This morning I was fooling with cables for my Xbox. I want to make some breakout boards with controllers and front-panel buttons and LEDs that I can install in my bench and simply plug in when I’m working on a board.

I had a play with what I had in stock and built the cable you can see below. In the bottom of the frame is the Xbox controller connectors for two controllers, and in the top of the frame is my 10 pin JST PHD connector which I wired up just to make sure I had the right components and everything was working.

It works, but I used 22 AWG gauge wire where I probably want 24 or 26 AWG instead, so I ordered some of that on AliExpress.

I also swung by Digi-Key and stocked up on JST PHD connectors. On an Xbox motherboard (I’ve only checked v1.6 so far, I’m just getting started) you will find a 10 pin JST PHD connector for the front LEDs and power/eject buttons, two 12 pin JST PHD connectors for the controllers, and a 14 pin JST PHD connector for the DVD ROM. I got all such things:

• PHDR-10VS
• PHDR-12VS
• PHDR-14VS
• B10B-PHDSS
• B12B-PHDSS
• B14B-PHDSS
• S10B-PHDSS
• S12B-PHDSS
• S14B-PHDSS
• SPHD-001T-P0.5

And because I seriously lack restraint I purchased a shitload of every type of USB Type A Female connector I could find on AliExpress:

• 50pcs USB 2.0 Interface Connector Socket Type A Female 180 Degree Crimping DIP Straight Vertical Bend Needle Welding Wire PCB
• 0.3m/1m/2m 5V USB Power Supply Cable 2/4 Pin USB 2.0 Type A Male Plug/Female Jack Wire Charger Charging Cord Extension Connector
• 10pcs Type A USB Female To DIP 2.54MM PCB Board Adapter Converter USB connector usb female For Arduino
• 10 Pcs/lot SMD USB Type A Female jack 4PIN AF 10.0 PCB Mount Socket Connector Black Flat Edge DIY Repair Phone Toy Parts

Also I’ve set up some storage so I can work on multiple OGXbox projects at the same time: