Hacking the Logitech Z5500 - Page 3

baumm · 12th November 2007, 07:23 PM

Hi all,

I have the spring-clip z5500 subwoofer, also a leftover from Logitech's mind-baffling way of doing business. It must b expensive to ship an entire system including subwoofer every time there's something wrong with the product. We just had problems with bad satellite speakers, go figure...

Anyway, I'd like to use it with a standard amplifier/receiver (Kenwood VR-209) that has an RCA out female jack for a powered subwoofer.

I'm no electronics genius. I can follow this thread (with some effort) but being a lazy bum am hoping there is a simple answer to my question:

Without even opening up the unit, can I just chop off one end of an RCA cable and strip the wires, then connect pin 2 on the DB15 to the
"male" wire of the RCA cable, and pin 13 to the "sleeve" wire (or whatever you really call these)?

I understand from the previous posts that I might get more bass than I want, but am I headed in the right direction, or is it more complicated than this?

(If some of the other DB15 pins are providing voltage out, maybe I could just cover them with electrical tape or put on some shrink-plastic sleeves?)

Thanks!

Mark

DB15 connector:
2 - Sub In
13 - ground

undertone · 14th November 2007, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by baumm
Hi all,

I have the spring-clip z5500 subwoofer, also a leftover from Logitech's mind-baffling way of doing business
...
Anyway, I'd like to use it with a standard amplifier/receiver (Kenwood VR-209) that has an RCA out female jack for a powered subwoofer.
...
Without even opening up the unit, can I just chop off one end of an...
...
(If some of the other DB15 pins are providing voltage out, maybe I could just cover them with electrical tape or put on some shrink-plastic sleeves?)

Hi you lazy baumm

(sorry couldn't resist...),

The audio in is fine but you still need to turn on the amplifiers which are otherwise off. lakata reported that grounding pins 6,7, and 8 turned on the amp, and that's on the spring-loaded connectors version (yours).

So if you do both those things, you should be in business. Just make sure to use a well shielded (metal body) DB15 and a well shielded audio cable because it's a high-impedance line (like an electric guitar) and very susceptible to noise pickup. You might also want to keep the line as short as possible for the same reason. I would connect the other 5 input pins to ground so they don't stay floating. All the other unused pins can just be left unconnected, just make sure they don't touch each other or other pins.

BTW, I had to increase the passive attenuation to 1/2 on mine cause it was still too loud. Check if your receiver has a greater than 10 dB attenuation range, otherwise I'm pretty sure you'll have to include one as well. If you do build an attenuator, make it in a metal shell.

Steve

baumm · 14th November 2007, 04:54 PM

I resemble that remark....

And I knew there were a bunch of things I wasn't considering -- especially the need to switch the subwoofer "on"!

Thanks for taking the time to respond & help me get these concepts through my thick skull --

Mark

baumm · 16th November 2007, 08:33 PM

OK, I'd rather look dumb than make a big mistake and fry something:

The JPG posted by undertone (which I realize is for the RCA version, and I have the spring-clip) describes the pinouts as "rear view of female 25-pin plug". Is this what you see on the outside of the RCA sub?

My spring-clip unit has a 15-pin male connection on the outside of the sub. Should I associate lakata's description of each pinout with the pins as I see them (top-to-bottom, left-to-right) or do I need to reverse them left-to-right to match a female connection?

Here's the ugly diagram I made in Word as a copy of undertone's JPG, but with most of the spring-clip info from lakata. Is it correct, or backwards?

Thanks!

Mark

undertone · 18th November 2007, 08:21 AM

Hey sorry man, I haven't been checking this thread for a few days...

Quote:

Originally posted by baumm
OK, I'd rather look dumb than make a big mistake and fry something:

Always a wise policy

Quote:

Originally posted by baumm
The JPG posted by undertone (which I realize is for the RCA version, and I have the spring-clip) describes the pinouts as "rear view of female 25-pin plug". Is this what you see on the outside of the RCA sub?

Yes: the pinout of the male DB15 on the sub and the back of a female DB-15 plugged into it will obviously be the same. And I mistakenly called it a "DB-25"; it's clearly a DB-15, but I'd already posted it by the time I realized that...

Quote:

Originally posted by baumm
My spring-clip unit has a 15-pin male connection on the outside of the sub. Should I associate lakata's description of each pinout with the pins as I see them (top-to-bottom, left-to-right) or do I need to reverse them left-to-right to match a female connection?

The pin numbering is standard and aligned with the trapezoidal shape of the plug. Most DB-15 connectors have reference numbers embossed on the outside of the pin hole rows on your female jack. Your diagram looks correct and matches the descriptions provided by lakata and Bob. If you have a VOM you can quickly check the voltage between pin 15 (-18v) and ground to check the orientation. I find it weird that ground is on different pins on the two models.

Let us know how it works out!

baumm · 18th November 2007, 05:01 PM

Hey, thanks for your patience -- my problem was that I didn't know what a pin-out is, so I wasn't sure if it was on the inside or the outside. Now I've got it.

I'm going to post the colors from my S-VGA cable (15-pin, missing one pin) just in case they are standard. Probably I'm wrong about that, but what the hey:

My S-VGA cable had three thick wires and eleven thin ones.

1 - Thick red center
*2 - Thick green center
3 - Thick blue center
4 - Thin black
5 - Thin brown

~6 - Thick red sleeve (if that 's the right word)
~7 - Thick green sleeve
~8 - Thick blue sleeve
9 - (missing)
10 - Thin red

11 - Thin orange
12 - Thin yellow
~13 - Thin green
14 - Thin blue
15 - Thin purple

To get the sub working, I did exactly as undertone recommended:

A) Soldered the center wire from my RCA plug to #2.

B) Soldered the sleeve wires from my RCA plug to #6, #7, #8, and #13.

The thump when I turn on the sub is pretty minor -- maybe because pin 8 is enabled?

The bass signal isn't impossibly loud either (though it's loud). Depending on the CD, I'm taking it down 2-10 decibels.

Cheers!

Mark

theAnonymous1 · 19th November 2007, 12:22 AM

Undertone,

Your e-mail is no good; failure to deliver.

undertone · 19th November 2007, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by theAnonymous1
Undertone, Your e-mail is no good; failure to deliver.

Sorry. Now fixed. The email I originally registered with is no longer active. Thnx.

ckau · 12th December 2007, 10:44 PM

Hello. I've got a set (with springs) with a pod, but the cable had been cut off.
Is there a way to wire pod to the sub? There are connections WA14, WA13, WA12, WA11, WA10, WA4, WA5, WA6, WA7, WA8, WA9, WA1, WA3, WA17 on the pod's board , but I don't know which pins they shoud be wired to.

damikez · 27th February 2008, 08:03 AM

hi baumm,

i have a sort of similar problem, my Z5500 isn't working properly (when i do the test tone, the right rear speaker doesn't have any sound, and when the left rear speaker plays the test tone, so does the right rear, it seems the rear speakers are in 'mono' not stereo). I was thinking of doing the same thing you did (connect it to an AV Receiver), can you post some pics of what you did? your last post explains in detail what you did and is a big help, i just have to get the guts to do this mod on my Z5500!

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12th November 2007, 07:23 PM	#21
baumm diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2007	Hi all, I have the spring-clip z5500 subwoofer, also a leftover from Logitech's mind-baffling way of doing business. It must b expensive to ship an entire system including subwoofer every time there's something wrong with the product. We just had problems with bad satellite speakers, go figure... Anyway, I'd like to use it with a standard amplifier/receiver (Kenwood VR-209) that has an RCA out female jack for a powered subwoofer. I'm no electronics genius. I can follow this thread (with some effort) but being a lazy bum am hoping there is a simple answer to my question: Without even opening up the unit, can I just chop off one end of an RCA cable and strip the wires, then connect pin 2 on the DB15 to the "male" wire of the RCA cable, and pin 13 to the "sleeve" wire (or whatever you really call these)? I understand from the previous posts that I might get more bass than I want, but am I headed in the right direction, or is it more complicated than this? (If some of the other DB15 pins are providing voltage out, maybe I could just cover them with electrical tape or put on some shrink-plastic sleeves?) Thanks! Mark DB15 connector: 2 - Sub In 13 - ground

14th November 2007, 04:54 PM	#23
baumm diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2007	I resemble that remark.... And I knew there were a bunch of things I wasn't considering -- especially the need to switch the subwoofer "on"! Thanks for taking the time to respond & help me get these concepts through my thick skull -- Mark

18th November 2007, 05:01 PM	#26
baumm diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2007	Hey, thanks for your patience -- my problem was that I didn't know what a pin-out is, so I wasn't sure if it was on the inside or the outside. Now I've got it. I'm going to post the colors from my S-VGA cable (15-pin, missing one pin) just in case they are standard. Probably I'm wrong about that, but what the hey: My S-VGA cable had three thick wires and eleven thin ones. 1 - Thick red center *2 - Thick green center 3 - Thick blue center 4 - Thin black 5 - Thin brown ~6 - Thick red sleeve (if that 's the right word) ~7 - Thick green sleeve ~8 - Thick blue sleeve 9 - (missing) 10 - Thin red 11 - Thin orange 12 - Thin yellow ~13 - Thin green 14 - Thin blue 15 - Thin purple To get the sub working, I did exactly as undertone recommended: A) Soldered the center wire from my RCA plug to #2. B) Soldered the sleeve wires from my RCA plug to #6, #7, #8, and #13. The thump when I turn on the sub is pretty minor -- maybe because pin 8 is enabled? The bass signal isn't impossibly loud either (though it's loud). Depending on the CD, I'm taking it down 2-10 decibels. Cheers! Mark

19th November 2007, 12:22 AM	#27
theAnonymous1 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Anonymityville	Undertone, Your e-mail is no good; failure to deliver.

12th December 2007, 10:44 PM	#29
ckau diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2007	Hello. I've got a set (with springs) with a pod, but the cable had been cut off. Is there a way to wire pod to the sub? There are connections WA14, WA13, WA12, WA11, WA10, WA4, WA5, WA6, WA7, WA8, WA9, WA1, WA3, WA17 on the pod's board , but I don't know which pins they shoud be wired to.

27th February 2008, 08:03 AM	#30
damikez diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2008	hi baumm, i have a sort of similar problem, my Z5500 isn't working properly (when i do the test tone, the right rear speaker doesn't have any sound, and when the left rear speaker plays the test tone, so does the right rear, it seems the rear speakers are in 'mono' not stereo). I was thinking of doing the same thing you did (connect it to an AV Receiver), can you post some pics of what you did? your last post explains in detail what you did and is a big help, i just have to get the guts to do this mod on my Z5500!