Interactive Connector Diagram
Click or tap any pin in the diagram below to inspect its signal assignment, electrical specification, and wire colour standard.
Supported Systems / Found On — Retro Machine Hubs
This connector is used on the following retro computer systems. Click any colour-coded badge below to open its full board-level repair, diagnostic, and schematic Machine Hub:
Connector Specifications
Full Pin Assignment & Wiring Reference
| Pin | Signal Name | Direction | Electrical Spec / Role | Wire Colour / SCART / Adapter Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ComLynx TIP | +5V DC (Accessory Sense) | Pwr | 2.5mm ComLynx Tip: +5.0 V DC (via internal current-limiting resistor — DO NOT tie Tips together in multi-Lynx cables unless isolated!) | Red (Tip) |
| ComLynx RING | SERIAL DATA (TxD / RxD) | I/O | 2.5mm ComLynx Ring: Bidirectional 5V Open-Collector UART Data Line (Mikey Pin 31) | White (Ring -> Ring) |
| ComLynx SLEEVE | GND (0 V Common) | GND | 2.5mm ComLynx Sleeve: 0 V Common Ground Return | Black / Shield (Sleeve) |
| Power TIP | +9V DC INPUT (Tip +) | Pwr | 3.5mm Power Plug Tip: +9.0 V DC Input (1.0 A regulated — NEVER plug into Headphone jack!) | Centre/Tip Positive (+9V) |
| Power SLEEVE | POWER GND (Sleeve -) | GND | 3.5mm Power Plug Barrel/Sleeve: Negative Return (Switched via internal jack contact) | Sleeve Negative (GND) |
Building a ComLynx Cable & Saving Mikey/Suzy from the +9V MOSFET Trap
Designed by Epyx (RJ Mical and Dave Needle, creators of the Amiga chipset) and released by Atari in 1989, the Atari Lynx uses two miniature TRS/TS phone jacks side-by-side: a 3.5mm mono plug for 9V DC Centre-Positive external power, a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, and a 2.5mm 3-conductor TRS jack for **ComLynx** — an open-collector half-duplex UART serial bus managed by the Mikey chip (`SERDAT $FD8D` / `SERCTL $FD8C`) that allows up to 16 Atari Lynx handhelds to daisy-chain together using simple passive Y-cables at up to 62,500 baud!
- Testing the Lynx +5V Power Stage BEFORE Inserting a Game or Turning On: Before pressing the Power On button on a newly acquired Lynx I or II, solder a temporary jumper across the power-on sense or measure voltage at capacitor C41 (Lynx II) / C39 (Lynx I) using a current-limited bench supply set to 9.0V @ 300mA. If the +5V rail reads above 5.4V (e.g., 8V–9V), MOSFET Q12 (`Si9400` / `MDT3055`), inverter U6 (`CD4069UB`), or Zener D13 (`1N5231B` 5.1V) has failed! Replace them with a complete Lynx Power Regulator rebuild kit immediately.
- Wiring a 2-Player (or Multi-Player) 2.5mm ComLynx Cable: Connect Ring to Ring (Serial Data) and Sleeve to Sleeve (GND) between two 2.5mm TRS male plugs. Leave the Tip (+5V) disconnected in a console-to-console link cable so two handhelds' +5V supplies never fight each other.
- Connecting ComLynx to a PC USB-UART Adapter: Because ComLynx is standard 5V asynchronous serial (62500 baud, 8 data bits, Even parity, 1 stop bit in most games) with TX and RX tied together on the Ring contact, any 5V FTDI USB-to-TTL serial adapter (with a 1N4148 diode from TX to RX) can talk directly to an Atari Lynx for homebrew development!