Autocom Interface Issues (New Parts)

[jfheilman]

Did some more testing today, and verified a few things. First, tested connections on my Spare SPA to verify what wires went where. My original wiring identification was correct. Next I did some basic wiring and tested the path that would/could be used. I verified that the connection path for in the ear speakers is the same as for in the helmet speakers. You may use either one of the pins (Pin 1 or Pin 7) for the "ground/audio return" connection. Here is the pin out I have determined looking at the male end of the connector.

 

[jfheilman]

Here are pictures of the cable build. Over the next few days I will be testing the cable and then, if satisfactory, construct one more from the parts I purchased and the start a rebuild of the cables I have, starting with the one I just purchased from Autocom via Chainspeed. Note: The wire with shield wrapped that appears to be sticking out from the heat shrink tubing is the shield for the 7 pin DIN and the ground wire for the metal end piece. Neither appear to be used in the Autocom cables I have investigated.

 

[jfheilman]

I completed the two cables today and tested them. I did not test the "noise sensor" connection but since the earphones (in the ear speakers) and microphone worked, and I checked the continuity, it should work. I built one with noise sensor and mike coming out the end and one with the noise sensor and mike connections following the main cable. It would seem that having these small leads following the main lead wold put less stress on the solder joints.

I did retest the microphone I got with the bad cable (Autocom products purchased through Chainspeed) and it failed to work. I used an older mike that I had recovered and verified the connections work. So.... now on to rebuilding the bad cable purchased from Autocom through Chianspeed. Don't know what I can do about the bad mike.

 

[jfheilman]

By the way, the only issue I can see with using the cables I built (besides the quality of the material in the cable) is how they are attached to the inside of the helmet. I glue mine with hot glue. Since I used heat shrink tubing on the cables to cover the connections, and if the heat shrink tubing is not secure to the material of the cord, it might not stay securely attached to the helmet.

 

[ST1100Y]

Often you can attach the cable with small zip-ties to the chinstrap attachment inside the helmet...

 

[jfheilman]

I am in the process of trying to purchase some 7 Pin DIN Male connectors to allow me to build some additional Doodads. These just allow you to use in the ear speakers without the cable.. I also started the rebuild of the interface cable I recently purchased. In trying to get down to the wires and "shields" I find out that the new cables supplied by Autocom are different than older cables. In the pictures below, the older interface cable is at the top and the new one at the bottom. Also, at the very top is the cable that was part of the male to male 7 pin DIN cable I purchased to build my own.

You will note that in my cable and the older cable from Autocom, there are seven individual leads and, on the one I purchased, a separate ground wire and a shield.

In the newer Autocom cable it appears that there are four sets of individually shielded "cables". That is each cable has a central conductor and a shield wire. The shield wires are used as "conductors" in one case at least.

Will continue to check the wiring.

 

[jfheilman]

Tried to rebuild the new Autocom cable. Besides my "weird" design thoughts, the other issue is the wires themselves. I tried to use heat shrink tubing to ensure the solder joints I made were covered and things would not short out. When I was finishing the last wire, I found that the wire insulation was melting as I tired to shrink the heat shrink tubing. I have done, over the years a lot of wiring with heat shrink tubing. My heat gun has a high and low setting. I always use the low setting.

But, as you will notice the insulation for the wires in the "new" Autocom cable began to melt. This device, cable, construction is truly a piece of junk. It also explains why they connected the one ground wire the way they did with a solder through the insulation to the copper shield.

 

[jfheilman]

Just for the record I made an error in the design and construction of the headset cables.

I have three helmets with cables installed. Two are fully operational. One is intermittent on the audio side so that is what I want to replace. Its in my wife's helmet.

The mistake I made is in purchasing a new cable from Autocom and using it as the basis for building my own cable. I made the assumption that it was just bad manufacturing techniques that made this cable not work. (Well it did have an obvious cut wire).

Prior to installing the new cable in my wife's helmet, I removed the old cable and began a wiring check. Did that for two reasons. One, to confirm the issue was a bad wire connection and Two, to insure (for the third or fourth time) I had the wiring right. The answer is, if you make the assumption that the last four headset cables I purchased from Autocom were done correctly, the one I just purchased was just flat WIRED WRONG!!!!!!!!!

When I checked the headset interface after removing it from my wife's helmet, I noted that there are, in fact, capacitors wired in series with the headphone audio leads. So, I went back and checked all the other cables I had and yes, every one has a capacitor wired in series with the main audio from the Autocom unit.

I do not know, for sure, why this is. It might well be just a safety precaution so that you cannot short the headphone jack by accident and damage the SPA.......

Anyway, if you look at the two pictures you will see that the ends of the cable have different dimameters. This supports the notion that there is a 10uf cap and most probably a 68 ohm resistor in the audio lead destined for the headphone jack. Also the ground is different. The ground for the headphones is the same pin used by the mic.

My next decision is do I leave the cables I have built as is since to take them apart might cause damage so that could not be used or take them apart and rewire.

I have the capacitors and resistors on hand, so...... I just need to decide. I will probably opt for new cables and just chalk it up to "experience". But now, I firmly believe I can build the exact cables Autocom was selling, at one time and keep my unit operational.

 

[jfheilman]

This afternoon/evening I took one of the "headset looms" I had made without the capacitor/resistor combination and took it apart and added the capacitor/resistor combination. It was sort of easier then I thought but tedious because of the possible of shorting some of the small wires. I will check it out tomorrow. Here are some mages but they are not that illuminating.

 

[jfheilman]

Ok, I completed the build, tested it and attached it to my wife's helmet. We then went for a ride this PM and it worked fine. The issues are that it is bigger in diameter then the Autocom version and the wires for the mic and noise sensor exit toward the front which increases the sized. I have ordered some stuff to build a couple of more and I will design them to have the mic and noise sensor wires exit to the rear.

One of the issues I had was what I could use to emulate the flat surface at the end of the cable. Autocom has something there that sort of makes it flat and I figured provides some surface area for gluing (I used a glue gun). Finally dawned on me that a large tie wrap has the needed width and strength to serve as some additional support and is nonmetal. So.... that is what I did. The picture shows the old one on the back and mine in the front.

 

[jfheilman]

Today I finished the second of two headset looms. They have yet to be actively tested but continuity checks show no shorts and continuity for connects (except for audio since there is a capacitor/resister in series with the audio lead). The difference between these and those I have/had purchased from Autocom is the size of the 7 Pin DIN cable and the plug is manufactured and the size of the 3.5mm Audio cable. The Autocom cable is larger and more robust. We shall see. I have also purchased three (3) 7 Pin DIN male connectors and will try and build some from scratch. The issue is that the Belkin cable I purchased is heavier both in the cable itself and the internal wires are slightly larger in diameter. Makes the cable less flexible.

Here are pictures of the two new Headset Looms.

 

[jfheilman]

Did a partial test on the new units. Audio only. Compared audio levels to older device. No issues. Will check the noise sensor and mic tomorrow.

 

[V4 Rider]

For those not so good on the soldering side I have used this supplier and working fine after 2 years

fleaBay item 334153603063

 

[jfheilman]

For those not so good on the soldering side I have used this supplier and working fine after 2 years

fleaBay item 334153603063

Interesting. I tried to find the above and could not. Can you provide a link to the service?

 

[Andrew Shadow]

Can you provide a link to the service?

PROFESSIONAL 7 PIN HEADSET KIT FOR AUTOCOM SUPER PRO RIDER INTERCOM WITH BGNS

 

[jfheilman]

Thanks.... I did a search on Ebay and did not see that.

 

[jfheilman]

Ok... Two things. First I did look at the EBAY offering and it was interesting and the price is very very reasonable (makes one wonder). They still have some available. I also note they say may not ship to US....

Second, today I finally did the live test of my two newly built intercom looms. They tested satisfactory, so I put them in the "spares" box on the bike. Not sure if I would really be able to replace the helmet looms n the road since I do not carry a "hot glue gun". But......

The only real issue I have now is microphone noise. I don't think I have the problem in the past but now, with the current mike in my helmet when we are on the road and get behind a truck or one passes us, the noise from the air stream really is bad. I do not remember that being an issue before.

I have not tested it with another bike to see if that is difference (i.e. wind noise). I do have on of those covers that I can put over mike to minimize wind noise. I have one on my wife's mike and she gets little wind noise. Its on her's because she is a little higher seated on the bike and has more wind noise.

 

[Uncle Phil]

An interesting 'wind noise solution' I have seen is to take a large piece of wire heat shrink large enough for the mic head to slip into and 'shrink' it over the mike.

 

[jfheath]

Wind noise on my bike is often as a result of a badly fitted mic in the passengers helmet.

The air flow for the pillion doesn't come from the same direction as the airflow for the rider. It comes from the side, underneath and over the top. This is due to the eddying of wind behind the rider. Remember the trick as a kid ? Lighted candle behind a bottle. Blow directly at the bottle, the candle behind ut gets blown out.

The air hitting the pillion mic is enough to switch on the Vox. After which you get any wind noise from either mic.

It can be tuned out with the Vox control - striking a compromise between instant on when you start talking, and having to shout "Oi" to turn the mic on.

The other factor is mic position in the helmet. It needs to be very close to the lips, and the mic has to face the correct way. I forget which side faces the mouth, black or cream. But its in the manual.

I have a small foam windshield over ours, which helps. Even with full face helmets. (Not the large bulbous one for open face helmets).

Test it out when it happens again. Ask your pillion to disconnect for a minute to work out which mic is being switched on. Get yours working right, then focus on the pillion.

Finally, a dodgy lead or dodgy mic can cause issues. A little crackle from poor connection can switch on the vox circuit. Mics that have been wet and which have dried out slowly can cause buzzing noises when they switch on. I haven't found an answer to this except that if they get wet, I take the helmet inside to dry out properly.

These things always go wrong when you are riding. Never when they are in the cupboard. So I always carry new, mic, headset, extension lead on the bike for when it does. Under the seat, on top of the fuel tank sealed in a heavy duty plastic pouch. My Corbin seat has a reasonable space there.

Regarding fitting on the move - my leads are just pushed between the polystyrene impact material and the helmet shell. They can be replaced ok in the evening. But if that isn't possible, the leads could be taped temporarily around the helmet ? Or have I seen an in-ear headset available ? might be good for an emergency set.

 

[jfheilman]

Thanks jfheath. As noted, I carry the spares on the bike as well. Will look at the mounting method you mentioned. Uncle Phil also mentioned the use of heat shrink tubing for cancellation of noise.

We both use in the ear earphones for audio (listening). I found about the company here (Ear INC) and have used them since then. Some things have changed in their earphone design but they still work.

I also have an adapter that allows me to simply plug the adapter into the cable to the Autocom and I get audio. Cannot use the mike but its a failsafe, drop back to thing if the headset fails. I also carry a spare set of ear phones, just in case.

And from the manual:
If you position the beige side of the microphone so that it is touching your lips and project your voice positively through it, as if to someone say 15 feet (5 meters) away, you should hear the music level reduce by about 50% and your voice will be heard through the speakers, (note the side-tone lets you hear your own voice through your own speakers which helps you to speak at the correct level).

And this

If while speaking into the microphone you gently move it about while it is just touching your lips you will discover a loud spot which produces the most sound level, also note how just a few millimetres (1/8”) movement can effect the level of speech and so your ability to operate the VOX.

Update: Just checked and my mics are oriented the right way. Weill work on checking the actual position. One issue I have is that if the mic is close to my mouth it tends to get wet. Not sure why, I don't stick my tongue out much while riding