DS serial interface

Posted Jul 20th 2005 9:30AM by Eliot Phillips
Filed under: gameboy hacks

natrium42, the original PassMe designer, has released a guide for building a serial interface on the Nintendo DS. It does require you to flash a new firmware on the Passme, but other than that it is just a matter of soldering wires to the RX and TX. He's tested it with a keyboard, a bluetooth module, and a USB adapter. If you want to hook it to a computer you'll need the level converter he suggests. There is a lot of potential here.

In other news: StoneCypher has offered a bounty for an open source TCP/IP implementation on the DS; it's already broken $1100.

[thanks pete]

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. = I think that is a USB to serial adapter not serial to USB.. I have something like that for a palm I use for palmorb.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by awdark

2. Yah I can't get my head round how it works...

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Uncover Japan

3. hey... the PSP has a serial port built in... you know where the headphone control plugs in? (the 6 pin slot beside the headphone jack)... I've seen (somewhere) instructions to build the interface to an RS-232 plug. something about low signal levels that need to be boosted to be compatible with a PC serial..

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by westcoast philly

4. awdark, tfa links to the page for this USB to serial device: http://www.pololu.com/products/pololu/0391/ After all, usb is just a universial _serial_ bus.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Bucky

5. skittles, yeah, except that one doesn't work.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Eliot Phillips

6. Not only does the PSP keyboard not do anything, the DS keyboard was done awhile ago, before the PSP one.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by tj

7. I dont understand how that would work. That seems to be a Serial interface and they can manage to get it to work as a USB host?! I am confused.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by awdark

8. Looks like you got one upped boys. ;) Here's a keyboard mod for the PSP. GG. http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=4262

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by skittles

9. what we really need is a memory stick web browser for the psp. i could just as easily download the whipout pure iso but that requires a gig memory stick and i just don't have the cash.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by hark500

10. Did this page change today? I thought I saw a how to on phone ringtones.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by sammy

11. www.dslinux.org is working on getting Linux on the DS and they are doing a damn fine job. But you people have to remember, some DS owners are sao dissapointed by the system that we will not be afraid to open it up and do some soldering. And don't forget the Play-Yan which is a Gameboy advanced card with an SD slot built in, allowing the Gameboy Micro to play Mp3's and videos. A little Google could tell you more about that.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by Joe

12. wow this has a lot of possibilties i may have to actually buy one of these things. then again with the psp and emulators out it make me wonder why bother

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by wolff

13. what happened to the how-tuesday? it was there and i commented, then vanished.

Posted at 3:07PM on Sep 3rd 2006 by mike

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry: inappropriate or purely promotional comments may be removed. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.