this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2024
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Help me find a USB adaptor for a PS/2 type plug. Searching online just gets me Playstations! (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 week ago by FarraigePlaisteach to c/[email protected]
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I'm losing my mind. This old graphics tablet connects to the PS/2 port on an old PC for power. There's a separate serial cable for the actual data connection. I want to supply it power without needing to connect it to a PS/2 port, so an adapter for USB would be ideal.

I know others have achieved this but I can't find the details. Can anyone help? The search results are full of Playstations because it misinterprets the "PS/2" part.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

GC46MF

Part number for startech PS2 to usb adapter

Probably won't work due to the higher power of serial compared to usb though.

[–] FarraigePlaisteach 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Maybe the part I heard about is specially made to account for that too. Hmm. Thanks, I'll look into it further. Edit: according to this video (3 minutes, 15 seconds mark), the adaptors do work.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ixZhIxMus&t=228

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

You could always look into a PCIe serial card for the serial port, and the PS2 to usb adapter. Still unsure if it'll work but it's pretty cheap stuff to test out

[–] DrMoronicAcid 4 points 1 week ago

Try searching for a "6 pin mini-DIN to usb adapter"

[–] dohpaz42 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Would this work?

[–] half_built_pyramids 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Usually you can't just patch USB to ps/2 pins. Others called out voltage might not be the same even if you aren't using data.

[–] Alexstarfire 2 points 1 week ago

You sure can with keyboard and mouse. Did that in the early days. Pretty sure I tossed that adapter though. Don't have any ps/2 ports anymore.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I've done it lots with stupid simple adapters for things like KVM, back when PS2 was still around but everything was shifting to USB. These adapters were provided by major KVM vendors at the time.

Worked fine 99% of the time (occasionally didn't).

Now providing power... I've never looked at the PS2 spec. OP should check the tablet requirements, make sure it doesn't exceed what their USB can provide. And verify an adapter maps the power pins appropriately.

[–] FarraigePlaisteach 1 points 1 week ago

Thanks. I'm helping someone with this but I'll get them to send me the manual that came with this to see if I can get more details on the power requirements. From the video I linked in another comment, it seems to work.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Are you sure that's not an 8 pin serial connector? It doesn't look like PS/2 from this angle

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The other end looks like the PS/2 DIN connector.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

8 pin serial can come in a round format like that. It looks slightly too large to be PS/2, and the other end being serial implies that this is a serial cable

[–] FarraigePlaisteach 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I don't have it with me because I'm helping someone remotely, but I'm almost certain it's a PS/2 connection from a previous video call we had. I'll double check though because that's a good point you make. I should look out for that possibility.