Hardware DIY gba-GC cable?

[Sliter]

hey, I'm here with problens finding good price local GBA-GC cable, and I want to try the features of linking GBA to a gamecube ...
so well I got here a broken gamecube controller that I can get it's cable, and I can find some cheap GBA link cable, also I have an GB/GBC-GBC cable here taking dust ... if I can use its (I don't really know what make the difference between them lol) it's possible make a GC-GBA cable?:v

 

[FAST6191]

Are you sure you want one? There are not many uses for it.

Anyway it is not a matter of just connecting wires as there is some logic in the middle. If you look at a real one then it will have some scary looking chip inside apparently I was talking nonsense so see next post for the official stuff, if you look at a knockoff one then it is just some basic passives and I think transistors arranged such that Voltages are controlled and possibly logic inverted as the case demands. I have to leave shortly so apologies for the quick and dirty images, I can do better ones later if needs be, or even bust out the oscilloscope if it comes down to it, but they should give you an idea of what you will need to do. You probably could make this on stripboard/veroboard if you really wanted too.

One of the wires is snapped (hence the case being off) but it should be obvious what needs to go where. The front side PCB markings hidden by the wires are the same as the ones on the back. The 5 wires go back to the GBA end, the 3 wires/3 pins to the GC side of things.

 

[FAST6191]

OK apparently I was chatting nonsense about the official one as I ended up with a few more minutes and pulled one apart

 

[Sliter]

the photos are allright xD thanks!
well "sure" I don't know but is like my child dream to make these GC-GBA conectivity XD sice I have a wii I can do some (of I had a gba flashcard I could do more?:v lol) but the most wanted is the zelda 4swords hehe :B

well anyway it looks simples but I wonder if getting the components + gba cable+work would not pay for it at last?:v

 

[FAST6191]

Wikipedia I know but it seems pretty complete from what I can recall of such things
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_GameCube_–_Game_Boy_Advance_link_cable

Final Fantasy CC and Zelda are great if you can get enough GBAs and three other people around to play them, maybe two others in a pinch but definitely not just you and another. For Final Fantasy you are probably better off sorting out some of the DS stuff though, I do not know if I would say it is better (the GC version is hardly refined but that is not a bad thing as I felt the DS versions were a bit hand holding for my taste). Pac man vs is also good but there are better options for that, probably the DS again, for that. GC Zelda four swords is probably still the best take on that style of game though.

Everything else, especially those things that need a GBA game to speak to*, is not really worth the hassle if it is going to be one. If you had a GC and a GB player then it is probably worth it.

*do note that GBA flash carts do not emulate saves such that the GC can speak to it, so pokemon, sonic and other such things might not work without hacking the GC side of things. Even those things that did just need the game to be present probably will also come up short if you have a more modern design of flash cart like the EZ4. Older standalone ones, possibly also the EZ 3 in 1, you could flash and have appear as the originals (give or take the previously discussed save issues) but enough of that.

 

[Sliter]

well there are interesting stuff like fire emblem (even not having any lol) and with pokemon I heard we can play the gb game on tv , but it don't say on wiki :v but idk ...
Finding friends with gba+ the cable .. well i'm ure I have two Xd but if they would like to play .. I don't know :v
well I'm not sure if I should try to make one (btw would work with the GBGC link cable or just the GBA one? õ3o) or justs ave and buy one someday hahha I could use this cable to make an cabe extensor for gamecube controler ..(if I found one controller conector .. I think this is also note asy hahaha)

 

[FAST6191]

I am not sure about the GB/GBC cable as a substitute.
http://problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm#auxlinkport reckons it might be possible if you rewire a few things but in the end I would probably want to cannibalise a GBA cable just for the ease.

I am not sure where you might find a good supply of plugs/extensions either, especially not in Brazil. At one time dance pads were useful after the extension cables dried up. There was a controller adapter device the other month that had all sorts of sockets and connectors and they said they might open up their supply. That said I have actually considered doing a run of various connectors like these.

 

[Sliter]

wow so that is what differ an gbc to a gba cable :v why there aren't cables with a switch or something? hahha ok this sound stupid
I don't get very well what happen between SI and GND.. is like the SI -SO form the GBC, but also connected o the grd? õ3o
well to the GC I thing the gbc would work in the same way , don't it ? I mean , I just the plug part I'm taing , not the part that make the connection .. I think argh I want to do it actually but I'm afraid of not finding the components /not being able to make it work at last lol

I had a broken GBA cable some years ago that a friend gave me... but I had no idea how to do stuff so It went to the junk soon :v but anyway so long past to care about xD
well I think if I can find a dead wii I could get the connector ... I think this is not this easy anyway... ̶I̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶s̶a̶c̶r̶i̶f̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶4̶t̶h̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶o̶r̶t̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶y̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶4̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶o̶k̶ ̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶