Hacking the Logitech Z5500

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Elmojo

Member
Joined 2020
I agree completely with Flerbizky, above.
My Z-5500 set has been installed in my office through 3 computers now. It runs nearly every day, sometimes pretty hard, and other than a blown vreg (or was it a rectifier?) a while back, it's never given me any trouble. I replaced the main front speakers with a pair I built a couple months ago, but that was only because I wanted to, not because anything was broken.
If Logitech made this exact setup today, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. I think I paid around $250-ish back in 2007 for mine. Best ROI ever! :)
 
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Flerbizky

Member
Joined 2005
Elmojo said:
I replaced the main front speakers with a pair I built a couple months ago, but that was only because I wanted to, not because anything was broken.
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I'm running Micropods as fronts. Super cheap upgrade and matches the rest beautifully.

Am thinking of buying an old Cerwin Vega VE28S (dual 8" sub) with an iffy amp and move the plate from the Logitech to that one. You know, for science ( : (and sh!ts and giggles)
 
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Elmojo

Member
Joined 2020
Do the micropods sound noticeably better than stock? I had heard once before that they were kinda overpriced and didn't have great sound, but I have no personal experience.
The CV swap sounds like a fun project, but would it actually produce better sound? One thing that's always impressed me about this system is the power of this sub. Of course, anything is justifiable, if it's done in the name of science. ;)
 
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Flerbizky

Member
Joined 2005
Elmojo said:
Do the micropods sound noticeably better than stock? I had heard once before that they were kinda overpriced and didn't have great sound, but I have no personal experience.
The CV swap sounds like a fun project, but would it actually produce better sound? One thing that's always impressed me about this system is the power of this sub. Of course, anything is justifiable, if it's done in the name of science. ;)
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The MicroPods are in a different league than the stock 5500 satellites. Especially in the top because of the seperate tweeter. No comparison whatsoever (Do an A/B comparison with HD audio and you'll never go back). I bought mine used for 200 DKK (US$30 'ish). But would've been happy with 3 times the amount for the improvement.

I just bought a CV RL-28W sub (basically the same as the VE-28S with a little bit more amplifier) to try instead of the old Audio Pro B2-50 (which is never going anywhere) in the living room as I would like a bit more oomph for movies. And that it can it ways the 5500 can only dream of. And since I can get the VE for around US$ 60, it's worth a try I think. (again - for science of course - and I can always revert the modificatin)
 
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olaivo

Member
Joined 2021
I want to try to hook up the Z5500 sub to a Focusrite audio interface (4i4, so I'll run the monitors on one output set and want to run the sub on the others (even though it's mono I think the output is always stereo). Has anyone tried this? I can buy a DB15 to 1/8jack cable on ebay, but then I would need a 1/8 jack to dual 1/4jack (or 1/8 to dual RCA and then RCA to 1/2 jack).

I would love to know beforehand if this works. Then Il'd be able to use: this


Or would it be better to make something to fit my purpose?

Was even thinking of using the POD in between but then I would need to operate that as well, though Il'd just need to use a 2*1/4jack to 1/8jack.

Just don't want to blow up the audio interface...
 
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UnIbOnGeR

Member
Joined 2021
first off i just joined all i can say is wow what a great source for info!!!
so i have a set of the 5500`s that work fine the pid is R703 i have an oppurtunity to get another set with a dead control pod but the pid is R007 is it possible to get the Y cable and use the 1 control pod? i have read R200-R635 are different i would like to confirm before i attempt would PID R703 pod control both the R703 and the R007 sub/amp control the 2 units at once?
 
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ansic

Member
Joined 2020
I got the bass unit fixed up. It were rattling. I found the issue to be the basket gasket. The speaker sounded good in free air so I decided to ditch the plastic and instead glued the speaker directly in to the hole.



Next step is to drill a hole in the back for two RCA jacks. Noticed it's enough to have a resistor network of 1,2K and 2,4K to enable the device, one LM7805 saved to fill another purpose.
 
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na6cet

Member
Joined 2021
Power source for arduino inside Z-5500 control unit

I want to monitor the power state of my Z-5500 speakers for a home assistant integration.

I figure I can do this by installing a small arduino type device inside the control unit and have it monitor the lines for the power button lights, however I'm not sure where I can get power from to power the Arduino. I'm assuming there would be a suitable source that could be borrowed from the Z-5500 control unit.

Alternatively, if anyone has a better solution for monitoring the power state I'd like to hear it. I'm also wondering about monitoring the communication with the LCD screen so that I can detect which input is selected and the volume level, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet.
 
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fxhfx

Member
Joined 2021
demande ID de composant

Bonjour la communauté. je viens ici car bien embêté avec mon z5500 pid: R628 . le composant D18 à brulé sur la carte principale et malheureusement a fait quelque Degas autour de lui. C34 C35 C36 C37 D10 D18, je voudrais réparer mon home cinéma mais je ne connais aucune des valeurs des résistances et diodes. Quelqu'un connaitrait il ces valeurs ? d'avance merci pour votre aide.

Hello community. I come here because well bothered with my z5500 pid: R628 . the D18 component burned on the main board and unfortunately made some Degas around it. C34 C35 C36 C37 D10 D18, I would like to repair my home theater but I do not know any of the values of resistors and diodes. Would anyone know these values? thank you in advance for your help.
 

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Greatgoobly

Member
Joined 2021
I appreciate any help I can get to help me visualize this DIY MOD. Thanks in advance for anyone that would be willing to take the time to draw this up without the original control pod cable. If posting a picture on this forum isn’t possible please send the schematic to my email which is jg.stant6@gmail.com. If I receive any information regarding this request I will make every effort to upload the image on the forum from my email to share with all DIY’ers that are having trouble following this post.

RETIREDtec said:
Just made mods to a Z5500 pod PID R-547 to work on a Z5500 sub PID R638
The R-547 POD uses Pin 7 as the turn on for the sub, it is a momentary Hi pulse some posts say +5 volts.one pulse is on pulse again goes off. the same holds true for mute which is a + voltage.

I think is was 3.5 volts on my meter I forget, the point is this pod does control by going hi and the sub I have needs to go low to ground. Also the power on to ground is done by pin 6 wire which was missing on the go hi pod I have. My simple fix was to remove two wires from the pod board wire number 7&8 this stops the grounding of the hi signals.

Wire 7 is the enable of sound to come out of the woofer and 8 is the enable center channel to come on. By jumping pin 6&7 on the input board in the woofer I had a path back to start and because I was just plain lazy I tied wire 8 to7 it in the pod for center turn on but if you wanted to I am sure you could just use one of the wires for the replacement for the missing wire 6 and then tie the mute of the sub and the mute of the center channel together and use a circuit placed in the pod or the sub to use the the hi mute on to ground pin 7&8 to enable.

Now to get the unit to turn on I just used a small npn signal transistor (just about anything will do you have laying around) and a small reed relay DG1A12BW which is 1 amp and 12 volts I just so happened to have. I hot glued it in the pod dead bug style top down legs up out of the way. and soldered the emitter and collector pins of the transistor to the relay pins the emitter to the grounded side of the relay contact and the collector to one side of the coil adding a dropping resistor to the other side of the coil contented to 18+.

I got my signal on form the blue side of the pilot light. the connections are as follows, starting from the light a dropping resistor maybe 33k to 39k and a 2n4148 diode(band points at transistor in series for back protection (just enough voltage to make the transistor turn on) to the base. The emitter to ground and the collector in series with the 12 relay and an appropriate dropping resistor to the 18+ source in the pod to achieve the desired voltage at your choice of a relay. Don't forget to add a reverse diode (band points to B+) across the coil for kick back. The2n4148 was ok for my relay.

Now just tie one side of the SPST Normally open contact to ground and tie the other to the (white and blue wire in my) pod 7&8 .When you now turn the pod on the small amount of signal taped off the blue side of the light will turn on your transistor turning on the relay and grounding wire 7&8 and with the jumper in the sub from 6&7 it will now ground all three pins resembling normal operation except if you put it in mute the sub will still play. And as i said above if you wanted that feature you would have to add a little more circuitry to use its high to open the ground of wire 7 in the sub to mute and the jumper you used from 6 to 7 would have to be changed to 6 to 8 being used to replace missing 6 and 7 going hi high when you hit mute .

I hope this is not to confusing i wrote this out instead of adding a picture because only menbers can see picks I truly hope this helps all the questions as to why my replacement pod did not work or if you are using a different one also remember some pods from different models did not use 18+ and 18 - Ps. this wrong pod did light up and come on when plugged in to the sub just no sound or power on
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fxhfx

Member
Joined 2021
Hello company following my introduction, I come to ask my question.

The circuit D18 in the box burned and damaged the resistors that are around.

the repair involves knowing the values of the components D10 C34 C35 C36 C37

I would need help.

Attached is a photo of the damage

Thank you in advance.
 

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mrfusionn

Member
Joined 2021
I have a weird PID: 10003301-0445R and my system isn't working anymore. I want to use the sub with a receiver (or replace the pod), but I can't find a matching adapter for the sub. Can anyone help?

I think my unit is a very early model. The speakers connect via RCA instead of just wires like I see on lots of pics.
 
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