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DIY SB1394 Cable for Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum?

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First post, by tenyuhuang

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[strike]Edit: Succeed.[/strike]

Hi, newb here, just beginning to gather some computer parts for a Pentium-III retro PC.
I used to drool over a set of Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum edition back when I was young, but of course I can't just afford it as a kid.
So getting myself that became a priority of this build.

I've just got some separate parts, namely the SB0090 Sound Blaster Audigy PCI Sound Card, and SB0010/D Audigy Internal Drive.
It seems to be requiring an AD_EXT cable to link the card and drive, and also another cable to make the 1394 socket work on the front panel.
AD_EXT cable was of course one of the easiest stuffs to get on earth;
but that was not the case with that proprietary 1394 internal cable from Sound Blaster.

But after some investigation, an idea came to me that I might be able to DIY a cable for myself.
On the cosmetic side, the header of that cable looks very familiar - actually it's almost that USB 2.0/HD AUDIO internal connector we're using these days.
And the fortunate part is that I DID find a seller who could make that sort of cable!

So the rest of the problem goes technical:
Can a link cable with two 10-pin header connectors work with stock Audigy and Audigy Drive?

Thanks in advance!

Last edited by tenyuhuang on 2017-11-05, 01:56. Edited 2 times in total.

Reply 2 of 7, by tenyuhuang

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chinny22 wrote:

Is this what your talking about?
https://audigy2zshowto.blogspot.co.uk

Thank you sir!
Well, not exactly, but I've nailed something:
3robYa8.png
Playing with Dupont cables and headers are fun!
I'm retarded enough to got the length wrong, though.
Just bought a new batch (600mm) and will see if it works ;D

Reply 3 of 7, by tenyuhuang

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IT'S WORKING! WOOOOHOOOOO!

ZZ8YrOr.png
SrPAzAx.png
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After a few trial-and-errors, the front panel picked up my 1394 device flawlessly.
Just be sure to match the pins when you're assembling the header cable. 😊

So yes, you can technically and physically assemble a dupont cable to replace the hard-to-find SB1394 cable.
It cost me 5 RMB (~0.75USD) to buy 20PCS of headers, and 40 RMB (~6USD) for a 50PCS of individual cables.
With less than 7 dollars, you could easily DIY 5 SB1394 front panel cables!
Definitely a nice bargain. 😎

Reply 4 of 7, by Jepael

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I'm surprised it works at all, it may be unreliable.

High speed signals such as 1394 should be transmitted over twisted pair transmission line with proper impedance.
It would be better to cut off connectors of a firewire cable and put those connectors on it, making sure the signal pairing is correct.
Maybe a CAT5 cable would work too if nothing better is available.

Reply 5 of 7, by tenyuhuang

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Jepael wrote:
I'm surprised it works at all, it may be unreliable. […]
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I'm surprised it works at all, it may be unreliable.

High speed signals such as 1394 should be transmitted over twisted pair transmission line with proper impedance.
It would be better to cut off connectors of a firewire cable and put those connectors on it, making sure the signal pairing is correct.
Maybe a CAT5 cable would work too if nothing better is available.

Thank you very much for the reminder, I didn't realized that at all!
That said, I should make a correct one with a 6-pin 1394 connection cable.

But first, here's an electronics noob asking for some advice:

creative_ieee1394.gif
1) The only pins need to be connected with twisted pair are TPA+- and TPB+-, am I correct?

2) A regular 6-pin 1394 connector and SB1394 9-pin connector have some minor differences:
cpx105_2p5.gif

Specifically, it has one more +12 pin, one more GND pin and an additional S-GND pin.
Can I just ignore these additional pins?

Thanks again in advance!

Reply 6 of 7, by gdjacobs

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Don't ignore the pins unless you know the load is safe for just one and all impedances are low enough without both sets. The signal lines could probably be implemented using CAT 6 telco cable given the short run involved (nominal impedance mismatch of about 10%), but the ideal thing would be some double pair AES/EBU professional digital audio cable.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 7 of 7, by Jepael

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gdjacobs wrote:

Don't ignore the pins unless you know the load is safe for just one and all impedances are low enough without both sets. The signal lines could probably be implemented using CAT 6 telco cable given the short run involved (nominal impedance mismatch of about 10%), but the ideal thing would be some double pair AES/EBU professional digital audio cable.

Yes sometimes more than one pin is used to provide more current.

And you are right, I did not check the impedance, Firewire is 110 ohms and CAT cables are 100 ohms. So yes an AES/EBU cable would suit better impedance-wise. But ASE/EBU does not need so high bandwidth that Firewire needs.

Thus a real Firewire cable that has two differential pairs with correct impedance would be best.

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