Best DIY Video Cable! (Best $3.50 You've Ever Spent!)

[Darkjedi]

OK, I know there are like 5 other DIY Video cable threads, but I promise you this is the easiest/simplest one. I've consolidated all the information necessary as it needn't be more complicated than it ought to be. It requires no cutting, no opening up of the little box, no clipping of pins. For these reasons this hack is the most easily reversible one, should you ever decide to use it as a headphone adapter again.

//according to chronster, the headphone capability should still work with the tape on and transmit audio, but the phone just won't be able to tell that its a headset. Some programs like Audio Booster require the phone to detect a headset to work. If you don't require headset detect, then leaving the tape on should theoretically have no real detrimental effect, but I have yet to test this personally.

Required Items
- HTC USB Multi-Adapter
- 3.5mm AV Cable (iPod or Camcorder)
- Tape

Like many of the other ones you use the included USB adapter with the 2.5, 3.5, PC/AC USB, and headphone USB slots.



You also need a camcorder/ipod 3.5mm AV cable that comes with the yellow, red, white composite cables. The one I got was 3.50$ on amazon including shipping (http://www.amazon.com/Macally-Audio-...4067245&sr=8-1 thanks to akastixx for finding these!). Of course you might even have one laying around.



You can use this chart to see if your camcorder/zune/ipod AV cable can work (for those using the camcorder one, you just need to swap the red audio cable with the yellow video cable when you plug it into the TV). For reference the one I have is the iPod Video cable, I don't know whether the right/left is switched for my cable but when I find out I will update you guys. Credit to stroths for finding this picture.



The "Hack"

Now unlike the other 'hacks', all you need to do for this one is use tape! Thats right, just normal ol' scotch tape or electricians tape. I don't have electrician tape lying around, so I had to settle with scotch tape that I double layered. I cut about a 1mm slice and using a precision flathead screwdriver guided it over the 4th pin on the USB. I would probably recommend electricians tape over scotch since, scotch doesn't seem as sturdy, but this sliver of tape has lasted me through a dozen or so plug-ins and plug-outs. Even if it breaks its not too terrible to make a new one.




Credit to pzztgotbagz for this picture and the original hack.


Proof of Concept
Here it is in action, looks pretty nice and a job well done for $3.50



I'm not sure how the HTC one works, but one of the great perks of this one is that you can charge while playing videos on the screen!

By the way a couple notes to add. The screen on the phone is of 4:3 aspect ratio, most HDTVs are 16:10 or 16:9 aspect ratios, meaning if you play videos without adjusting the settings of your HDTV, they are going to look stretched and funky. In the picture displayed above, I haven't made the adjustment yet.

[Unknown Zone]

Thanks Dark, good info and pics

I gave you a "Thanks", but it seems that the site has been having problems with "Thanks" these past few days.

[coolwhip1220]

OP, you f'n rock!!! I love this, cuz I use headphone more than video out so it's a simple 2 minute job whenever i want video out and it doesn't ruin my adaptor. You rock!!!

p.s. the thanks button works, just posts don't show who's thanked them anymore.

[t0mmyr]

great idea, ive got 5 of those adapters, ill have to try pulling that pin permanently and make a permanent video cable

[ou2mame]

i have a few of the dongles... i just cut the blue wire in one of them... works perfectly.

[mmartins18]

Thanks man this really does work, I just had an old wire laying around, everything isn’t crystal clear like the phone screen, but I think that might be because I have an old crappy wire thanks again!!

[chronster]

i prefer snipping the blue wire over sticking tape into the plug...

[No1ustad]

Originally Posted by chronster

i prefer snipping the blue wire over sticking tape into the plug...

i prefer being able to use it either way i want whenever i want !

[chronster]

Originally Posted by No1ustad

i prefer being able to use it either way i want whenever i want !

Some have gone so far as to put a switch in, but really, headphones still work. The audioboost app doesn't work though so that sucks, but coreplayer has a built in eq so that makes up for it.

I dunno, taking off a piece of tape and putting it back on seems like more trouble than using coreplayer.

Also, if you go to a sprint store and tell them you lost your multimedia adapter, they usually give u a free replacement, so you could have one normal one and one modified one (like i do lol.)

[kyrumo]

I perfer to go and buy 1