I tried to solder the wires to the pins of the V3A-4k. I finally got it soldered, but it didn't work. I suspect that I shorted some of the contacts together, along with butchering the pins and the plastic around the connector pins. (I'd never soldered before this project.)
After reading this thread, I desoldered the wires and soldered them to the pads linked to the pins. It was easy and it worked perfectly.
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I'm sorry I wasn't more clear about this. Don't even try to solder to those little pins. Those are there for a special cable, and we don't need it. Soldering to the pads is much easier.
I really want to re-write my reader construction instructions. If you look at my Modification page and the El Cheapo parallel port adapter page, you see that those instructions are much better.
Unfortuately, the contract I signed with O'Reilly to write my article for Make Magazine gave them an exclusive 6 month license to the instructions and pictures that I took for the magazine. So the really cool, detailed pictures I took I cannot use for a few more months. I suppose I could re-write the instruction to be better, but I imagine thats a thin legal line. Anyway you all should buy Make, as it *is* an awesome magazine.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I have a quick question about the omron V3A-4k, do you have to solder to the little pins, or can you solder to the pads in front of the pins
the pads in front seem to be linked right to the little pins
Yes... I do believe you can solder the pads in front of the pins. Trying to solder on those little pins would be damn near impossible.
Lyos Norezel
I tried to solder the wires to the pins of the V3A-4k. I finally got it soldered, but it didn't work. I suspect that I shorted some of the contacts together, along with butchering the pins and the plastic around the connector pins. (I'd never soldered before this project.)
After reading this thread, I desoldered the wires and soldered them to the pads linked to the pins. It was easy and it worked perfectly.
I'm sorry I wasn't more clear about this. Don't even try to solder to those little pins. Those are there for a special cable, and we don't need it. Soldering to the pads is much easier.
I really want to re-write my reader construction instructions. If you look at my Modification page and the El Cheapo parallel port adapter page, you see that those instructions are much better.
Unfortuately, the contract I signed with O'Reilly to write my article for Make Magazine gave them an exclusive 6 month license to the instructions and pictures that I took for the magazine. So the really cool, detailed pictures I took I cannot use for a few more months. I suppose I could re-write the instruction to be better, but I imagine thats a thin legal line. Anyway you all should buy Make, as it *is* an awesome magazine.