Converting z150 - help me with the pinout of a cut cord

ntv242ver2 · 10 Oct 2020, 10:02

Hi folks,

Trying to convert my z150, my cord is unfortunately cut, all i have is a little bit left of the original cable. If anyone has done this kind of converter before can tell me which pin is which it would be much appreciated.

kelvinhall05 · 10 Oct 2020, 14:13

Pin 5 is VCC, pin 4 is ground, you can guess on the other three until it works.

This is the XT/black badge, right?

ntv242ver2 · 10 Oct 2020, 21:54

Yeah it is XT protocol and black badge

Willy4876 · 10 Oct 2020, 23:00

I would agree with Kevin, 4 is GND, 5 is Vcc and you aren't likely to kill anything if you get the other ones wrong so you can just play around with them until it works. Also you should probably clean up all that corrosion before you plug it in. You don't need extra problems to solve.

kelvinhall05 · 15 Oct 2020, 15:10

Figured I should add a small update for anyone who needs this in the future. I helped OP in DMs on Discord and we figured out the pinout. It is as follows (going of the pin labels on the PCB)

1. Data
2. Clock
3. Reset
4. Ground
5. VCC

Reset was easy to figure out since, as I suspected, it goes to the reset line on the controller. From there, we just got lucky and the first combination of clock and data wires happened to be the right one.

Spoiler:

His board still isn't 100% working, however, this is likely due to the horrible shape it is in. Apparently his computer makes noises when keys are pressed but not when clock and data are switched, further leading me to believe this is the right pinout.

hellothere · 16 Oct 2020, 00:57

Oooh. I think I'm going to need to know where that "Keyboard Reset" pin is, so thanks very much for the diagram!

kelvinhall05 · 16 Oct 2020, 04:45

hellothere wrote: ↑
16 Oct 2020, 00:57
Oooh. I think I'm going to need to know where that "Keyboard Reset" pin is, so thanks very much for the diagram!

The diagram only applies if you use the modified Soarers firmware with the reset pin moved to an IO pin accessible on a Pro Micro, not just a Teensy. It'll be a different pin on the controller with stock Soarers on a Teensy.

Regardless, reset should be easy to find on any XT keyboard with one; it'll go to a reset line on the controller.

hellothere · 17 Oct 2020, 03:55

Y'know, one thing this forum really needs is a "like" or a "thanks" button.