Gameboy - Stereo summing cable?

Hey everyone,

Does anyone know if a proper stereo summing cable exists which will allow you to take a stereo signal and properly mix them to mono? A specific application for this would be for the Gameboy, where discrete channels are separated to each ear, which results in a baseline going to one ear with the melody going into the other.

Anyone know if a solution for this exists?

 

just wire both L and R together? so you get all in one channel

Or am I missing what you are asking?

 

Preface: I'm a hardware layman so this might be wrong.

But from just reasonable observation, I thought that if you were to wire both L and R output together (use a standard Y connector for example), you would double the power and potentially cause feedback into each output? At best it might work (with interference?), but at worst it might damage your electronics?

All the adapters I see online are for Y-cable (stereo-to-mono) conversion. That works one way, but I don't think I can just flip it around and do it the other (Without damaging something?).

 

I am not an audio expert, but I have seen many schematics thats just a couple of resistors and wiring the channels together.

I have also just wired them together in the past

 

You can do that by:

1. Simply wiring them together. Unclean though because of impedances. Kinda works but can be risky for some uses.
2. Using resistances. See here for an example. (passive device)
3. Using an operational amplifier in adder mode. See here and there. (active device, needs power)

The general rule in audio (and RF), is that output are low impedance (~current source) and inputs high impedances (~voltmeters). Connecting two inputs together is unclean. Sure if they're exactly the same impedance it might not be a big issue, but it you try and "mix" two audio sources this way you're begging for an accident.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I guess some kind of passive adapter would probably be best. I dunno if anyone actually makes them off the shelf. I might have to find some way to make one myself I suspect.

 

It should be easy enough to make such an adaptor, and make it clean, with a few resistances and heatshrinks.

You could also test a Y-adaptor with a multi/ohm-meter to see if the resistances are included. If it's properly designed and they wanted to take into considerations people plugging it wrong, without risking blowing up their audio sources, it might very well have the proper circuit already.