Difference between revisions of "DE-9"

From Sega Retro

m (Revised DB-9 examples.)
(Removed incorrect information about serial data - DE-9 controller ports provide access to multiple buttons in parallel (PC RS-232 serial ports are indeed serial, but that's outside the scope of the article).)
 
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'''DE-9''' (sometimes incorrectly called DB-9) is a D-shaped connector/port with two rows totaling 9 pins in an E-size connector. The top row has 5 pins, and the bottom row has 4 pins. Two types of DE-9 connectors exist. A male DE-9 connector has pins, while a female DE-9 connector has holes. You can only plug a male connector into a female plug or vice versa, unless you have a DE-9 gender changer.
  
[[Category:Hardware]]
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DE-9 ports are commonly seen on PCs as RS-232C serial ports, but were also featured on every [[Sega]] home console from the [[SG-1000]] to the [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive]] for connecting joypads or other input devices. During the 1980s and early 1990s, it was an unofficial standard for gamepads and joysticks, meaning controllers were interchangeable between the various computers and consoles of the time (though there might be some compatibility issues due to how each hardware may respond to button inputs differently). This has since been phased out in favor of proprietary controller ports (as was the case with the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] and [[Dreamcast]]), or in the case of computers and more recent consoles, has largely been replaced with the USB standard.
A D-shaped connector with two rows totaling 9 pins. The top row has 5 pins, and the bottom row has 4 pins. Due to the fact that it is a serial port, transmission is done one bit at a time. DB-9 ports are commonly seen on PCs as RS-232C serial ports. They are also used on the [[Sega Genesis]] for connecting input devices, such as game controllers. (Earlier revisions of the [[Sega Genesis]] had a third DB-9 port on the back of the console for a modem adapter.)
 
  
Two types of DB-9 connectors exist. A male DB-9 connector has pins, while a female DB-9 connector has holes. You can only plug a male connector into a female plug or vice versa, unless you have a DB-9 gender changer.
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==Platforms that use DE-9-based Controllers==
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{{multicol|
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*Atari 2600 (1977)
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*Atari 8-bit Family of computers (1979)
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*Commodore VIC-20 (1980)
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*NEC PC-8800 Series (1981)
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*Commodore 64 (1982)
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*NEC PC-9800 Series (1982)
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*ColecoVision (1982)
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*[[SG-1000]]/[[SC-3000]] (1983)
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*MSX (1983)
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*Atari 7800 (1984)
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*Amstrad CPC (1984)
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*[[Amiga]] (1985)
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*Atari ST (1985)
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*[[Sega Mark III]]/[[Sega Master System]] (1985)
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*X68000 (1987)
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*[[Sega Mega Drive]] (1988)
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*Fujitsu FM Towns (1989)
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*[[Sega Pico]] (1993) (HPC-0001 only)
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*3DO Interactive Multiplayer (1993)
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}}
  
 
==Images==
 
==Images==
This is a male DB-9 connector: http://database.ssonicnet.com/images/DB-9m.png
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<gallery>
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Image:DB-9m.png|Male DE-9
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Image:DB-9f2.png|Female DE-9
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</gallery>
  
This is a female DB-9 connector: http://database.ssonicnet.com/images/DB-9f2.png
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[[Category:Mega Drive hardware]]
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[[Category:Master System hardware]]
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[[Category:Sega Pico]]

Latest revision as of 13:14, 19 August 2023

DE-9 (sometimes incorrectly called DB-9) is a D-shaped connector/port with two rows totaling 9 pins in an E-size connector. The top row has 5 pins, and the bottom row has 4 pins. Two types of DE-9 connectors exist. A male DE-9 connector has pins, while a female DE-9 connector has holes. You can only plug a male connector into a female plug or vice versa, unless you have a DE-9 gender changer.

DE-9 ports are commonly seen on PCs as RS-232C serial ports, but were also featured on every Sega home console from the SG-1000 to the Mega Drive for connecting joypads or other input devices. During the 1980s and early 1990s, it was an unofficial standard for gamepads and joysticks, meaning controllers were interchangeable between the various computers and consoles of the time (though there might be some compatibility issues due to how each hardware may respond to button inputs differently). This has since been phased out in favor of proprietary controller ports (as was the case with the Saturn and Dreamcast), or in the case of computers and more recent consoles, has largely been replaced with the USB standard.

Platforms that use DE-9-based Controllers

  • Atari 2600 (1977)
  • Atari 8-bit Family of computers (1979)
  • Commodore VIC-20 (1980)
  • NEC PC-8800 Series (1981)
  • Commodore 64 (1982)
  • NEC PC-9800 Series (1982)
  • ColecoVision (1982)
  • SG-1000/SC-3000 (1983)
  • MSX (1983)
  • Atari 7800 (1984)
  • Amstrad CPC (1984)
  • Amiga (1985)
  • Atari ST (1985)
  • Sega Mark III/Sega Master System (1985)
  • X68000 (1987)
  • Sega Mega Drive (1988)
  • Fujitsu FM Towns (1989)
  • Sega Pico (1993) (HPC-0001 only)
  • 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (1993)

Images