Connecter Choices?

[HeroXLazer]

For my RGB keyboard, I need a 12 pin connector to connect two sides. Do you guys know of any connectors that would be the best at this? I was wondering if there is anything smaller than USB C that would work for me?

[pomk]

How many attach/detach cycles do you need it to last? 12 pins is a bit much, have you thought about using an io expander or something similar?

[andrewjoy]

I would go retro and use a DB15 , quick easy and will never break .

[Findecanor]

The DE-15 is the same as the VGA connector. (the letter after 'D' signifies the size, and the common DB has 25 pins)

If you would reduce the pins to 9 then you could use USB 3.0 type A like the Infinity ErgoDox. If you would go down to 7 then you could use SATA like the VE.A.
There are also modular connectors but they commonly go up only to 8 pins.

There are also PCB header pins with housings and cables to connect those. Many different sizes. 2×6 angled is definitely out there. Common pitches are 2.54, 1.27 and 2.0 mm.
They are not made to cope with being yanked, but maybe that could be alleviated by using a PCB in the plug. Then encase the plug in Sugru or some kind of resin maybe.

[Engicoder]

The DE-15 is the same as the VGA connector. I don't think DB-15 exists. The letter after 'D' signifies the size, and those are usually 25 pins.

Yes, unfortunately ubiquitous nature of the DB-25 connector in the early days lead to people referring to all D-sub connectors as DB-whatever.

Another option, if you must have 12 pins, is an HDMI connector which is common, has 19 pins and comes in numerous sizes.

[beltet]

HDMI sounds like a good idea. With that you can get quite many option on the cable aswell. And there is multiple connectors for PCB, panel etc.

[Findecanor]

BTW, there is also a "micro-Dsub" variant that has about half the pitch of regular Dsub. But in the case of 15-pin micro-Dsub vs DE-15 there is little different in width and the plugs are usually as long as for regular Dsub.

For HDMI, there are some smaller variants of cables out there.

[pomk]

micro dsub connectors and sockets are mighty expensive, and very nice

Consumer electronics components are probably the best for this kind of use, as they can withstand a multitude of detach-reattach cycles and are relatively cheap due to a high volume of use. USB3, HDMI, DSUB, DP, DVI. HDMI and USB3 are probably the smallest of the lot.

[vinnycordeiro]

Why not USB Type C connectors? They have a total of 24 pins.

[pomk]

The number of usable pins is a bit lower unless you are into making your own cables. The number of usable pins is even less if you would like it to be reversible as well.

[andrewjoy]

I would just say DE-15 then . You can get the cables super cheap, they are easy to solder and will last a lifetime!

All the modern forms of USB and HDMI etc will just horribly fail

[pomk]

DE-15 is robust, but depending on the size of the keyboard you are building it might not be a valid option.

[codemonkeymike]

Wikipedia says that standard sata cable has 15 pins, not sure if that is the cable I am thinking of but it may be worth poking around at mouser to see if there are any female 15 pin sata ports and male cables

[JBert]

However, are SATA cables really meant for frequent unplugging and connecting? They also tend to be rather stiff when they're of the flattened kind.

[codemonkeymike]

They do have computers with sata ports on the outside of the case, so I would assume they expect them to be used. As for cable stiffness you could coil the cable or you could ask one of the keyboard cable customizers to do it for you.

[andrewjoy]

What about DIN ? Was there ever a 15 pin DIN ?

[codemonkeymike]

Mini-DIN goes up to 8 or 9, its the cable used for Sega Genesis multi-av out.

Brings me to thinking, you can look into video game multi-av out ports and cables. PS1-2 multi-av out should be more then 12 pins.

[Findecanor]

Large 12-pin, 13-pin and 14-pin DIN connectors exist. The 13-pin and 14-pin were used on the Atari ST for video and floppy respectively but I think only a handful of the lines were used depending on which type of device was at the other end. Jaguar gamepads used DE-15.

Wikipedia says that standard sata cable has 15 pins

That's the SATA power connector, usually connected to the power supply and not the disk controller. Cables tend to use only four or five wires on those pins and some plugs were not physically made to support more even though they have more pins.

[pomk]

Also the basic sata is usually given a guaranteed lifetime of around 50 reconnects. For user accessible connections I would suggest e-sata instead.

[Findecanor]

For my RGB keyboard, I need a 12 pin connector to connect two sides.

BTW, I am curious about your pin assignment.

I know four pins would have to be used for power, GND and I²C. That leaves eight pins.
I am guessing that you intend to have a 3×5 matrix, with columns being Red, Green and Blue and each row being lit whole at once.
Maybe rows could instead be sunk (or driven) by a multiplexer (select next output line in turn) or a shift register (serial to parallel). Then you would only need one data line to strobe the shift register, totalling eight pins.

[Sigmoid]

I know four pins would have to be used for power, GND and I²C. That leaves eight pins.
I am guessing that you intend to have a 3×5 matrix, with columns being Red, Green and Blue and each row being lit whole at once.
Maybe rows could instead be sunk (or driven) by a multiplexer (select next output line in turn) or a shift register (serial to parallel). Then you would only need one data line to strobe the shift register, totalling eight pins.

I'm thinking "why not have the two micros talk it out between each other"? I mean you have two anyway, why not have the RGB matrices separate? That would mean all you need is some kind of serial link between the two micros, or even have them individually connect to the host by USB?

[Phenix]

Whats about Displayport and MINI Displayport?

[pomk]

Whats about Displayport and MINI Displayport?

Cheap, long lasting (10000 mating cycles) and 20 contacts.

[Phenix]

Whats about Displayport and MINI Displayport?

Cheap, long lasting (10000 mating cycles) and 20 contacts.

you missed lockable

[pomk]

Whats about Displayport and MINI Displayport?

Cheap, long lasting (10000 mating cycles) and 20 contacts.

you missed lockable

Even better, though not the mini version as far as I know.

[andrewjoy]

Whats about Displayport and MINI Displayport?

Cheap, long lasting (10000 mating cycles) and 20 contacts.

Exactly.

Why anyone uses HDMI still is beyond me.

[codemonkeymike]

The mini displayport cables I use to hook up my laptop to my monitor end up breaking at about 100 disconnects

[vvp]

Interesting, does somebody else have the same experience?
Does the plug break or the receptacle?
I used only full size DP. I'm interested whether it is a good idea to continue to avoid mini DP.

[andrewjoy]

never had a problem with the mini displayport / thunderbolt connector.

[codemonkeymike]

It doesn't break it just gets loose and looses connection, it should be noted that I plug and unplug it about 4x a day. So maybe more like 400 disconnects in 100 days.