Fretlight guitar lead? Possible to make one?

musicalstash

Has anyone get experience of the fretlight guitars ?

Bought one around 6 months ago B ut was missing its lead, searched everywhere and unable to find one. 

The standard electric side works fine but have no way of checking if the LEDs are working in the neck. 

Any ideas if the lead was a bespoke item or did they use an modded off the shelf item.

Thanks 
. 

PrecisionGuided

Info is a bit scarce online...

Looks like there is a regular 1/4" jack out for the guitar signal and an 8 pin DIN for the power/LEDs ??

This cable goes to a USB PC port (or some interface PSU box possibly ?) so it's an 8pin DIN male to USB cable?

Optek Fretlight FG - 421 Red w/ Cable | Dave's Gear Garage | Reverb

New versions have Bluetooth and work via a phone app not a cable.

PrecisionGuided

DIN to USB cable looks like this

Fretlight guitar cable pinout schematic at DuckDuckGo

Accessories – The Fretlight Guitar Store

musicalstash

PrecisionGuided said:

Info is a bit scarce online...

Looks like there is a regular 1/4" jack out for the guitar signal and an 8 pin DIN for the power/LEDs ??

This cable goes to a USB PC port (or some interface PSU box possibly ?) so it's an 8pin DIN male to USB cable?

Optek Fretlight FG - 421 Red w/ Cable | Dave's Gear Garage | Reverb

New versions have Bluetooth and work via a phone app not a cable.

Thanks, not much information online  I did try fretlight but they did not respond to my email. 

Just done a quick search using some of your key words and came up with this 

https://ibb.co/x5zjn5h

Is it be something a shop could make up?  

Thanks again 

Danny1969

I'm wondering why they wired the data pins ... for power they only needed +5V and ground  .. they could have just used a couple or resistors to bias the data pins at the power end so the USB outlet would output.  

PrecisionGuided

They use the USB data (sent from the PC running a Fretlight Music program) to light the correct LEDs in time to the PC song sheets.

PrecisionGuided

There's also a Footswitch on pins 4+5 (the DIN extension bit) - I believe this pauses the song...

It looks easy enough to chop a 3m USB cable and wire it to a DIN plug as shown at  https://ibb.co/x5zjn5h  - this, with the PC program, would test LEDs - could also squeeze in a cable to go to a footswitch ?

musicalstash

Thanks, will get a 8 pin adapter ordered and attempt to make up a lead. 

musicalstash

Connector arrived this morning.

I followed the diagram but there is a bare wire from the USB would  this solder to the casing of the din connector? 


Thanks