official tv-out cables any info


Good question FaeMinx. I'm one of the original pre-orderers. I finally did get my Pandora (the Rebirth version), but am still waiting for the TV-Out cables I ordered back then, obviously ;)

Can't recall if I ordered from craig or from ED's shop back then (probably craig), although I still have my order number somewhere.
 
I'd prefer that the official product be a multicable-dongle (if you understand... ext connector one end, many short (5cm?) cables that end to appropriate labeled connector) with one connector for the GPIO/UART things - it should be ended with an easy to acquire connector that is still not misleading. This would allow for easier external gadget development and one standard for gadget connection. Any ideas for the connector? It would need to have a minimum of 8 connections. I'll edit this post (or post a reply) when I have my suggestion ready :p

EDIT: My first two ideas that I'm thinking about were 8P8C but that would be confusing(Ethernet?) or DE-9 (Serial?) but that would also be really confusing so I'm thinking of something else.

EDIT2: So after discarding those two, I'm suggesting Mini-DIN 8 ala this as the official cable end: http://www.digikey.fi/product-detail/en/MD-80/CP-2080-ND/96920 and this on your gadget if pcb http://www.digikey.fi/product-detail/en/MD-80S/CP-2480-ND/145317

Now I'm expecting people to tell me why Mini-DIN 8 is an awful solution, but IMO you should also suggest a better alternative :p
I think that would put too much weight on the EXT connector when one holds  up the Pandora to use it, if they're that short. If they go that method, the dongle should be at least a half metre.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Holy Cow !

Thats some great news about official tv-out cables.

@ED : I just figured out that "global components" linked your "OpenPandora: Protoype production in Germany"-youtube-video on their website =D

Thats really awesome, that company is located almost around the corner for me =)
 
i know ed said that they were going to use the tiny-bob. so that will give it a lot more strength, but yes even just 3 av plugs at the wrong length was putting a lot of strain on it but was more worried about the female plug in the pandora it self being pulled out of or off it's solder points.
 
Holy Cow !


Thats some great news about official tv-out cables.


@ED : I just figured out that "global components" linked your "OpenPandora: Protoype production in Germany"-youtube-video on their website =D


Thats really awesome, that company is located almost around the corner for me =)
Oh, neat :)


Really a great company :D
 
Holy Cow !

Thats some great news about official tv-out cables.
Have I missed something? Are we finally getting TV out cables? Was just about to post about the possibility of running a community based kickstarter to fund the production of the cables if OP GmbH does not have the time / funds / desire to get the cables made.
 
I think that would put too much weight on the EXT connector when one holds  up the Pandora to use it, if they're that short. If they go that method, the dongle should be at least a half metre.
The ext port & connector is relatively sturdy: http://urjaman.dyndns.info/12032013.jpg :p That is an ext port connector + tinybob + piece of cable to an RCA CVBS connector + an EasyCAP USB capture device, and it all hangs off the pandora ext port without visible bending or a feeling of it being too heavy. Maybe 5cm was too short, but I'm thinking of about the length of the cables on the EasyCAP in the picture. IMHO it should be two 3.5mm minijack females ("LINE IN" & "LINE OUT"), one Mini-DIN 4 "S-Video" and one Mini-DIN 8 labeled "GPIO", so also same amount of cables (4) as in the EasyCAP pictured.

But yeah, maybe somebody should move this discussion in a more proper thread, so sorry if off-topic - but maybe it is enough in-topic and maybe ED will take some of this advice to GC if they are still designing the cables - but I think that we are a bit late.

What I'm really trying to say is that what I'd really want to boy would be cables/adapters that allow all of the uses of the EXT port at once, without being too expensive.

What I'm against is huge cable-set with integrated (expensive) electronics for the UARTs - people who want just a TV-Out cable will not want that.

I'm just worried that the only cable that will be worth it to manufacture will be an analog only 3m monster. I will have no reason to boy that (and I'm guessing I'm not totally alone), thus making the problem of too few boyers for a cable worse.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Prototypes of the cables will be here in 4-5 weeks and if they're fine then production will need another 7 weeks.


So it takes a while, but we're finally getting there :)
Why a complete redesign? Isn't this much more expencive and time-consumpting than simply use the old, and already designed cables and let these copy by GC? Or were the old cables not good enough?
 
=D

Okay Mr_Loon ... forget about my last "Sorry"-Post I wrote before ...

According to EDs post right next to yours ... I am up to date with mine again ;)

*Lets see... where was copy and paste again...*

Holy Cow !

Thats some ....
 
Prototypes of the cables will be here in 4-5 weeks and if they're fine then production will need another 7 weeks.

So it takes a while, but we're finally getting there :)
Why a complete redesign? Isn't this much more expencive and time-consumpting than simply use the old, and already designed cables and let these copy by GC? Or were the old cables not good enough?
For such simple cables, every company creates its own mould (as it's cheaper than moving the old ones to another company and hoping they will fit, as that also depends on the machine they're using...)

So there's no way using the mould of the old company.
 
Prototypes of the cables will be here in 4-5 weeks and if they're fine then production will need another 7 weeks.


So it takes a while, but we're finally getting there :)
Why a complete redesign? Isn't this much more expencive and time-consumpting than simply use the old, and already designed cables and let these copy by GC? Or were the old cables not good enough?
For such simple cables, every company creates its own mould (as it's cheaper than moving the old ones to another company and hoping they will fit, as that also depends on the machine they're using...)


So there's no way using the mould of the old company.
Excellent news!

How long will they be?

How do you plan to handle the cables for the people who preordered them?
 
I think that would put too much weight on the EXT connector when one holds  up the Pandora to use it, if they're that short. If they go that method, the dongle should be at least a half metre.
The ext port & connector is relatively sturdy: http://urjaman.dyndns.info/12032013.jpg :p
That is an ext port connector + tinybob + piece of cable to an RCA CVBS connector + an EasyCAP USB capture device, and it all hangs off the pandora ext port without visible bending or a feeling of it being too heavy. Maybe 5cm was too short, but I'm thinking of about the length of the cables on the EasyCAP in the picture. IMHO it should be two 3.5mm minijack females ("LINE IN" & "LINE OUT"), one Mini-DIN 4 "S-Video" and one Mini-DIN 8 labeled "GPIO", so also same amount of cables (4) as in the EasyCAP pictured.


But yeah, maybe somebody should move this discussion in a more proper thread, so sorry if off-topic - but maybe it is enough in-topic and maybe ED will take some of this advice to GC if they are still designing the cables - but I think that we are a bit late.


What I'm really trying to say is that what I'd really want to boy would be cables/adapters that allow all of the uses of the EXT port at once, without being too expensive.


What I'm against is huge cable-set with integrated (expensive) electronics for the UARTs - people who want just a TV-Out cable will not want that.


I'm just worried that the only cable that will be worth it to manufacture will be an analog only 3m monster. I will have no reason to boy that (and I'm guessing I'm not totally alone), thus making the problem of too few boyers for a cable worse.
Wouldn't 0.1 inch female header be better for UART ports than 8 pin DIN ports? The header would be easier to connect to a circuit on a breadboard or circuit board.
 
Back
Top