Answered: Using a Phone Cable as a Partner Cable

Hello!

My team would like to use a partner joystick, and although we have one, we do not have a VEX partner cable. I have heard that a regular phone cable can connect a partner joystick to a main joystick if the plastic is filed a bit. Would that still be legal to use in competition?

Functionally, it would be identical to a partner joystick cable, so would <R7b.> apply here?

In addition, the product page for the partner joystick also states that a standard telephone cable can connect two joysticks

However, since we need to file the plastic for the phone cable to fit into the controllers, I don’t know if using one to connect joysticks would violate <R15a.>

I would appreciate clarification on this issue.

Thank You
Team 750E

You are correct, the partner cable is just a regular telephone cable. Furthermore a regular phone cable can be used without having to make any modifications; the connector will fit in the partner cable port as is. Thus a telephone cable of the same length as the VEX Coiled Handset Cable would be legal for use in VEX Skyrise.

Thanks for the response Karthik!

I have a few follow-up questions to the post.

First off, my team tried using a phone cable (I think it is an RJ11), but it worked only after being filed down to size. However, a handset cable (I think this is RJ9) fit the controller properly, so I guess this is what the coiled handset cable is (they both have the same pinout, but the phone cable just has more plastic)? Would it be legal to use a filed phone cable, or must we use an unmodified handset cable?

Secondly, does our cable need to be coiled as well, or can it be 12’ long (the length of a partner cable) without being coiled?

Finally, is there any tolerance on the length of the cable we can use, or must it be exactly 12’?

Thanks!
Team 750E

You must use an unmodified handset cable.

This would be acceptable.

It needs to be 12".

Thanks Karthik!

You’re welcome!

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