[NTLK] MessagePad 2x00 Interconnect plugs

[Forrest]

Excellent, Matthias! Your list of contributions just keeps growing and growing.

So, allow to me ask what likely are questions with obvious answers:

—We have the pin outs for the Interconnect connector;
—The FTDI FT232R chip (or compatible) is available, so we could create our own USB adapter cable, as you suggested?

I’m usually always up for an electronics construction challenge, as long as it isn’t too involved.

Mahalo,
Forrest

Sent from my T-Mobile iPhone 11

> On Apr 21, 2021, at 7:34 AM, Ionos: robowerk.de <m.melcher at robowerk.de> wrote:
> 
> 
> Hmm, I think I found a matching plug for the MP2x00 Interconnect Port. It involves a little bit of cutting in filing, but the plug itself is available for a few bucks and still mass-produced.
> 
> I searched through the catalogs of Farnell, RS, and all the other electronics suppliers I could find, and lo and behold, there is *one* plug that fits perfectly, except it's too long. But it's nothing a knife couldn't fix.
> 
> The Molex 71439-1164 Mezzanine plug has not only the very rare 1mm pitch, the somewhat rare parallel configuration vs. stacked, it even has the required depth, with, and pin distance.
> 
> https://www.molex.com/molex/products/part-detail/pcb_receptacles/0714391164
> 
> This is the dongle and the receptable on the MP side:
> 
> http://messagepad.org/Downloads/20210421_151608.jpg
> 
> This is the Molex plug:
> 
> http://messagepad.org/Downloads/20210421_152259.jpg
> 
> Filed down to size:
> 
> http://messagepad.org/Downloads/20210421_151650.jpg
> 
> And snugly plugged into the MessagePad port:
> 
> http://messagepad.org/Downloads/20210421_151739.jpg
> 
> All the pins make contact.
> 
> The port provides power for external devices, takes power for charging, even has audio in and out (mono), and two serial ports for NCU over USB, debugging, a modem (ESP32 wifi connection, for example), keyboards, and whatever else the heart desires. All without opening the message pad!
> 
> Hope to see a few noew hardware projects evolve from this ;-) . I know I will build myself a USB adapter for sure!
> 
>  - Matthias
> 
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