well as get an estimate for price.

So, now here’s the question. They were right… it’s not cheap. A complete link cable would cost about $40, since the quantity would be so low. At this price, how many would be interested (and how many)? Would anyone want just the connector/pins?

There’d probably only be about 50 cables made, and this would probably be the only run, since I’m assuming the demand would be low. I don’t mind investing the money (and probably losing quite a bit on this project), since I think it’s a very worthwhile project… but, if I’m the only one that has any interest in it, there’s no point in even considering it further.

But, IMO this seems like a good time to pursue this, since homebrew is continually advancing, and I think linked homebrew has been held down by lack of link cable. Also, I assume some will be buying the new Flashboy, even though they already have an old Flashboy… so with two flash carts, why not have a cable to link the systems?

Of course, if there’s an unanticipated large interest in this, the price would come down… but we’re a pretty small community, and the homebrew crowd is really the only market for this.

Thanks,
DogP

Honestly I like the idea of both Red and Black. Red for it’s obvious Virtual Boy awesomeness. Black for it’s more official look. Either way, I need to buy another Virtual Boy so I can make use of this cable! I’m amazed that it is actually coming to fruition. Seriously, Awesome work DogP.

Red and black is a good idea!

Count me in too!!. Red and black looks better, great job!!

I think personally that the link cable should be red and black . Then the USB cable could be just black this way people could easily tell them apart or vice versa. Either way they are going to look Mad Cool.

Any news on the cable? Is there a list I should be on??

Late to the game, as always, but count me in!

In as well, one of each!

I’ll take a VB to VB one as well. Red looks awesome.

I’d love the one with red connectors, cause black looks boring – if I can afford it when the time comes.

I’ve been wanting to make my own and I actually bought some USB cables cheap some time ago, but never got further.

I guess the 3D print is most of the cost?

e5frog wrote:
I guess the 3D print is most of the cost?

It’s my understanding that the 3D prints are only being used to evaluate the fit of the connector before the design is sent to be made into a injection mold, from which the actual connectors will be made. That is going to be the bulk of the cost. Not counting that large up-front investment, the actual connectors will likely be pennies a piece, depending on the total amount made (you could certainly get hundreds – and possibly thousands – out of the mold before it’s worn out).

That sounds nice, injection molding molds are a big investment so it’s good that he’s able to make 3D-prints to make sure it works before going that route.

RunnerPack wrote:

e5frog wrote:
I guess the 3D print is most of the cost?

It’s my understanding that the 3D prints are only being used to evaluate the fit of the connector before the design is sent to be made into a injection mold, from which the actual connectors will be made. That is going to be the bulk of the cost. Not counting that large up-front investment, the actual connectors will likely be pennies a piece, depending on the total amount made (you could certainly get hundreds – and possibly thousands – out of the mold before it’s worn out).

Depends on the mold; aluminum is cheaper than steel, but wears out faster — it clearly is the choice if a mold is done, there won’t be hundreds of thousands sold (sadly).

I investigated getting a mold done years back, “functional aluminum but not pretty” would be only $5000-$8000. But that was a device a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes, a box with internal structures and a lid. I would think 3D printing (and a bit of final sanding) would be the most efficacious choice for us…

with an upcoming release on a 32Mb cart in mind, that of which is to utilize the link cable(?), the fact is still ambiguous (with me atleast) as to if we will see one or both link cable designs – gamelink to gamelink and/or gamelink to usb

I think we are really close. Real life just keeps getting in the way. It seems like when Hedgetrimmer has free time, I’m swamped… and vice versa. I think we’ve been through ~25 revisions (though we’ve probably only actually made 5 or 6 of those).

I don’t see any reason that we wouldn’t make both a VB<->VB and PC<->VB cable. I have cables, pins, and PCBs… we just need a final connector shell.

DogP

DogP wrote:
I think we are really close. Real life just keeps getting in the way. It seems like when Hedgetrimmer has free time, I’m swamped… and vice versa. I think we’ve been through ~25 revisions (though we’ve probably only actually made 5 or 6 of those).

I don’t see any reason that we wouldn’t make both a VB<->VB and PC<->VB cable. I have cables, pins, and PCBs… we just need a final connector shell.

DogP

Well obviously beggars can’t be choosers, especially in this scene, so take all the time you gents need. Nobody pushing for a deadline here.

Like recently stated – there has been an influx of some pretty badass VB products these last few years, so naturally the excitement is still freshly flowing for more.

The VB to USB cable gained my attention more than anything. Just its concept reminds me of this recent endeavor & what it could/should have been:

https://github.com/mupfelofen-de/SNESoIP

Any updates on this project ? 🙂

-Eric

I think it’s possible to print the case for the link-plug in nylon. I’ve already tried PLA and ABS, but the clips which connect the two halves were a bit delicate.

Count me in! Can’t wait for this!

bigmak wrote:
Any updates on this project ? 🙂

Hedgetrimmer and I have been going back and forth with changes and stuff… he recently sent me the model for the latest revision. It looks really good, so I ordered a couple professional prints to verify. They should be here by the end of this week. I’ll post pics when they arrive.

MineStorm wrote:
I think it’s possible to print the case for the link-plug in nylon. I’ve already tried PLA and ABS, but the clips which connect the two halves were a bit delicate.

Yeah, we’ve revamped the design a few times. We had one with clips, which didn’t hold up very well… I’ve printed several prototypes of the newer style in ABS on my printer at home, which have turned out pretty well (functionally, though not very pretty).

DogP

So excited for this. Let us know when we can order them!