8 pin DIN connector for the Plus.

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Hi guys!

Sorry to bother you with these stupid questions but I am looking to connect my Plus (soon, when it arrives) to a 17" VGA LCD screen and, after a lot of reading, I came up with this board that seems to be a good solution:

replace Amstrad CPC 464 664 6128 old Monitor to LCD video converter , in UK. |

But I need the 8 pin connector to solder the cables from the board to it. Is this the correct one?

8 PIN DIN 270° MALE PLUG CONNECTOR FOR AUDIO EQUIPMENT & VINTAGE COMPUTER

I think that it is OK but I would like to be 100% sure.

Thank you!

P.D: if you have a better idea to connect the guy to a 17" VGA LCD screen, please, tell me your suggestions . The screen is 1280x1024.

[Bryce]

Yes, that's the right connector. The converter is quite a good way to get the CPC connected to a VGA Monitor, but make sure you earth everything well, especially the three colour earths to the CPCs. Otherwise you get a pretty crap picture.

Bryce.

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Awesome, thank you Brice! I will try to shield the things properly. Do you have any particular suggestion for the earth?

On the other hand, I am seeing that the converter does not have the PSU included, I will have to buy one, dammit 

[Bryce]

If the 5V PSU you use for your CPC is strong enough then you can use that for both.

Bryce.

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I have ordered a 5V 8A decent power supply that is on the way, and yes, maybe I can use it to power everything . However, I find more appealing to use a PSU just for this board and keep the 8A PSU for the Plus and the expansions. I know that it is completely stupid, but I find this more tidy .

[Bryce]

How does that make it tidier? You'll still have to strap the GND pins together as well as having a second PSU. Tidiest would be to route the 5V from the PSU to the VGA converter and then include 2 power wires from the VGA converter to the CPC as you're going to have to have a cable from the CPC to the converter anyway.

Bryce.

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Well, that is actually a very good idea. I did not think about including the 2 power wires from the VGA converter but it could be a good option because the board is going the be very close to the computer

[TFM]

I think it's kind of cool that Amstrad used DIN sockets. People always bitch at old computers, but I think that Amstrad made excellent quality CPCs - especially the Schneider versions Centronics ports, which have been later used for the Plus series too. 

[VincentGR]

Holy crap! I buy these 8 PIN DINS for 50 cents here 

[TFM]

Holy crap! I buy these 8 PIN DINS for 50 cents here 

Lucky you! 

[VincentGR]

Lucky you! 

Not always, in the same shop a 13pin din video for atari has 17e 
Better to buy a full scart and modify it your self at 10-12e

[Lazy Dude]

Ugh! people are talking about the 2 most crap connectors ever, scart and Din!
I lost count how many Din pins I over heated and had drop out of the plastic housing whilst learning to solder as a kid.

Centronics were as good as D-sub, solid relyable and available with nickel or gold plated solderbuckets & contacts.
Shame some more modern plugs aren't as well made.

[TFM]

Don't blame the DIN for a too hot soldering iron to too cheap plastic. I know what you mean, but it's not the DIN's fault, which is a very good connection. 3.5" earplugs are crappy, I could badmouth them for months. 

[Lazy Dude]

Too many unhappy moments spent "fixing" various  Din leads, I'm scarred for life 

[Bryce]

There's a trick to soldering those DIN connectors without the plastic melting. Trying to solder the connector on it's own will always melt the plastic. You need to connect it to it's mating socket (not the one on your CPC! ). The metal pins in the second connector is enough to spread the heat and lower the temperature. This also has the advantage that if the pin does start "floating" in the plastic, it will still be held in the correct position till the plastic sets again

Bryce.

[robcfg]

Nice tip, I'll keep that in mind!

[Lazy Dude]

There's a trick to soldering those DIN connectors without the plastic melting. Trying to solder the connector on it's own will always melt the plastic. You need to connect it to it's mating socket (not the one on your CPC! ). The metal pins in the second connector is enough to spread the heat and lower the temperature. This also has the advantage that if the pin does start "floating" in the plastic, it will still be held in the correct position till the plastic sets again

Bryce.

Try telling that to a 12 year old who's using his dads crappy worn out old 1960's iron!! Yep I did that 
Best thing I ever did was to invest in a decent iron with a fine tip.
And stay sober till the jobs done!!

[TFM]

There's a trick to soldering those DIN connectors without the plastic melting. Trying to solder the connector on it's own will always melt the plastic. You need to connect it to it's mating socket (not the one on your CPC! ). The metal pins in the second connector is enough to spread the heat and lower the temperature. This also has the advantage that if the pin does start "floating" in the plastic, it will still be held in the correct position till the plastic sets again

Bryce.

That's good advice for sure. Back the day I did let the crocodile hold the pin and then soldered quick and precise, that worked well too.

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There's a trick to soldering those DIN connectors without the plastic melting. Trying to solder the connector on it's own will always melt the plastic. You need to connect it to it's mating socket (not the one on your CPC! ). The metal pins in the second connector is enough to spread the heat and lower the temperature. This also has the advantage that if the pin does start "floating" in the plastic, it will still be held in the correct position till the plastic sets again

Bryce.

That is a really solid piece of advice!

[arnoldemu]

great tip! I experienced exactly those problems 

[arnoldemu]

Try telling that to a 12 year old who's using his dads crappy worn out old 1960's iron!! Yep I did that 

Same as me... old soldering iron with a power supply in the base that buzzed.
solder going into my eyes and nose, socket held in my dad's vice in the garage.
ahh... fun.

[Bryce]

I recently found some PCBs that I soldered when I was around 8 years old. I think I'll post some pictures of them later to prove without a doubt that soldering skills start with some seriously messed up circuits

Bryce.

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I remember that not so long ago I opened a pair of speakers I repaired when I was 13. I basically substituted the components of the filters and rewired them, nothing more, and I was completely terrified when I saw the atrocities hidden inside of the boxes  .