EXT connectors

[isc.grant]

My plan is to solder a 4 conductor 3.5mm Jack to the Openpandora connector and encase it in resin and set the pin-out to match an iPod Video adapter. I already have a retractable iPod video audio/video cable. If anyone goes this route I have found out the hard way that 4 conductor 3.5mm plugs to audio/video cables come in all sorts of pin-outs. It seems there is no standard for these connectors. Take a look at the first image for what I mean.





Click for larger image.

 

[panik]

Personally I'm more excited about getting access to the serial ports than the TV and audio outs. Pandora driven robot army here I come...

Me too. Getting the Pandora and the Arduino to talk. Ooow! Goosebumps.

Same here! But If I understood correctly, the UART's on the ext-connector operate on 1.8 volts. Arduino and other microcontrollers are typically 3.3 or 5 volts.


Questions: How do we handle that? Like the TXB0104 level converter seems to be doing in the AV_Board_schematic.pdf (found here) but on the TX and RX lines? Is that enough to not damage our beloved hardware? Do we need a maxim-RS232-thingy like the max3381 used in Michael's design if we hook it up directly to a microcontroller, or can we just skip that?


BTW, I think the easiest way to 'serially' talk to microcontrollers from any device with a USB-port is this FTDI-cable. Works right out of the box on the Pandora.

 

[isc.grant]

Any cable pin-out will work since we are building the transmitter side anyway you just wire it for whatever you already have. I don't know what the pin-out is on that cable but you can do a continuity test with a cheap multi-meter or even some wire, tape, battery and a small light bulb . Then wire it so the pin-outs match up with my previous post for a composite cable. Basically you just need the wires to go from the Pandora connector to the RCA plugs and keep the path intact with any intermediate connectors.

 

[isc.grant]

I did a search on "Nokia TV Audio Video cable pin-out" and it matches Archos, Creative Zen ect... in the pinout table from my previous post.

 

[Morn]

If you want S-Video connection then you need another cable with an S-Video connector.

Isn't it that S-Video gives better video quality than composite? Though I'm not sure if it really matters for Pandora screen resolution.

I already have a retractable iPod video audio/video cable.

Where can I buy this beautiful adapter from your second photo? I've only found that kind of adapters at DealExtreme, which sells them very cheap and very poor built (it's a good idea to buy a bunch of them and then cherry pick the ones that actually work)

If anyone goes this route I have found out the hard way that 4 conductor 3.5mm plugs to audio/video cables come in all sorts of pin-outs.

I got the same conclusion while looking for dingoo tv-out cable replacement. Fortunately it's always possible to cut cable in half and make some rearrangements.

 

[Norl]

Isn't it that S-Video gives better video quality than composite? Though I'm not sure if it really matters for Pandora screen resolution.

Someone correct me if i'm wrong but you'll get a "softer" (meaning slightly worse) image with RCA even at pandora's resolution.

 

[peca]

that's a great idea! ONE jack only, those nokia tv-out cables would work and they're not expensive. I already got one, but afaik they differ from Iphone/itouch ones, am i right?
PECA! What do you think?

"As You wish, my Lord" :-D


It's a piece of cake. Just decide and say. Only think I'm getting on my mind is that I have only one TRRS to RCA cable and it is from SONY camcorder. I'll search dealextreme for cheep cables for testing purposes...


I wonder if there is any other standard for TRRS video :-/ (other then those four - I'll try google it)

 

[WizardStan]

Someone correct me if i'm wrong but you'll get a "softer" (meaning slightly worse) image with RCA even at pandora's resolution.

If you looked at s-video, you'd probably go "this is a pretty good image"


If you looked at RCA, you'd probably go "this is a pretty good image"


If you looked at them both side by side, you'd say "s-video is obviously sharper".

 

[Prometheus]

Someone correct me if i'm wrong but you'll get a "softer" (meaning slightly worse) image with RCA even at pandora's resolution.

If you looked at s-video, you'd probably go "this is a pretty good image"


If you looked at RCA, you'd probably go "this is a pretty good image"


If you looked at them both side by side, you'd say "s-video is obviously sharper".

This may be so in NTSC regions, but with the TV standards in PAL regions, you'd *really* notice it even without them side-by-side. Composite is decent (and for some older imports, your only option - it wasn't common on affordable TVs here in the UK until the early 2000s, as RF was the dominant standard for hooking up consoles and the like until then) but it's even better if your TV has a built-in comb-filter, and S-Video is a bit below RGB SCART.


Indeed, it's very noticeable with, for example, a SNES - I would imagine it would be even more noticeable with the Pandora's resolution...

 

[WizardStan]

*headdesk*


"Unfortunately we're not allowed to sell to individuals, just companies" "Well, you can ship it to my office if that would make it easier" "I'm going to have to get back to you on that."


Seriously? Can't sell to individuals? Why the heck do you have an online store then?

 

[meandu229]

Make WizardStan LTD, How would they know?

 

[Prometheus]

*headdesk*


"Unfortunately we're not allowed to sell to individuals, just companies" "Well, you can ship it to my office if that would make it easier" "I'm going to have to get back to you on that."


Seriously? Can't sell to individuals? Why the heck do you have an online store then?

What?! Why the hell didn't they - oh, I don't know - tell you that in the first place?! :blink:

 

[darfgarf]

Just put yourself a ceo of Stanwiz studios/industries, they can't verify it if you're a local business with no website etc

 

[Morn]

There's always that other distributor. If I understood correctly their final price weren't much higher. Or is that some general directive from Tyco Electronics?

Just put yourself a ceo of Stanwiz studios/industries, they can't verify it if you're a local business with no website etc

I don't believe there's no central record of companies in Canada. Or am I twisted by over-sized European bureaucracy?

 

[Neelix]

Just put yourself a ceo of Stanwiz studios/industries, they can't verify it if you're a local business with no website etc

I don't know how it works in the US or Canada, but in these parts if you are going to represent your self as a business when dealing with a company you almost always need to provide an ABN (Australian Business Number) to prove that your business is in fact registered as a legal entity. This is primarily for tax purposes I believe. I suspect the company in question has the 'only sell to businesses' rule for tax purposes too.


- Neelix

 

[Norl]

... Can't sell to individuals? ...

Tell them you represent Global Tetrahedron Pictures and you'll sick Cock Puncher on them if they don't get their act together.

Companies that make you jump through hoops to buy their stuff piss me off. :angry:

 

[WizardStan]

It's all good now. They're going to ship to my office.


Seriously, I have money! Take it! TAKE IT! Just give me what I'm asking for.

 

[Prometheus]

^ Good news.

 

[may88]

Phew! Now we can all change our trousers (pants).

 

[Morn]

I did a search on "Nokia TV Audio Video cable pin-out" and it matches Archos, Creative Zen ect... in the pinout table from my previous post.

Same for dingoo tv-out cable. The replacement I bought at DealExtreme has swapped L and R audio channels tough. Anyway if two cables has ground on the same "pin" (or rather "ring" in case of jack plug) you can adapt the cable just by swapping RCA plugs on TV side.

it wasn't common on affordable TVs here in the UK until the early 2000s, as RF was the dominant standard for hooking up consoles and the like until then

Even if your TV doesn't have a S-Video socket it's always chance it could handle S-Video signal through SCART adapter.