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[ZeBeeDee]

I've got the original Amiga to 1084s monitor cable (CBM part number 3906881-03 stamped on the cable) which approx 42 inches in length BUT I need a cable that is abou8t 65 inches in length due to the location of the monitor (mounted on the wall)

Is it possible to use a simple 9 pin straight-thru connected (i.e pin 1 connected to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, etc) extension cable like this to solve my little dilemma?

Ebay Link

[motorollin]

If the output is 9 pin, then yes you can use a straight through male to female lead as an extension.

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moto

[motorollin]

I would however be careful about the quality of the cable. Carrying video is very different from carrying serial data (what that cable was designed for). Crosstalk between the wires will degrade the quality of your picture. So it might be better to get a better quality cable with individually shielded wires inside.

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moto

[Hodgkinson]

motorollin => Agreed. Normal video cables have (At least) the RGB lines individually screened.
Can't say that I've ever seen or heard of a cable designed for serial made to such a high spec, though.

[ZeBeeDee]

The signal quality problem is why I posted first before proceeding ...

Hmmm ... looks like it's basically going to be a 'buy, try and hope' situation :-o

Thanks guys! Invaluable input from the community as always :-D

[Hodgkinson]

If you're going to give it a try, try getting the shortest possible lead that will solve your problem. The shorter the lead, the less cross-talk between lines. Hopefully that should help to minimise any potential problems, but it ain't as good as laying your hands on a screened cable.

Come to think of it, maybe you could try and locate a duff kladged out old monitor that used a 9-pin D connector, snip the cable off, and solder a 9-Pin D female to the other end. That way you should be able to make yourself up a shielded monitor extension lead. Hey, if you can get hold of a long enough lead and a 23pin D video connector, then you could do away with the normal 1084s lead all together --- Even better!

Hodgkinson.

[ZeBeeDee]

My local maplin's (radioshack U.S. equivalent) have appropriate cable I can use ... Multi-Core 9 way Screened Cable Type 7-1-C so it's looking good thus far for a custom cable build :-)

[Hodgkinson]

Hey, you've got a local Maplins? Then I assume you’re in the UK? Where abouts?

Btw, re a custom cable, as you probably already know 23-Pin D's are as rare as Hen's teeth from popper suppliers these days. If you're considering making one full extra long cable, you might have to do some digging around here on A.org for anyone who bought a bulk set back in the day when they were available (I know someone has, they said that they bought a set of ten since that was the minimum quantity...). Finding a shell to go over one might be an issue that would probably require some kludging around to fix.
One other source of 23-Pin D connectors is the external floppy connector on Amiga main boards - I used one to make a VGA adaptor with.

On the other hand, you could just make the 9-Pin extension cable as originally planned, but you might loose a small amount of image quality through the connectors and any associated stray capacitance.

However you do it is up to you,
Hodgkinson.

[ZeBeeDee]

Hodgkinson wrote:
Hey, you've got a local Maplins? Then I assume you’re in the UK? Where abouts?

I'm located in the leafy suburbs of Bedfordshire ... or 58 miles from London :-)

I really only need to extend the original cable 24 inches maximum so any signal degradation should hopefully be kept to the absolute minimum.

[Hodgkinson]

Ah. I’m near Doncaster.

>24 inches maximum :-) Make it 30 inches then. A few extra inches won't hurt, and it ain't half annoying when you spend hours making a cable up just to find its short by an inch or so. If the original cable has screening, then I'd advise that, if the connectors can be opened up on the original cable, that you have a look at were the screening is connected to (If anywhere...) and make the shielding in the new cable follow the same path.
FYI, heatshrinking the bit of the new cable where the insulation has been removed from is a good idea since this should stop any loose bits of excess braid or screen from fouling up the other contacts. Just leave a small tail of screening to connect to poking out of the edge of the heatshrink, and don’t keep heat on when soldering too long otherwise the screening could start to melt into the wires inside.

Btw, do you know of Rapid electronics (www.rapidonline.com) - They're a pretty decent company with a large range of decent priced components and a free printed catalogue.

Hodgkinson.