VOGONS


First post, by bionicle_159

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I've purchased an old 2006 X-Fi with the classic Soundblaster front panel and of course straight after LGR posted a video on it - pointing out the proprietary mini-din connector for MIDI devices!
I would really appreciate someone to do a simple write-up of the pin-out as this would save myself a big headache with dealing with eBay sellers, as the prices for the adaptor cables are annoyingly high on eBay UK for what is essentially a simple wire conversion.

Work Rig - Ryzen 2700X, 16GB 3200Mhz, MSI B450 LN91340, HD 7970 Ghz (I know...), SB 1500
XP Rig - C2Q Q6600, 4GB 800Mhz, GA-P31-DS3L , GTX 750Ti, SB 0820
98SE Rig - AthlonXP 1700, 512MB 166Mhz, NForce A7N8X-X, V3 2000 PCI, Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Reply 1 of 18, by Salient

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

I measured my own cable and came up with this:

Male mini DIN:
SB%20X-Fi%20MIDI%20Pinout%20-%20miniDIN%20%28Male%29.jpg

Female DIN end:
SB%20X-Fi%20MIDI%20Pinout%20-%20DIN%20%28Female%29.jpg

I only use the MIDI out of my X-Fi so I am not totally sure if the other conversion cable could be different but as I recall it, they are both the same and not specifically labeled for MIIDI IN or MIDI OUT.

MIDI comparison website: << Wavetable.nl >>
(Always) looking for: Any Wavetable daughterboard, MIDI Module (GM/GS/XG)

Reply 2 of 18, by bionicle_159

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

so are the blank pins ground?

Work Rig - Ryzen 2700X, 16GB 3200Mhz, MSI B450 LN91340, HD 7970 Ghz (I know...), SB 1500
XP Rig - C2Q Q6600, 4GB 800Mhz, GA-P31-DS3L , GTX 750Ti, SB 0820
98SE Rig - AthlonXP 1700, 512MB 166Mhz, NForce A7N8X-X, V3 2000 PCI, Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Reply 3 of 18, by Salient

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member
bionicle_159 wrote:

so are the blank pins ground?

Blank pins are not connected anywhere.

MIDI comparison website: << Wavetable.nl >>
(Always) looking for: Any Wavetable daughterboard, MIDI Module (GM/GS/XG)

Reply 4 of 18, by bionicle_159

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

Thanks for clearing that up for me, I knew I could count on VOGONS for support! I'm sure this will help a lot of people who are bound to run into the same issue. I'll order the connectors in the next few weeks, perhaps in the future I might design a low-profile 3D printed block adapter that simply plugs into the recessed area of the front panel MIDI port.

Work Rig - Ryzen 2700X, 16GB 3200Mhz, MSI B450 LN91340, HD 7970 Ghz (I know...), SB 1500
XP Rig - C2Q Q6600, 4GB 800Mhz, GA-P31-DS3L , GTX 750Ti, SB 0820
98SE Rig - AthlonXP 1700, 512MB 166Mhz, NForce A7N8X-X, V3 2000 PCI, Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Reply 5 of 18, by bionicle_159

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

*This may come across a bit daft but what is the blue section for? I was under the impression that the notch was just for lining up the connector, not having any electrical relevance.

Work Rig - Ryzen 2700X, 16GB 3200Mhz, MSI B450 LN91340, HD 7970 Ghz (I know...), SB 1500
XP Rig - C2Q Q6600, 4GB 800Mhz, GA-P31-DS3L , GTX 750Ti, SB 0820
98SE Rig - AthlonXP 1700, 512MB 166Mhz, NForce A7N8X-X, V3 2000 PCI, Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Reply 6 of 18, by Kamerat

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
bionicle_159 wrote:

*This may come across a bit daft but what is the blue section for? I was under the impression that the notch was just for lining up the connector, not having any electrical relevance.

Usually that's connected to the cable shielding.

DOS Sound Blaster compatibility: PCI sound cards vs. PCI chipsets
YouTube channel

Reply 7 of 18, by Tiido

User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

Shields and grounds are to be connected only on one end (one connecting to MIDI out) on the MIDI cables to prevent ground loops from happening.

T-04YBSC, a new YMF71x based sound card & Official VOGONS thread about it
Newly made 4MB 60ns 30pin SIMMs ~
mida sa loed ? nagunii aru ei saa 😜

Reply 9 of 18, by bionicle_159

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
OldDog_Rigo wrote on 2020-10-05, 05:40:

Hi there, just wondering if there was any chance i could get those mini MIDI to Standard MIDI drawings? I also have the front panel inputs but no cables.

Thanks.

Couldn't find a web archive, but here's a link to a manufacturer, not had any luck in getting replies though.

https://m.alibaba.com/product/60697438789/lin … .b1b748dahuD3ZT

Work Rig - Ryzen 2700X, 16GB 3200Mhz, MSI B450 LN91340, HD 7970 Ghz (I know...), SB 1500
XP Rig - C2Q Q6600, 4GB 800Mhz, GA-P31-DS3L , GTX 750Ti, SB 0820
98SE Rig - AthlonXP 1700, 512MB 166Mhz, NForce A7N8X-X, V3 2000 PCI, Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Reply 10 of 18, by Srandista

User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
OldDog_Rigo wrote on 2020-10-05, 05:40:

Hi there, just wondering if there was any chance i could get those mini MIDI to Standard MIDI drawings? I also have the front panel inputs but no cables.

Thanks.

Here you go:
Male mini DIN:

SB X-Fi MIDI Pinout - miniDIN (Male).jpg
Filename
SB X-Fi MIDI Pinout - miniDIN (Male).jpg
File size
36.32 KiB
Views
2477 views
File license
Public domain

Female DIN end:

SB X-Fi MIDI Pinout - DIN (Female).jpg
Filename
SB X-Fi MIDI Pinout - DIN (Female).jpg
File size
36.86 KiB
Views
2477 views
File license
Public domain

Socket 775 - ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA, Pentium E6500K, 4GB RAM, Radeon 9800XT, ESS Solo-1, Win 98/XP
Socket A - Chaintech CT-7AIA, AMD Athlon XP 2400+, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9600XT, ESS ES1869F, Win 98

Reply 11 of 18, by bionicle_159

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
Srandista wrote on 2021-02-07, 21:19:

Here you go:
Male mini DIN:
SB X-Fi MIDI Pinout - miniDIN (Male).jpg
Female DIN end:
SB X-Fi MIDI Pinout - DIN (Female).jpg
[/quote]

Thanks for finding an archive of the images, shame I didn't see this earlier.

I found a couple more online related to this, including one from an old topic Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 40-Pin Header (cached version = https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/9PqgW … XODl6EkFtuX85FA) and http://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2010/

Hopefully these links will help if the Vogons images go missing again

Attachments

Work Rig - Ryzen 2700X, 16GB 3200Mhz, MSI B450 LN91340, HD 7970 Ghz (I know...), SB 1500
XP Rig - C2Q Q6600, 4GB 800Mhz, GA-P31-DS3L , GTX 750Ti, SB 0820
98SE Rig - AthlonXP 1700, 512MB 166Mhz, NForce A7N8X-X, V3 2000 PCI, Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Reply 12 of 18, by SScorpio

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Here's another link, not that the view of the mini DIN is from the perspective of the Live Drive, so it's flipped from the other images.

https://pinouts.ru/Audio-Video-Hardware/minid … in_pinout.shtml

Reply 13 of 18, by bionicle_159

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
SScorpio wrote on 2021-02-08, 22:40:

Here's another link, not that the view of the mini DIN is from the perspective of the Live Drive, so it's flipped from the other images.

https://pinouts.ru/Audio-Video-Hardware/minid … in_pinout.shtml

Thanks for helping out!

(I wish there was an upvote option, don't want to spam the forum - this old thread has enough replies from me 🤣)

Work Rig - Ryzen 2700X, 16GB 3200Mhz, MSI B450 LN91340, HD 7970 Ghz (I know...), SB 1500
XP Rig - C2Q Q6600, 4GB 800Mhz, GA-P31-DS3L , GTX 750Ti, SB 0820
98SE Rig - AthlonXP 1700, 512MB 166Mhz, NForce A7N8X-X, V3 2000 PCI, Aureal Vortex 2 SQ2500

Reply 14 of 18, by fsmith2003

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member

Has anyone successfully made one of these adapters? Hoping to make one myself but I’m not experienced in what materials I need to buy to make it happen?

Reply 15 of 18, by SScorpio

User metadata
Rank Member
Rank
Member
fsmith2003 wrote on 2021-10-11, 13:48:

Has anyone successfully made one of these adapters? Hoping to make one myself but I’m not experienced in what materials I need to buy to make it happen?

You need a 5 pin male mini din, and a 5 pin female din ends, along with at least a three-wire cable. You'll need to solder the wires to the connectors.

I recommend Aliexpress or another site for the cheapest price on the connectors if you don't mind waiting, just be sure to order a few in case you mess anything up. You are working with a small contact points in the mini din plug.

Reply 18 of 18, by aureal

User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

That extra pin shouldnt be a problem because the extra stuff on the male end can be ripped out but I just checked the wiring... it doesnt match up with the midi-mini midi adaptor so it would still require rewiring the cable.