System Trigger

[zingo]

Triggers on audio equipment was a great invention, I just need to know how to use mine. :o My Lexicon has a 5 pin trigger and my Outlaw amplifier has an 1/8" plug trigger. How do I get these two pieces of equipment to become friends and use the trigger system?

[ShinAce]

Find an old keyboard and chop off the cable, perhaps. Then you can find the wires you need and solder on the 1/8" connector.

[zingo]

So what do you think; probably trigger and ground for the two leads on the 1/8", or would it be a tip ring sleeve, 3 conductor configuration?

[zingo]

I found this at Radioshack: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search
I think this looks like the right connector, and then I could just tack a plug on the other end.

[ShinAce]

The connector is a 5 pin DIN. Old school at that, but 5 pin DIN. That link is perfect, midi cable is the audio name for the same thing.

I would need a link to the Outlaw amp manual to tell you what pins to solder to what wires.

p.s. Ground and trigger only is probably correct, but ground HAS to go to the right place. You can't just try both and see which works.

[zingo]

p.s. Ground and trigger only is probably correct, but ground HAS to go to the right place. You can't just try both and see which works.

Are you saying that I could do damage if I wire it the wrong way, or it just won't work if it is wired the wrong way? (I would assume tip would be signal and sleeve would be ground) I'm currently contacting Outlaw for the wiring diagram.

[zingo]

Here is my reply from Outlaw:

Hello Jake,

"Is it a two conduction tip-sleeve with the tip being signal and sleeve being ground?"

That is exactly correct. You will need to modify your 5 pin DIN connection and solder/attach the proper pin leads to the positive and ground leads of a mono 1/8" male adapter.

The 5 pin connection is the same as a standard MIDI cable which can be purchased at Radio Shack and most music stores. Use a multimeter to run a continuity test to be certain you are soldering the proper leads once you determine which pins on the DC-1 you will be using.

Just make %100 certain to attach the proper leads, and terminate the others. Contact Lexicon to double check if you have any doubts. A misconnection could cause the trigger sections of both units to permanently cease functioning.

[ShinAce]

Awesome.

Pin 1 or 2 to sleeve on the 1/8" connector.
Pin 5 to the tip(or pin 3 if you want the Outlaw always on as soon as the DC-1 is powered up).

Voila. If you can't get the multimeter lead into the midi cable to see which wire is which pin, use a staple and alligator clip.

[zingo]

Thanks for all the help. It looks like I'll be taking a trip to the shack later today. I'm going to try pin 5, since the Lexicon is always on and just has a standby feature (except for the hard switch on the back) I have been thinking about this today, and if radioshack has it, I'm going to try to mate a 5 pin connector to a 1/8" phono wire, instead of the other way around; two wires would be easier to work with than five. But of course, this will be dictated by what parts they have in stock or carry, since that seems to be dwindling lately. (But that's a different topic)

[ShinAce]

Soldering to a 5 pin DIN is really easy, but taking the connector apart and putting it back together might require a little patience.

Be careful that you don't mirror flip the connections.

That photo you posted is for the socket, not the plug.

[zingo]

Ooo, good call on mirroring the plug.

[ShinAce]

Are you saying that I could do damage if I wire it the wrong way, or it just won't work if it is wired the wrong way? (I would assume tip would be signal and sleeve would be ground) I'm currently contacting Outlaw for the wiring diagram.

Sorry I didn't notice this earlier, but yes, you can do permanent damage if wired backwards.

These wires, gnd and trigger, are voltages sources. If wired backwards, you've got 12 volts feeding -12 volts basically. It's like connecting 2 batteries backwards.

The good news is, Lexicon was smart about it, and put the trigger on pin 5 and then nothing on pin 4. If you forget and do it backwards, you're plugging one wire into nothing on the lexicon, and therefore, null result.

If you use pin 3 for signal(which you won't), use pin 2 only for ground.

edit: corrected pin numbers

[zingo]

If you use pin 3 for signal, use pin 2 only for ground.

So are you saying I should use the trigger as the signal and power-on as ground?

I just tried trigger(5) and ground(2), and power-on(3) and ground(2) combos and neither worked.

[ShinAce]

In your case, you'll need to consult the Lexicon manual to program the trigger. I'm guessing you'll want the trigger to work with the standby function.

If true, you want pin 5 to tip, and pin 1 to sleeve.

Use a multimeter to make sure there's 12 volts.

p.s. according to that image in the OP, pins 1 and 2 are short circuit. You can check for resistance between these pins on the Lexicon(powered off) to make sure.

[zingo]

I couldn't get anything last night so I contacted Lexicon to see what they say. Like I said I tried pin 5 to tip and 2 to sleeve but no go. I guess the trigger in my Outlaw also could be the problem since I bought it used, but I'll try to test that this weekend with another component. It's not that big of a deal, but right now the Outlaw is manually being turned on and off which is a huge pain and doesn't win any awards in the female department. "Why would I go through all this hassle with stereo equipment when I could just turn on the TV like at (insert female friends name) house? A regular TV sounds fine."

[ShinAce]

I couldn't get anything last night so I contacted Lexicon to see what they say. Like I said I tried pin 5 to tip and 2 to sleeve but no go. I guess the trigger in my Outlaw also could be the problem since I bought it used, but I'll try to test that this weekend with another component. It's not that big of a deal, but right now the Outlaw is manually being turned on and off which is a huge pain and doesn't win any awards in the female department. "Why would I go through all this hassle with stereo equipment when I could just turn on the TV like at (insert female friends name) house? A regular TV sounds fine."

Stand your ground, man.

She has a knack for telling color differences. You are the man, you handle the sound department. Let's keep it that way.

heh heh

[zingo]

Ah not to worry. I have had her deal with complicated systems before. She knows my equipment is going no where and she just has to adapt to whatever changes I make. I just want something easy to use, for both of use. (Lets be honest, once I set up the system, I want to do as little work as possible)