Paleocord v1.21 Testing Results

Posted: 2017-January-29 | Author: | Filed under: Paleocord Adapter 1 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Although it's been on my desk for the better part of a month, I finally had a chance to check out the latest version 1.21 of the Paleocord Adapter 1 board. (Note that the version numbers correlate to the internal CVS version numbers I'm using, so they are not sequential.)

I made the following changes:

  • The outermost pair on the RJ25 (the 6-pin version of the telephone jack) is now connected to the first line of the opposite connector. Thus, "line 3" of the Main jack is wired to "line 1" of the Aux jack and vice versa. If you use an RJ14 or RJ11 socket or cable, these pins are not used and won't bother that type at all.
  • I changed the surface-mount pad sizes for the micro-USB-B connectors so now they're much easier to solder by hand.
  • I moved the USB-A jacks inward 0.075" each and that makes them fit an Altoids tin much easier.
  • I added a gap between the headphone jacks so now the panel-mount nuts can be installed without hitting one another.
  • I corrected the labeling on the color codes so solid-color wires are "rings" and white/color stripes are "tips".
  • I redesigned the labeling to reference the central RJ45 connectors' pin numbers instead of color-coded pairs. At first I didn't like it, but it has grown on me as it's more complete and clear. I think it was just a case of it being "new".

For the most part, this makes the project a satisfactory "done". Nonetheless, here's a couple updates I might make in future revisions:

  • Looking through my bin of adapters, I realized if I move the headphone jacks just a little farther apart, they should work with airplane headset adapters.
  • If I can find a way, I'll add pads to install a stereo headphone jack so a monaural connection would be wired correctly.
  • I'm on the fence about the "on the go" (OTG) jumper. I don't think there exists a 5-pin to 5-pin micro-USB cable, so it isn't actually good for anything (e.g. to notify a device to host USB instead of act as a device.) Nonetheless, someone might want access to that spare pin and they could solder onto the pad. If I do anything, I'll remove the jumper bridge and replace it with a through-hole pad so it's easier to make use of.

See the Paleocord 1 main page for updated details and ordering information.

Paleocord v1.15 Testing Results

Posted: 2016-December-5 | Author: | Filed under: Paleocord Adapter 1 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

I finally got and tested a few Paleocord 1 boards from OSHPark and found a couple minor problems. For reference, the source files are still available—v1.15, 2016-Nov-7.

The good news is I tested all the connectivity and it is correct. The bad news is the labeling is wrong. There was no pin #7 on the main RJ45 jacks, and I had reversed all the wire color-codes: all the solid-color wires should have been rings and the white/color stripes tips. I also didn't like how the labeling appeared once it was finally on the silkscreen. And when I was fitting it to an Altoids tin, it was a pretty tight fit since the USB-A connectors stuck out pretty far. I had tested using headphone jacks with threaded barrels, and the nuts for those jacks would actually touch.

So the following are changes for the new release v1.21, 2016-Dec-4:

  • Wire outer pair on RJ25 jack (formerly unconnected; if you use an RJ14 or RJ11 socket or cable, it will still be.)
  • Move USB-A jacks inward 0.075" each.
  • Add a gap between the headphone jacks.
  • Correct color codes so solid-color wires are "rings" and white/color stripes are "tips".
  • Redesign labeling to reference the central RJ45 connectors' pin numbers instead of color-coded pairs.

See the Paleocord 1 main page for updated details and ordering information.