Tea Connector for Serial RS232 Cables

Serial cables and connections can be frustrating. There are 4 different connectors in common use ( 9 pin and 25 pin each both in male and female ) and 2 common ways of connecting them, straight through and null modem.

This project is my attempt to deal with the fact that no matter how many cables and adapters I collect I never seem to have the right cable/adapter.

A tee connector is a connector with 3 connections, a Tea connector is built in a Twinings Tea case and has 8 connectors, two of each common RS232. So it is a Octopus Tea Connector.

Step 1 Materials

9 pin and 25 pin connectors, 2 of each male and female. I got some from salvage of old computers and some from Radio Shack.( not the best place in my opinion ). They are generally easy to find.

A Twinings Tea Can: I like Prince of Wales Tea, seems to stimulate the RS232 signals.

Colored Wire, stranded fairly fine. Colored wire makes keeping track of the connections much easier.

DPDT Switch. You need this if you are using a 3 wire connection and want to have a null modem option.

Wire nuts or heat shrink tubing. For making or insulating the connections. Heat Shrink Tubing

Misc small nuts and bolts.

Comments

[iceng]

Nice work.  In my time I used cardboard cigar boxes.

A

[romzin]

I like the way it looks. I also put electronic gadgets (guitar effects) in tea bokes - I use twinings green tea boxes and they sound very good ;-) . It's cheap and makes a faraday shield. Very nice !

[russ_hensel]

Cool: best thing you have done since the really simple sex change ( rs232 )

[ARVash]

Even though I know exactly what you're talking about, it still looks funny XD .

[hondagofast]

Yeah, that does look wrong...

[GorillazMiko]

cool, looks pretty hard to me! (im only 13 haha)

[frollard]

Not to pass judgment - but most 13-year-olds don't need serial cable universal adapters. ;-) Great gadget!