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Hardware Hacking Social Networks Build Hardware

A Wiki For Cable and Connector Pin-Outs 107

Posted by kdawson from the admit-it-you-read-pin-ups dept.
Nicola Asuni writes to let us know about a new resource for hardware hackers: a wiki about pinouts — hardware interfaces of modern and obsolete hardware. "Created with the same MediaWiki software that was developed for the Wikipedia project, AllPinouts.org is a wiki that allows users to get and share information about hardware interfaces, including pinouts of ports, expansion slots, and other connectors of computers and different electronic devices (i.e. cellular phones, GPS, PDA, game consoles, etc.). All text is available under the GNU Free Documentation License and may be distributed or linked accordingly. The 'pinout' (or 'pin-out') of a connector identifies each individual pin, which is critical when creating, repairing or hacking cable assemblies and adapters."
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A Wiki For Cable and Connector Pin-Outs More

A Wiki For Cable and Connector Pin-Outs

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  • Yay! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:06AM (#28436287)

    About time. I've been hoping someone with some bandwidth to spare would be kind enough to collect all of this information in one place for us hackers. We appreciate it! Thanks!

    Captcha: mischief

  • Looks promising (Score:5, Informative)

    by atilla filiz ( 1402809 ) on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:08AM (#28436291)
    pinouts.ru was the first place i look for pinouts. this wiki looks promising, as it has long lists of commercial gadgets.

    • Re:Looks promising (Score:5, Informative)

      by tttonyyy ( 726776 ) on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:31AM (#28436429) Homepage Journal
      http://www.hardwarebook.info/ [hardwarebook.info] has been around for a very long time and has huge numbers of pinouts and cable diagrams.

      • Re:Looks promising (Score:5, Informative)

        by psergiu ( 67614 ) on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @06:12AM (#28436603)

        Mod Parent Up

        Debian users can also apt-get install hwb

      • Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)

        by CarpetShark ( 865376 )

        http://www.hardwarebook.info/ has been around for a very long time

        Never let reality get in the way of a good slashvertisement.

        • Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)

          by Atzanteol ( 99067 )
          I know it's "cool" to make fun of Slashdot and all, but how is this a slashvertisement? It's a free wiki with no ads.

      • Yes, but they did not answer to any of my emails regarding pinout corrections.

        Thus, I greatly welcome our new, wiki-styled pinuot overlord! :-)

        • ...which will block all relevant pages for everyone but the admins, because of "vandalism" (meaning someone disagrees with the admins' world view.)

      • Does it include things other than consumer electronics, too? I'd like to be able to look up stuff like ODB2 (on-board diagnostics, for vehicles).

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by twistedsymphony ( 956982 )
        that looks like a nice resource but it has nothing for automotive connectors.... the site in TFA does, which I found to be a pleasant surprise since there is FAR FAR less standardization in the automotive realm than there is with computers, audio equipment or even video game consoles... compound with the fact that most auto guys seem to HATE wiring if and when you do find some information its written by someone who doesnt understand how to document these kinds of things appropriately.

        Not that this wiki h

  • 1) There's been pinout sites for as long as I can remember - I can recall using one a serious amount of time ago to help me interface some kit to a serial multiplexer, but all the merrier I suppose.
    2) How long before some manufacturer claims their pinouts are proprietary/trade secret/patented/act of god and slaps a takedown order on their info?

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Techman83 ( 949264 )

      They might be other sites around, but I've had difficulty in the past finding pinouts, let alone ones that were correct. Most I found tended to be fairly inconsistent in the way things were laid out. If it proves to be as good a resource as wikipedia it's a step in the right direction IMO.

    • 2) How long before some manufacturer claims their pinouts are proprietary/trade secret/patented/act of god and slaps a takedown order on their info?

      What, like Apple's iPod dock connector?
      It's proprietary/trademarked such that they can license the ability for 3rd-party vendors (Belkin, Griffin, etc) to create accessories, instead of everyone and their gecko flooding the market with cheap knock-offs.
      This, of course, hasn't stopped everyone and their gecko [who live in countries which do not accept those patents] from releasing 4th-rate 3rd-party accessories, but the SNR is much lower in this case.

      I'm pretty sure you can find pinout info for the iPod

  • I see no reason to have a separate Wiki for this. Besides, my first attempt to connect to "allpinouts.org" resulted in an error message....

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I agree, but ... the deletionists would go ballistic and start screaming "its unencyclopedic".

      Apart from that, wikipedia probably would not accept a reverse engineered pinout, on the basis of lack of sources.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Pascal Sartoretti ( 454385 )
        I agree, but ... the deletionists would go ballistic and start screaming "its unencyclopedic".

        There are far worse unencyclopedic things in Wikipedia, e.g. this [wikipedia.org].

    • Because Wikipedia is not ... (Score:4, Informative)

      by Norsefire ( 1494323 ) * on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:40AM (#28436459) Journal
      * an indiscriminate collection of information [wikipedia.org]
      * an Instruction manual [wikipedia.org]
      and everything must be backed up with reliable sources [wikipedia.org].
      There is also no way to format the information in a Wikipedia-esque fashion that makes it as easy to find like on this site (when it comes up back up).
      • an indiscriminate collection of information
        an Instruction manual

        I looked at both of these, and none of the (bad) cases they list apply to documenting hardware. I often use Wikipedia's pages on Unicode encoding, do you also mean that they should be removed?

        • You might not have noticed - because of meetly done transparent linking - but most of the unicode reference is on WikiBooks. Wikibooks is far more permissive then Wikipedia.

        • > I looked at both of these, and none of the (bad) cases they list apply to documenting hardware.

          So maybe you should read them again. From the very page linked by the grand-parent:

          Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information => See Also Notability

          General notability guideline => Topic have "Significant Coverage"

          "Significant coverage" means that sources address the subject directly in detail, and no original research is needed to extract the content. Significant coverage is more than

      • However there is Wikibooks where Instruction Manuals are permitted and reliable sources are not needed.

    • Re:Why not put this Wikipedia? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Another, completely ( 812244 ) on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:41AM (#28436469)

      That's one reason writing content for the internet is more fun than writing it for a company: you don't have to argue about whether it's a good idea. You put it out there, you tell a few people about it, and it either works or it doesn't. If the Wikipedia content works out to be more complete and/or reliable, then I guess allpinouts.com won't last long; if people find it easier to locate the pinout for their vintage graphics tablet, or contributors find less hassle in uploading information, then it will probably become a trusted resource.

      They do need to address scalability though. Still /.ed.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jamesh ( 87723 )

      I see no reason to have a separate Wiki for this.

      Well up until now, lack of a cite-able source would have been an objection - I don't think you can just add something to wikipedia that you figured out with a multimeter one night.

      Now that we have allpinouts.com though, there is delicious source of sources to cite - put your multimeter derived findings on allpinouts.com, and then add it to wikipedia citing allpinouts.com as a source :)

    • "Wikia.com" for all the stuff you can't put on Wikipedia. - not an advert for them it's just true.

  • Well that cetainly sounds exciting. However, it was slashdotted as soon as it posted. Something like this would be very useful. I am surprised it wasn't done before now.
    • It was - someone already mentioned Pinouts.ru [pinouts.ru], for example. Still, it's a more than welcome adition. Searching for pinouts can be very frustrating sometimes, specially for discontinued hardware/parts.

  • Some of the advertising is in slightly annoying locations and I detest "Flashvertising" (flashblock saves my CPU cycles). Not to say I'm against advertising, just prefer it not to get in the way of what I'm trying to do. Marketers will say that it would defeat the purpose of advertising, but personally I'm more inclined to click on a link that is not so in my face then some big flashing neon sign saying I must absolutely try product X. I'll go as saying the subtle targeted advertising in my gmail account ha

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by pimp0r ( 1030222 )

      Actually text-based or otherwise less "ad-looking" ads are proven to be more effective in every way, but a lot of people with money still seem to think it is completely obvious that the louder their ad screams the more it will sell their product/service.
      Just to not break with tradition and car analogies; Kind of like how another group of people think putting as many huge subwoofers as possible into their cars obviously makes their music system better.

      • Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)

        by Gordonjcp ( 186804 )

        Just to not break with tradition and car analogies; Kind of like how another group of people think putting as many huge subwoofers as possible into their cars obviously makes their music system better.

        More like how some people think that putting a comically large fart pipe silencer on will make their car go faster, when the disruption to the carefully-designed factory exhaust system drops about 10% of the power. Look up cam timing and exhaust back pressure to find out more.

        • Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)

          by the_crowbar ( 149535 )

          The Honda cars are tuned for lower emissions first, better fuel economy second. Replacing the factory exhaust and also modifying the ECU (engine computer) can lead to more power. Most people who install one of those resonator exhaust tips have no idea what any of this means. They just like the sound. And don't forget that stickers add lots of horsepower as well.

          Cheers,
          the_crowbar

          • Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)

            by Gordonjcp ( 186804 )

            Well, replacing the exhaust can only make the engine develop more power if you change the camshaft too. If you don't want to get your hands too dirty then you're better off just getting a remapped ECU ROM.

            • There are no ROMs in my car.
              The only chips in my car are in the stereo.
              Yes, my car is probably older than you are.

              Back on topic. Great idea for a site. Already bookmarked for when it is no longer slashdoted.

              • Mmm, it's possible your car is older than me. Both of my cars are probably older than 90% of Slashdotters, and neither of them have much in the way of electronics. The newer ('88 Citroen CX) gives a nod to modern automotive electronics by having breakerless ignition. There's a digital clock, too, but that doesn't work.

                I've driven my old diesel CX about 30 miles with no functioning electrics of any kind.

              • Heck neither my car or my van even have chips unless you count "paint chips" as both of them have no radio's

  • Unreachable.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by tokyoahead ( 743189 ) on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:30AM (#28436417)

    Ethernet plug not properly wired?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fm6 ( 162816 )

      Notice that the submitter's email address is info@allpinouts.org. Obviously he decided some self-promotion was in order, without considering his server's ability to handle the resulting traffic.

  • www.hardwarebook.info has been around... (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:32AM (#28436435)

    ...for about 10 years. (Yes, it moved to .info just recently.)

  • incorrect link (Score:5, Informative)

    by imrehg ( 1187617 ) on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @05:43AM (#28436481)
    It would well worth fixing the link... The article (and google) says www.allpinouts.org, while the link points to www.allpinouts.com... Anyway, it probably it got slashdotted without this already.

  • Every last pin is now on fire.

  • Serial cable pinouts (Score:4, Funny)

    by worip ( 1463581 ) on Tuesday June 23, 2009 @06:43AM (#28436777)
    No matter how many wiki's, handbooks, websites, etc. there are, chances are that I will get the DTE/DCE thing wrong! Probably the most confusing pinout scheme ever invented... Getting your serial cable right first time, requires triple high bio-rhythms and planetary alignmnent!
    • Then, should i ask my mom to do the wiring for me? she seems to know a lot more about the bio-rhythms and planetary alignments than me...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Mr Z ( 6791 )

      Gah. Not only does RS-232 cabling suck, but also the data transfered over that cable sucks as well!

      I remember working briefly at an ISP back in 1995. My favorite thing to love to hate was the fact that Global Village modems for the Mac came with a serial cable that lacked flow control signals. The modem was set to run with software flow control only. The problem is, though, at 14.4kbps and up, the round-trip response time for XOFF to actually stop things was way too long and resulted in bits dropped all

  • Wiki? (Score:2, Flamebait)

    by lobiusmoop ( 305328 )

    The potential for Evil Genius Anarchy is endless. Missdirection and lies in Wikipedia lead to red faces. Similar shenanigans here could lead to at best magic smoke releases and at worst homes razed and heart-failure. Lovely.

  • I've always used pinouts.ru, but for some reason it doesn't appear to be available today. Maybe we do need a more reliable location for this type of information.

  • This is, of course, completely separate to wiki-pinups .. which is just pages and pages of semi-nude pictures of Jimmy Wales ... *shudder*.

  • Start here. [dell.com] Scroll down to "Pin Assignments", then scroll a bit more to "Composite Video Connector"

    Pin Number 1: LUMA COMPOSITE CHROMA

    *whew* OK, done for now. More to come...

  • Is it http://www.allpinouts.org/ [allpinouts.org] like it was written in the summary?

    Or is it http://www.allpinouts.com/ [allpinouts.com] as it was linked in the article?

    Both URLs are Slashdotted at this point so I can't check.

  • I'd rather see a wiki that covers more than pin-outs. Specs on all kinds of tech such as buses, motherboards, drive jumper settings along with how to ID cards.
  • Whenever someone adds/updates a pinout, please can they include 3D pictures/photos of the plug/socket in question.

    Whenever I have to wire up a new plug or hack an existing plug, especially things like D & scart plugs/sockets, finding a flat 2D picture of the plug can confusing when the plug/socket doesn't have numbers on it, but an isometric 3D style drawing/photo of the plug/socket in question makes identifying which pin is what much much quicker and easier.

  • old concept (Score:2, Informative)

    by teknosapien ( 1012209 )
    already been done http://pinouts.ru/ [pinouts.ru]
  • I've been wanting to build my own custom VGA switch box for a work project that I can't spend my own money on and now I can do it thanks to this site that tells me how to re-wire the vga. Now I just gotta learn how to wire. Doh! Oh well. I'ma still try it.

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