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Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: big10p on July 19, 2014, 06:38:53 am

Title: SpinTrak Spinner pinout?
Post by: big10p on July 19, 2014, 06:38:53 am

Hi

I have a USB SpinTrak spinner and would like to tap 5v from the unused pins on the tiny PCB to power a 5V button LED. Is this possible or a bad idea? I'm not using any mouse button inputs, so all the pins in this pic are 'free':
(http://www.ultimarc.com/images/spinner_buttons.jpg)

I read 5V across COM and all other pins. Does anyone know what the top two, unlabeled pins are, and/or can tell me which 2 pins I can safely connect to for the button LED, without registering a mouse button press?

Thanks in advance.

Title: Re: SpinTrak Spinner pinout?
Post by: kiwasabi on July 21, 2014, 10:12:42 am

OK so there are 9 pins correct? Looking straight at it with the board facing upwards, with the 5 pins on bottom, 4 pins on top, and the missing pin on the upper left... The 2 pins on the right (top and bottom pins) are 5V.

The wiring pinout is:

Brown  5V
White GND
Yellow X1
Green X2

So with that info in mind...you should be able to connect safely to the pin above/below where the reddish/brownish wire is connected. The mouse buttons should be the two pins above/below where the yellow and green wires are connected.

Title: Re: SpinTrak Spinner pinout?
Post by: big10p on July 25, 2014, 05:47:26 am

Thanks for the reply. I emailed Andy at Ultimarc and he's says the only 5v pin is the one with the brown wire, and that it should be OK to power a LED from that. Seems a bit strange though as I read 5v across other pins too, but it's probably best to be on the safe side and just tap into the brown one.

Title: Re: SpinTrak Spinner pinout?
Post by: PL1 on July 25, 2014, 05:08:52 pm

Quote from: big10p on July 25, 2014, 05:47:26 am

Thanks for the reply. I emailed Andy at Ultimarc and he's says the only 5v pin is the one with the brown wire, and that it should be OK to power a LED from that. Seems a bit strange though as I read 5v across other pins too, but it's probably best to be on the safe side and just tap into the brown one.

You will read 5v on any encoder input, assuming it is an active-low device like the IPac, KeyWiz, KADE, etc.

Those inputs aren't designed to provide the current required to properly drive an LED.

A quick test on a KADE with a 12v LED revealed:
  * Connecting the LED between 5v and ground caused the LED to light brightly  :)
  * Connecting the LED between an input and ground triggered the associated output and caused the LED to light very dimly (~10% as bright?)


Scott

Title: Re: SpinTrak Spinner pinout?
Post by: big10p on July 25, 2014, 05:47:11 pm

Quote from: PL1 on July 25, 2014, 05:08:52 pm

Quote from: big10p on July 25, 2014, 05:47:26 am

Thanks for the reply. I emailed Andy at Ultimarc and he's says the only 5v pin is the one with the brown wire, and that it should be OK to power a LED from that. Seems a bit strange though as I read 5v across other pins too, but it's probably best to be on the safe side and just tap into the brown one.

You will read 5v on any encoder input, assuming it is an active-low device like the IPac, KeyWiz, KADE, etc.

Those inputs aren't designed to provide the current required to properly drive an LED.

A quick test on a KADE with a 12v LED revealed:
  * Connecting the LED between 5v and ground caused the LED to light brightly  :)
  * Connecting the LED between an input and ground triggered the associated output and caused the LED to light very dimly (~10% as bright?)


Scott

I see. The brown 5v wire it is, then. Thanks, Scott.  ;)