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Pinout for nikon MC-35 gps cable

Can anyone help to suply the pinout for nikon MC35 Gps cable adapter ??

Stefan
Sun, 4 Dec 2005 08:16:22 -0800

hi,
i'm looking for exactly the same did you find it somewhere?

lxpx
Wed, 28 Dec 2005 13:34:48 -0800

me too. Anyone thought of checking in HK? there use to be a co there that would make any cable. need a cable to get pin out though

Ivanhead
Mon, 27 Mar 2006 17:36:04 -0800

should be able to work it out from the 10-pin pinout on this site. NMEA interface only uses send, receive and gnd. So presumably this corresponds to the two data pins and ground. The hardest part will be getting the 10-pin plug with loose wires on all the pins. I don't think the MC-30 has all the wires in it - only the shutter reelase and focus pins are connected.

san chotai
Mon, 22 May 2006 14:58:47 -0700

I have converted once mc31 to connect
F90x to serial port in my laptop.
This cable still works with my d200 (as a release), but didn't have time yet to
make serial_to_garmin connector.
look for nikon buddy: N90 Buddy for Palm Computing Connected Organizers

greg
Mon, 22 May 2006 21:35:40 -0700

Is the MC-35 simply straight-through, are there any electronics in the MC-35?

And what are the connections to the GPS serial, ie is it tx(gps) to rx(camera) and rx(gps) to tx(camera)

Just want to be sure I don't fry my D200 when connecting my homemade GPS->D200 cable.

Patrick
Wed, 07 Jun 2006 05:39:27 -0700

What about wiring the send and ground (and receive I guess) to a 2.5mm jack and using one of the cheap Adidt shutter release cables on eBay?

TXCiclista
Thu, 13 Jul 2006 14:47:06 -0700

Nevermind. Adidt M1 is only wired to three prongs which will obviously be prongs dedicated to shutter release on the D200 :P

TXCiclista
Thu, 13 Jul 2006 15:12:39 -0700

Well...

Checked the resistance with a multimeter and it appears that the Adidt M1 red wire corresponds to "receive" on the MC-25 (which would be "send" from the GPS, right?) and black is ground. White corresponds to one of the two center leads, but I'm not sure what they do. WOuld the GPS need to receive any data? Or could you just wire the "send" and "ground" from the GPS to "Receive" and "ground" on the D200?

TXCiclista
Thu, 13 Jul 2006 15:29:29 -0700

make sure you mirror the pins descriptions that you're looking for:
you're testing the male plug, whereas most info on the internet (concerning the 10 pin pinout) referr to the 10pin female socket on the Camera body!!
and I'm pretty sure you can't use the adidt M1 plugs for data! (unless they've changed their design, and now also connect those wires) till now they only had 4 pins connect, 3 of which are needed for the shutter release (ground, AF/Meter on, Shutter release)

if you're looking for a cheap connector, and don't care about the shutter release, use this one:
mini-DIN 8pin/360º.
they're used to be used on JVC S-VHS Camcorders

it's the one on the very right in this picture:

all you need to do is remove 2 of the smaller keys and youve got 8 of the 10 pins however the middle two pins are not connected.
one of those is needed for remote release (AF/Meter ON)

if you also need that one, you can go ahead and remove one of the pins (the one unused one) and drill a small hole in the right position , and place the pin in there.
it works, I've done it, and am real happy, because I looked for a fitting plug for so long!!

plug cost me 1,50 Euros
Stecker Mini-DIN 8-polig 360 fur camcorder
(my local electronics store)
but it did take some time to get it to work:
so you've got to do the math:
1,50 Euro, (make that 2-3 times as much, coz you'll probably mess up the first time) + 1 hour to get it to fit right, + more if you're going to solder the 10 pins on there (it's tight!)
depending on your usual salary, it's probably cheaper (and a lot prettier) to get a MC-23 (50 Euros) cut it in two, and have 2 original connectors for 25 Euro each, with 25cm of 10-pin wire already attached!!!

as far as I know, there is electronics in the MC-35, very important electronics, which stop your camera from being fried!
-> the camera communicates with 0V as 0 and 3,3-5V as 1 , whereas RS232 uses -12V for 0 and +12V for 1 which need to be translated, coz the 12V might well fry your D200 :-)

check this out for a circuit:
Building MC-33 DataCable1 by Avi - Connect F100 to PC

this might also be an interesting read:
Micro GPS for Nikon D2X D2HS D200 Project

enjoy, and don't fry your camera!

theFool
Mon, 17 Jul 2006 12:33:12 -0700

when you build one i would love to buy yor second one. louis cadard 11176 preacher powell rd Carriere Ms. 39426
thanks 504-415-6679

augie
Fri, 18 Aug 2006 06:01:18 -0700

You can get the MC-35 cable and adapter for the Garmin Etrax from www.airbornescience.com

bfd777
Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:55:24 -0800

bfd777, Are you sure it's the correct URL? When I go to the site, I got "This web site is coming soon." message with the following statement:

"If you are the owner of this web site you have not uploaded (or incorrectly uploaded) your web site. For information on uploading your web site using FTP client software or web design software, click here for FTP Upload Information."

Chieh Cheng
Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:05:31 -0800

Just wondering:
1) assuming that flow control is not needed -- i.e., the d200 does not care about transmitting data to the gps unit, and,
2) assuming that you'll use the gps adapter's batteries to keep it powered up,

then you only need to hook up the transmit wire and the common wire.
As long as there is no shared ground, the negative voltage does not matter. all you need to convert is (-12v,12v), i.e., (0,24v) to (0,5v). this can be easily done with two resistors and no active circuitry:

+-----R1----+----R2------+
|           |            |
x1          x2           x3

from the mc35 cable, connect ground to x1, and tx to x3.
to the rs232 cable, connect ground to x1, and rx to x2.

R1 can be 5K ohms, and R2 can be 19K ohms.

do you think such a simple approach could work?

Fio Cattaneo
Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:32:02 -0800

oops, got the sentence wrong:

from the rs232 cable, connect ground to x1, and tx to x3.
to the mc-35 cable, connect ground to x1, and rx to x2.

Fio Cattaneo
Sun, 25 Feb 2007 16:51:06 -0800

I would go one step further from a simple divider circuit and add a 5V high frequency zener to the output so the +12/-12 V in equals +5V to 0V out with no ripple if the serial port accidentally is at +12.2V or for noise. And maybe a very small cap with a pull down resistor to make the signal a little nicer.

The only sad part is that I'm not sure if Serial communication with error correction is directly compatible with the D200 input which might be looking for just the digital information without the packet info. (not sure)

Jerome
Sat, 10 Mar 2007 15:14:23 -0800

the D200 needs the NMEA protocol, without any flow control.
the MC35 just connects the ground and the tx wires.

I will draw up a circuit diagram for the MC35 soon. there's not much inside, but more than two resistors.

theFool

thefool
Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:55:26 -0700

The ultimate Nikon GPS hack!
The Ultimate Nikon MC-35 GPS cable hack ( As I see it )

Stefan
Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:10:22 -0700

Can anyone help me with a part number or a manufacturer for the 10 pin connector for MC 35 cable?
I am trying to build a low cost version in china.

doug196037@yahoo.com

Doug

Doug
Mon, 07 May 2007 08:51:58 -0700

hi,

'thefool' did you manage to draw up the mc-35 circuit diagram? i would like to try to replicate it if possible

thanks

col
Fri, 25 May 2007 16:40:40 -0700

I'm looking to buy a MC-35 cable (in US), any suggestions? Thank you.

Mike
Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:47:28 +0000

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Title: GPS on Nikon D300?
Weblog: Camera Hacker
Excerpt: I use a Garmin GPS on my Nikon D1x with my own adapter. Now I also have a D300 and want to use the same GPS on it. I know it plugs in to the 10 pin plug on the camera's front that is used for the extension release. Can I adapt an extension release cord to my Garmin and which two pins do I use? Also . . .
Tracked: Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:45:37 +0000

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