QiYi Display Data Cable (2.5 mm - 3.5 mm)

QiYi Display Data Cable (2.5mm to 3.5mm)

QiYi Display Data Cable (2.5mm to 3.5mm) is a data cable for transferring data from a timer. It has a 2.5 mm plug on one end and a 3.5 mm plug on the other. It is useful when you want to connect devices with jacks of different sizes, for example a timer to a display or to a computer you use to record your times. A standard 3.5–3.5 mm cable won't work for this kind of connection, because the plug doesn't fit one of the jacks.

What it's for

The cable carries the signal with your solve time. You connect the 2.5 mm plug to a timer with a 2.5 mm data output, e.g. the SpeedStacks Gen5 timer. You connect the 3.5 mm plug to a competition display or to the microphone input on your computer. This way your time appears on a large display, which is handy for group practice, demos and local competitions. When connected to a computer, your results can go straight into your timing software.

The 2.5 mm plug is angled, meaning it is bent at 90 degrees. It doesn't stick out far from the side of the timer and gets in the way less when the timer is lying on a mat.

What to check before you buy

• Check the jacks on your equipment. This cable only makes sense if one device has a 2.5 mm jack and the other has a 3.5 mm jack. The QiYi timer and the QiYi display both have 3.5 mm jacks, so to connect them to each other you need a 3.5–3.5 mm cable.
• Microphone input. The 3.5 mm plug must be connected to a separate microphone jack or to a splitter that separates the headphones and microphone.
• Phones and combo jacks. Phones and laptops with a single shared headphone/microphone jack usually won't work with this cable without a splitter.

Tested with our timer

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

• 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 didn't send any signal through the jack.
• SpeedStacks G5: the data jack is on the bottom 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 thing with it is setting the microphone boost to 0 dB.
• Laptop with a single jack (headphones and microphone combined): you need a TRRS splitter, and you plug the timer cable into the "microphone" side. On some laptops this kind of jack doesn't detect a microphone at all - in that case a USB sound card with a separate microphone input will help.
• Windows: in the sound settings, select the microphone from the jack (not "Microphone Array" - that's the built-in microphone), set the input volume to around 30%, set the microphone boost to 0 dB and turn off audio enhancements. If the signal is too loud, the time on the screen will freeze.
• Phone: a timer plugged directly into a phone's jack doesn't work - the phone doesn't treat 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: timer data cable
• Manufacturer: QiYi
• Manufacturer code: QYLJX02
• Connectors: angled 2.5 mm plug and straight 3.5 mm plug
• Length: approx. 1.5 m
• Cable diameter: 2.8 mm
• Colour: black