Line-6 Spider III: Has anyone cracked the RJ-45 pedal board input?

Started by PeterPan, August 29, 2014, 06:10:03 PM

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PeterPan

I have developed a very kewl wireless controller, and one of its features is to remotely control volume levels and pedal patches (I'll post links when this is a little closer to the "finish" point). Anyway, it accomplishes remote audio level control via digital potentiometers buffered with op amps, but I also want to build in an option by which the digital pot can simply feed 0-5V to any device that uses a standard volume pedal taking a DC input (like devices that will take a Rolland EV-5 input). Well from what I've read, my Line-6 Spider amp (mine is Spider-III) seems to employ some very elaborate control voltage schemes in their remote floor pedals, to trigger volume, wha and other effects, as well as thorny resister ladder networks levels to bring about patch changes. So I'd like to be able to feed in a control voltage level from my own controller to emulate their volume pedal. But so far I've had no luck attempting to "reverse engineer" the RJ-45 input. I've found a few stabs at it from others on line, but so far none of them seem to be correct. Line-6 probably has changed their system a few times and besides, I'm sure they have some "anti-hack" features whereby certain electrical conditions must first be applied to certain pins, just to make the amp believe you have one of their floor pedals connected. I still mess with it when I get a shot of ambition, but maybe someone else has been through this already? Anyone have any luck cracking one of these?

<rant>When you consider that someone making products to interface with your product only makes that product more valuable, it really BITES that companies like Line-6 are so tight lipped about their schematics and interface specs </rant>

--Randy (PeterPan)
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... Second Star to the Right, and Straight on Till Morning!
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J0K3RX

Doesn't matter what you did to get it... If it sounds good, then it is good!

PeterPan

Quote from: J0K3RX on August 29, 2014, 06:57:45 PM
Been done.... Google is your friend :icon_wink:

Unfortunately, some changes must have been made. I was very hopeful when I found this a year or so ago...

http://www.harmonicappliances.com/floorboard/floorboard.html

But unfortunately, both voltage measurements and subsequent experiments with potentiometers revealed that it was completely different from my SPIDER-II RJ. hence, I was hoping someone might have been through this with some more recent info.

--Randy (PeterPan)
*         *                                              *
   *                             *
... Second Star to the Right, and Straight on Till Morning!
       *                  *                  *