Use a 5V to 12V USB Cable as a Trigger for an Amplifier

[MrWasheeWashee]

Hi everyone,

I would like to ask a question about 12V triggers. I've seen it discussed a few times in the forum, but the following idea doesn't seem to have come up before.

Important: I'm not an expert, so don't take offense if I'm talking nonsense

There are 5V to 12 step up converters. Could I attach a 3.5mm jack to the end of such a cable?

Goal: Every time I turn on my TV or DAC, my amplifier turns on. Since this has a trigger in.

Somehow this makes sense to me but maybe there is to much current which the amp can't deal with (Topping PA7 Plus).



Warmly,
Eri

 

[AudiOhm]

The device that you are trying to turn on is looking for a 12 DC signal, where it comes from it has no idea.

The device you are turning on has its own internal circuitry that will determine the current draw not the power from the supply device...

Ohms

 

[JayGilb]

Hi everyone,

I would like to ask a question about 12V triggers. I've seen it discussed a few times in the forum, but the following idea doesn't seem to have come up before.

Important: I'm not an expert, so don't take offense if I'm talking nonsense

There are 5V to 12 step up converters. Could I attach a 3.5mm jack to the end of such a cable?

Goal: Every time I turn on my TV or DAC, my amplifier turns on. Since this has a trigger in.

Somehow this makes sense to me but maybe there is to much current which the amp can't deal with (Topping PA7 Plus).



Warmly,
Eri

I would use the 5 vdc from the usb to trigger a 5 vdc relay connected to a 12 vdc (wall wart) power supply. Using a small project box, it could easily be hidden behind your audio equipment.

 

[MrWasheeWashee]

The device that you are trying to turn on is looking for a 12 DC signal, where it comes from it has no idea.

The device you are turning on has its own internal circuitry that will determine the current draw not the power from the supply device...

Ohms

So you would say that it should work in theory?


@JayGilb That sounds like it would work but would be quite a hassle to implement.

 

[GXAlan]

USB to 12V trigger input?

I recently purchased a March P452 amplifier which has 12V trigger input. I use an OPPO BDP-105 as the source device but it doesn't have trigger output. I'm wondering if I can use a USB to 3.5mm adaptor instead. Like this one...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Some 12v input triggers can handle 12V but will “activate” with as little as 3.3V meaning you can just use the 5V out from the USB

 

[MCH]

Hi everyone,

I would like to ask a question about 12V triggers. I've seen it discussed a few times in the forum, but the following idea doesn't seem to have come up before.

Important: I'm not an expert, so don't take offense if I'm talking nonsense

There are 5V to 12 step up converters. Could I attach a 3.5mm jack to the end of such a cable?

Goal: Every time I turn on my TV or DAC, my amplifier turns on. Since this has a trigger in.

Somehow this makes sense to me but maybe there is to much current which the amp can't deal with (Topping PA7 Plus).



Warmly,
Eri

I am not sure to understand your use case. Your tv might have a USB to trigger your amp, but your DAC? Are you planning to use the DAC USB input? Does it provide 5V? (I don't know, it is a question)
What I am using successfully for a similar task is a master/slave socket:

https://amzn.eu/d/46E0Peq

You could plug both tv and DAC to master, so either can trigger the amp. If this is functionality not possible, you could plug a 12v wallwart to the slave and that to the trigger.

 

[JayGilb]

So you would say that it should work in theory?


@JayGilb That sounds like it would work but would be quite a hassle to implement.

Not at all. It's a safer way to implement using 5 vdc usb source to trigger a 12 vdc input on an amp.
@GXAlan suggestion is by far easier to implement, but not guaranteed to work.

 

[GXAlan]

@JohnYang1997 @MrWasheeWashee
What is the spec for the Topping PA7 Plus’s 12V trigger? Will it work with 5V?

@JayGilb
Agreed. Looking at various 12V relays, there are some which have a minimum spec of 3.3V, 4V, or 9V. Depending what Topping is using, it may or may not work just supplying a 5V trigger.

The good is that you’re unlikely to break your USB port or your amp with too little voltage. So it might be worth trying out unless we hear from Topping that you need 9+ V.

 

[GXAlan]

Smart 5V Trigger

A famous puppet once said, "It's not easy being green". Lying frog! If your high power electronic devices include a 3.5mm trigger input that will recognize a 5V signal (such as our own 12-channel amplifier with Voice Assistant Override), you can now create home automation schedules and voice...

smartas.us

Something like this might work. It’s a 5V trigger to power a AC outlet, which is a variant of what JayGlib suggested. I don’t have the PA7 Plus, but I assume you can leave it on and then have the unit power on when AC power is supplied.

My mistake. That is 5V out not 5V in.

 

[Neddy]

I used one of these to solve both the "5v trigger output to 12v trigger input", AND to fan out from one trigger signal to 3 amps.
Works great, not expensive (blue leds are, as usual, too bright, but easy to 'fix').

ET-3 Trigger Expansion Module

The ET-3 is a handy little device that improves the flexibility of the basic trigger functionality on your preamp or processor. Shop preamp accessories today!

emotiva.com

 

[JayGilb]

Smart 5V Trigger

A famous puppet once said, "It's not easy being green". Lying frog! If your high power electronic devices include a 3.5mm trigger input that will recognize a 5V signal (such as our own 12-channel amplifier with Voice Assistant Override), you can now create home automation schedules and voice...

smartas.us

Something like this might work. It’s a 5V trigger to power a AC outlet, which is a variant of what JayGlib suggested. I don’t have the PA7 Plus, but I assume you can leave it on and then have the unit power on when AC power is supplied.

I think that device works opposite of what you are thinking. It appears to be a software controlled smart AC outlet that sends a 5 vdc trigger voltage to an amp.

 

[Flexecutioner]

Amazon.com

I use this smart strip to trigger my amp and subwoofer. The sensitivity wasn't great so it doesn't work great with my miniDSP SHD as the master outlet, but my TV triggers everything just fine.

 

[MrWasheeWashee]

@JohnYang1997 @MrWasheeWashee
What is the spec for the Topping PA7 Plus’s 12V trigger? Will it work with 5V?

@JayGilb
Agreed. Looking at various 12V relays, there are some which have a minimum spec of 3.3V, 4V, or 9V. Depending what Topping is using, it may or may not work just supplying a 5V trigger.

The good is that you’re unlikely to break your USB port or your amp with too little voltage. So it might be worth trying out unless we hear from Topping that you need 9+ V.

I'll now in a couple of days. Just ordered all kinds of cable. I'd like to keep as simple as possible. If it works for Topping with 5V, great. Otherwise I'll try it with the voltage boost converter.

Manual doesn't say much.

 

[Dreyfus]

@MrWasheeWashee
Any updates on that case, yet?

 

[MrWasheeWashee]

@MrWasheeWashee
Any updates on that case, yet?

Was not happy with setup. Got myself something with eARC.

 

[Dreyfus]

Ok. Thanks for the feedback, though.