Follow along this guide as we switch adapt a Zoom Tube with standard 3.5mm AT Jacks.

Follow along this guide as we switch adapt it with standard 3.5mm AT Jacks.

Required Items:

• 3.5mm (1/8”) “Free Hanging” Mono Jack (2)
• Cat 5 stranded coated wire
• Shrink wrap tubing & Lighter
• Soldering Iron
• Helping hands (optional but recommended)
• Hot glue or Sugru
• 1/8” drill bit & drill

Steps: 

1. Test the car and the controller by making sure it operates as expect.
2. Place the car off to the side as the only thing we need to adapt is the controller.
3. Take two plastic style hanging jacks and clip the back end off each.
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4. Use stranded cat 5 cable for each mono-jack (see how to wire these here).  In the end they should look like this:
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5. Remove the battery cover screw and the batteries.
6. Then remove the other 4 screws and take apart the housing by slightly prying it apart.  Note that some of the internal components may fall out but they are all easy to put back in.  Set aside the top that has the rocker switch as it is not modified.
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7. Remove the two screws holding down the circuit board (NOTE:  they are a different sized screw!).  Also set aside the switch caps as they will be re-installed later.
8. Drill a 1/8” hole in the bottom of the compartment for the wires to come out.
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9. We will be attaching the jacks we made to the circuit board.  The ones in red control the forward motion and the ones circled in blue control reverse.
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10. Run the wire in through the hole (look at step 16 to see the final layout).
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11. Twist the wires and then coat them with a little solder.
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12. Solder them to the board as follows (Rear set)
    •  To tack solder, add a small amount of solder first to the point you want to connect.  Then attach the pre-tinned wires.
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    • Recommend checking operations by attaching a switch and confirming it lights up the controller when pressed.
13. Solder the second jack to the board (Front Set). Remember to tin the wires first.
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    • Recommend checking operations by attaching a switch and confirming it lights up the controller when pressed.
14. Re-attach the board to the control box while also putting the on/off caps back on the switches. NOTE:  Use the tiny screws!
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15. Re-attach the rest of the screws and the batteries.
16. Hot glue or Sugru the jacks to the board.
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17. Test fully assembled
18. Re-package.