Super cheap Turbo Duo/PC Engine extension cables
May 26, 2008 by Tim · 11 Comments
Those of you who have played the Turbo line of consoles (TurboGrafx-16, Turbo Duo) or the Japanese equivalent (the PC Engine consoles) are well aware that that the systems are fantastic, except for one little thing… The cords on the controllers are ridiculously short! They’re something like three feet long. That gets irritating, fast. The problem, though, is that official extension cords are somewhat hard to find and a little pricier than they should be. $15 or $20 for a piece of wire? Really?
But after another grueling Turbo Duo session where I was forced to sit on the floor and crane my neck way back to see the TV, I decided enough was enough and there must be an easier way to get an extension cable. After all, the connectors look like pretty basic old PC-style connectors, right? Well, after a little asking around, I found out the Duo and PC Engine controller connectors are actually standard 8-pin mini-DIN adapters — commonly used with old Macs. I hit up trusty old Monoprice (never buy cables anywhere else) and sure enough, these cords are dirt cheap.
Get some 6ft extension cables for your Turbo Duo or PC Engine for $1.53! Or even cheaper if you buy multiples… Never feel tethered to your system again. If you know of a good cheap extension cable for the TurboGrafx, let me know and I’ll add it to this post.
(P.S.: I’m in no way affiliated with Monoprice or anything, I just wanted to point out a good deal.)
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Awesome… Only problem is that the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 have a different pin configuration. The TG-16 pins are arranged in a nice circle buy my PCE Duo RX and PCE are arranged in a grid. Sucks to be me.
Ah, yes… The change from the mini-DIN to the full sized DIN connector was yet another part of NEC’s philosophy of “MAKE IT BIG!” in converting the PC-Engine to the TurboGrafx-16. I’ll never really understand it.
they made their systems such as turbo grafix big as americans that they asked said that having a big slab of plastic will make it seem as if their getting more for thier buck. weres nowerdays everyone sees the advantage of a smaller system. plus like the neo geo they wanted to appleal to an older ordience, to people that had played n.e.s and wanted somthing more.
Thank you. You just saved me a ton of cash! I was googling where to get an extension cable when I came across this particular post. It’s going to be nice to be able to stream right off my Duo-R without struggling to keep the controller cable managed.
Looks good!
I just ordered 6 of these. (One for the Turbo Tap and 5 for each of the 5 controllers.
Thanks for posting this information up.
From the previous posts regarding the full sized DIN connector for the TurboGrafx-16, if you’re looking for the extension cable for that console, PI Manufacturing (a great cable place in their own right) carries the full-sized version for about $1.00 – http://www.pimfg.com/Product-Detail/GRAFX-6. You’ll probably find it on eBay too for similar prices.
I am confused I found this article and ordered 4 of the monoprice cables and received them today. The connectors are way smaller than the american turbografx 16 controller. So what’s up with that? Do I need a adapter?
The linked cables are for the TurboDuo and PC Engine, which use a different connector than the TG16.
8 years later this is still helping people! Thank you!
^^^^Make that 10 years! Thanks Tim! The cable is currently a thrifty $1.90, and I was about to spend near $10 for the same thing advertised as a controller extension cable. Now my Turbo Duo R just needs to arrive… : )
Make that 13 years later! I have tons of old Mac cabling and didn’t realize it was the same 8pin mini din. Had the solution laying in box all these years. Thanks!