help with disconnecting plunger?

[d8thstar]

hi guys,

i just got around to doing a test install of the digital plunger kit i bought from virtuapin…

https://virtuapin.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25&products_id=105

i seem to be having a small issue and was wondering if anyone has seen the same behavior before and if so, what the fix might be?

game (visual pinball x) starts fine and i can use the plunger. after a few seconds, i get the windows usb disconnecting chime and then the connection chime but the plunger stops working. weirder still, the buttons still work.

i thought it might be a loose connection, i unplugged and reseated everything. then i tried different usb ports, still the same behavior. this doesn’t happen every time but it happens more than it doesn’t.

any thoughts? thanks!

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[LynnInDenver]

Have you tried an external powered usb hub?

Creator of the first PinupPlayer PostDMD mods for VPX - PostDMD for Masters of the Universe VPX and Jaws VPX.
Head Proprietor of Pisces Pinball, a VPX table developer.
Lead Technician of MC Chase Amusements, a private arcade in our home basement.

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[Thalamus]

I’ve heard that it is a bit iffy on shielding. So, maybe see if you’ve got something near its cabling that might lead to your troubles. @lynnindenver has a good point. I use the cheapest possible USB hub I could find for my dof, and I remember that I changed also the bios settings for usb. But, what exactly it was, is too long time ago for me to remember. Just try different options and see where it leads.

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[Zeb]

Thalamus wrote:

I’ve heard that it is a bit iffy on shielding. So, maybe see if you’ve got something near its cabling that might lead to your troubles. @lynnindenver has a good point. I use the cheapest possible USB hub I could find for my dof, and I remember that I changed also the bios settings for usb. But, what exactly it was, is too long time ago for me to remember. Just try different options and see where it leads.

Probably was turn off the charging circuit for the usb ports in standby.  Without it the plunger never gets a chance to reset.

I know so little about everything that I could tell you all there is to know about nothing

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[Mihos]

I recieved my v3 kit and installed it 2 days ago and was experiencing the plunger disconnect… it was absolutely maddening so I looked into a little more

An unshielded i2c connection over that distance in an enclosure as noisy as a VP cabinet is a bad design choice.

To fix it, all I had to do is shield the cable between the plunger and the board (wrap the entire cable in aluminum foil is fine, just keep it away from the connectors) , then use and alligator clip to connect the foil to my PC chassis for ground and it fixed all issues.

Maybe in v4 they will supply a ground shielded cable to the plunger.

 

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