Making the psx memory card connector.

I'm going to describe how to make a PlayStation memory card plug

from a floppy disk cable. Most of what follows applies even if your

building from just a connector and using some other type of cable.

Make sure your web browser is not using compressed graphics, so that you

can see the pictures better.

Skip to step 6 to build plug from a connector without using a

floppy cable. You will need a 34 pin or larger connector and some type

of cable though.

A Floppy cable and some tools you might need. (Above)

You may also need a soldering iron and solder.

1: Carefully remove all connectors from the floppy disk cable.

Don't cut the cable unless the plug your removing is at an end of the cable.

2: Set aside the connectors that would plug into the 5 1/4 inch

floppy drives. Make sure you don't break any of the parts that hold the

ribbon cable to the connector.

3: Throw out the rest of the connectors you won't need them.

You should have 1 or two of the 5 1/4 inch connectors depending on the

cable. I had an extra cable that had just one of the 5 1/4 inch types

on it. So I switched it with the one in my computer. That way I could

make 2 of the plugs for the psx memory cards. Or have at least 2

chances to do it right.

4: With the ribbon cable from the floppy cable, you will see that one

end of the cable has some splits in it from the twisting of the cable.

That the part that has 9 wires and remove from the rest of the cable.

You can use this as the cable for the psx plug you are making.

5: Remove 1 of the wires from the 9 wire cable. You can use this for

the power connector wire to the computer game port or other power

supply.

6: Remove all pins from the ribbon side of the 34 pin connectors.

Take note of how they go back in.

7: Look at your connector with the pins removed. Look at the side that

a card(board) would plug into. This is the side you will be cutting

with a small hacksaw blade. I used a blade that was labled

12"x1/2"x24T. If you don't have a holder, try wrapping one end of the

blade with masking tape so you don't cut yourself.

8: Find the side of the connector that has the key on it. This is a

piece of plastic that connects the top and the bottom of the connector.

Make it the left side. From the left side of the connector make a cut

right down the connector in the place where the first pins would be.

On my connector the cut was 3/8ths of an inch or 8 millimeters.

The goal here is to cut only down to the back of the connetor without

cutting all the way through. You must cut along where a pin used to be.

9: Now that you've made a cut take out the blade and get a small emery

board. You can find cheap ones in a drug store for about 10 for a

dollar. Take the emery board and file it into the slot you just made.

It might take a little work, but it will go in and make the slot a

Little bigger. Smooth out the edges a bit.

10: Starting from the Slot you just made count 4 over. Cut down this

slot just like the first one you did. Take emery board and smooth the

slot out.

11: Now take a pair of plyers and remove the tab that has developed,

but only from the top left edge. Be careful you don't want to break the

connector, only the tab. Try some scoring at the base of the connector.

12: Count 3 from the first pin area now on the top and do a cut.

Smooth out the edges with emery board

13: Don't do any tab breaking here. Just count 5 over from the slot you

just made, cut and smooth.

14 count 5 over from the slot you just made, cut and smooth.

15 Goto the inner edge of the right edge of the connector.

You will be making the cut on the edge of where a pin would be if a pin

were there. Smooth is out after.

16: You should now break out the top right plastic edge. Just like you

did with the left top edge.

17: On the bottom edge of the connector break out the edges of where

the pins would be if there were pins. (don't break it like the top

edge)You just want to remove all the plastic bumps on the bottom edge.

For some connectors you might not have to do this, try your psx card in

the plug that was made.

18: Do any extra filing with the emery boards you might have to do to

get the psx memory card to fit well. Keep in mind that the top of the

card should face down when inserted correctly.

19: Now connect your cable to 8 of the pins that came out of the

connector. You might want to solder to the pins. Make sure you use the

solder sparingly. Also make sure that you solder to the side of the pin

that, when the pin is inserted into the connector is facing the holes.

The pins won't fit if you did it on the wrong side.

Good thing we have plenty of pins to work with.

Avoid soldering to the pins if you have them in the connector.

It can melt the plastic.

20: Insert the 8 pins back into connector.(top row skip slots) Go in

order. If you did a good job you should be able to put the back onto

the connector.

Another way you can go here is to just take one Sony memory card and

open it up and connect a ribbon cable to it's pins.

Cut as is needed to get the cable coming out the other end and the card

back together. It must be a Sony card at this point. Other cards

may not work with the system.

If you do it this way you must never hook up your psx and computer at

the same time. You could fry both of you machines.

See Schematics for hooking cable to printer port connector and power

supply info.

Playsaver@aol.com