I’m still searching for a source of more DB-19 connectors, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful finding a single one. As a backup plan, I’m exploring building a DB-19 substitute using a PCB and 19 individual pins. The result won’t really be a proper D-SUB connector, because it won’t have a surrounding shield, but it will still fit a DB-19 female port. Add a standard IDC-20 connector to the back side of the same PCB, and it can make a strange but effective DB-19 to IDC-20 converter cable.
The first version of this PCB is shown above, and is based on an idea by Charles Phillips. It uses four sections of standard 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) pitch male header. That’s the wrong pitch – a D-SUB connector has a 2.77 mm pitch – but it’s close enough that short sections of 4 or 5 header pins can bend a little and still fit the D-SUB. The advantage of this version is that it’s cheap and easy to make, and should be no trouble for the board assembly shop. Reliability is a question, though. Slightly bent pins may not make good contact inside the female port, or there may be an issue with square header pins in round port holes. But the initial tests look promising.
The second version of the PCB is very similar to the first, except the pads are all on a 2.77 mm pitch D-SUB grid instead of a 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) pitch. And instead of using 0.1 inch male header, it uses 19 individual D-SUB crimp pins in a non-standard way: the pins are each soldered in place, and then the crimp sections are cut off. The advantage of this version is that the pin spacing is perfect, and the pins are round, so the fit in the female port should be perfect. But it would be a couple of dollars more expensive, and it’s something that would have to be done manually, without standard assembly tools or processes. I need to check with the board assembly shop I’m using to see what effect it would have.
Neither of these PCBs has a shield surrounding the 19 pins, so if somebody tried hard enough, they could insert the connector aligned incorrectly. With the whole unit offset by 1 pin horizontally or vertically, the connected electronics might get zapped with 12 volts on a signal pin. You’d have to try pretty hard to do this, though.