Adapter 2.5 mm Jack Plug - 3.5 mm Socket

2.5 mm Jack Plug to 3.5 mm Socket Adapter

Many Stackmat-style timers, including SpeedStacks timers, send data through a 2.5 mm jack port. Most audio cables, however, have 3.5 mm plugs. This 2.5 mm jack plug to 3.5 mm socket adapter connects these two standards. You plug it into the timer's data port and connect a regular 3.5 mm AUX cable to its socket. You don't need to look for a special 2.5-3.5 mm cable.

What it's for

The adapter is mainly useful in two situations:

• Timer and computer. A timer connected to your computer's microphone input can send times to programs that read the Stackmat signal. The most popular of these is csTimer. Your times are then saved automatically, so you don't have to type them in by hand.
• Timer and display. The same connection lets you hook the timer up to an external Stackmat-compatible display. This is handy for club practice, at school and at smaller competitions.

What else you need

The adapter alone is not enough to make the connection. You also need a 3.5 mm AUX cable with plugs on both ends (male-male). The cable must be connected to the microphone input, not to the headphone output. Desktop computers usually have two separate sockets. Laptops and phones often have a single combined headphone and microphone socket. In that case you will usually need an audio splitter that provides a separate microphone input.

Before you order the adapter, check the port on your timer. Some newer timers, e.g. certain QiYi models, have a 3.5 mm port. In that case you don't need the adapter, and a regular 3.5-3.5 mm cable is enough.

Who is it for?

For cubers who practise on a Stackmat timer and want to record their times in csTimer or another program. The adapter is also useful if you already have a 3.5 mm AUX cable at home and don't want to buy a separate cable with a 2.5 mm plug. It's also a good fit for organisers who connect a timer to a display.

Tested with our timer

We tested this connection with our free cube timer ("Cable timer" tab): you start and stop with your hands on the timer, and your times are saved automatically in a session with ao5 and ao12 averages - just like in csTimer.

• With the adapter and a regular 3.5 mm AUX cable you connect the timer exactly as you would with a 2.5-3.5 mm cable - to the microphone input.
• Work via cable: SpeedStacks G4 and G5, QiYi, QiYi Mythical and Sengso.
• Don't work via cable: MoYu and YJ timers - in our tests they did not send any signal through the port.
• SpeedStacks G5: the data port is on the underside and is recessed - push the plug all the way in (a plug that isn't fully inserted = no signal). The G5 has a strong signal, so the most important setting is a microphone boost of 0 dB.
• Laptop with a single socket (headphones and microphone combined): you need a TRRS splitter, and you plug the timer cable into the "microphone" side. On some laptops this socket doesn't detect a microphone at all - in that case a USB sound card with a separate microphone input helps.
• Windows: in the sound settings, select the microphone from the socket (not "Microphone Array" - that's the built-in microphone), set the input volume to about 30%, the microphone boost to 0 dB and turn off audio enhancements. If the signal is too loud, the time on the screen freezes.
• Phone: a timer plugged directly into the phone's socket doesn't work - the phone doesn't recognise it as a microphone. With a splitter the signal gets through, but in our tests it was too loud and distorted. On a phone, the QiYi Timer Bluetooth Adapter works best - no cable needed.

Specifications

• Type: audio jack adapter
• Timer side: 2.5 mm plug (male)
• Other side: 3.5 mm socket (female)
• Use: connecting Stackmat-style timers with a 2.5 mm port to a computer or display