{"id":557,"date":"2019-02-20T21:51:22","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T21:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.binarystarsoftware.com\/?p=557"},"modified":"2019-02-20T21:52:32","modified_gmt":"2019-02-20T21:52:32","slug":"diy-vectrex-usb-power-cable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.binarystarsoftware.com\/?p=557","title":{"rendered":"DIY Vectrex USB power cable"},"content":{"rendered":"

Something that might come in useful (especially to those of you using\u00a0Laurence Bennion’s excellent new UV overlay) is adding a USB port to your Vectrex to provide power to a UV LED strip such as this one :\u00a0https:\/\/www.ebay.co.uk\/itm\/USB-5V-REAL-UV-Ultraviolet-LED-Strip-Light-Tape-Lights-SMD-5050-LEDs-Blacklight\/323538253248<\/a><\/p>\n

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I made a simple USB power box using a spare USB extension cable, a Sega Genesis\/Megadrive\u00a0 joystick extension cable (DB9 plug end) and a plastic box which a Raspberry Pi came in years ago \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

To make you own, all you need to do is use a USB socket (or cut one from a USB extension cable as I did), and connect the two outer VCC and GND pins on the socket to pins 7 (+5V) and 8 (GND) on the DB9 joystick extension cable. Add shrink tubing to the DB9 plug cable and solder the wires to the relevant pins on the USB socket.<\/p>\n

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Once you are happy with the soldered connections, shrink the shrink tubing to protect (or do as I did, cover in hot glue and hide your sins in a box \ud83d\ude09 )<\/p>\n

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Now, you must shave the end of the plastic plug to fit the\u00a0 Vectrex port and you are good to go!<\/p>\n

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