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I needed a reliable controller plug for the Master system and regular DB9 from serial ports wouldn't do it since they tend to fall off easily, so I made a better one from a blank DB9, some glue and heatshrink.

You will need:

* Female DB9 plug
* Soldering iron
* Metal saw (or rotary tool or whatever you fancy)
* Wires
* Hot glue gun or Epoxy glue
* Heatshrink, ~10mm diameter (optional)

Instructions:

Start by sawing off the metal shielding of a blank DB9 connector. You can also drill the existing screw holes for the same effect. After that, remove the plastic backing holding the pins, and saw off the excess plastic at the sides of the plug, making it narrower while not losing any length. The result should be something like this.

At this stage, solder any wires you need and place the pin in the socket. When you are done with it, use the hot glue gun to keep the pins in place since without the metal shielding and lid there is nothing to keep them in place.

Finally, use a piece of heatshrink to cover the plug head and the solder side of the plug. Optionally add some more heatshring to keep the wires from moving too much. The result should look like this.

And here is the connector being used on my SEGA Master System, I've used it for both serial port comms and for using an xbox pad on the console (blasphemy, I know) with help from a microcontroller.

Hope you find it useful for your own projects too :)
Original post on my personal site but in essence it tells the same thing I do here.

db9-no-shield.jpg (57.08 KB)

DB9 after sawing off metal an excess plastic.

finished-01.jpg (86.25 KB)

Finished result (top)

finished-00.jpg (106.29 KB)

Finished result (front)

result.jpg (91.24 KB)

Finished result (console)

Author	Message
NeonMan Joined: 24 Sep 2013 Posts: 141	Making a DB9 controller plug from scratch. Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:49 pm
NeonMan Joined: 24 Sep 2013 Posts: 141	I needed a reliable controller plug for the Master system and regular DB9 from serial ports wouldn't do it since they tend to fall off easily, so I made a better one from a blank DB9, some glue and heatshrink. You will need: * Female DB9 plug * Soldering iron * Metal saw (or rotary tool or whatever you fancy) * Wires * Hot glue gun or Epoxy glue * Heatshrink, ~10mm diameter (optional) Instructions: Start by sawing off the metal shielding of a blank DB9 connector. You can also drill the existing screw holes for the same effect. After that, remove the plastic backing holding the pins, and saw off the excess plastic at the sides of the plug, making it narrower while not losing any length. The result should be something like this. At this stage, solder any wires you need and place the pin in the socket. When you are done with it, use the hot glue gun to keep the pins in place since without the metal shielding and lid there is nothing to keep them in place. Finally, use a piece of heatshrink to cover the plug head and the solder side of the plug. Optionally add some more heatshring to keep the wires from moving too much. The result should look like this. And here is the connector being used on my SEGA Master System, I've used it for both serial port comms and for using an xbox pad on the console (blasphemy, I know) with help from a microcontroller. Hope you find it useful for your own projects too :) Original post on my personal site but in essence it tells the same thing I do here. db9-no-shield.jpg (57.08 KB) DB9 after sawing off metal an excess plastic. finished-01.jpg (86.25 KB) Finished result (top) finished-00.jpg (106.29 KB) Finished result (front) result.jpg (91.24 KB) Finished result (console)

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