Converting Wacom UD-1212-R from Serial to USB

[Blastered]

I have checked the board in my UD-1218-R and it is same as UD-1212-R as you said before. so after 16 days of wait, my teensy order has arrived, i have done the modifications as shown here, installed the waxbee and wacom drivers. My wacom now works in win7 x64.

But there is an issue; when i move the pen, cursor follows my movements but when i want to stroke a line with the pointy side it does smth like that (----      ------         --------   ---) but eraser side works fine. i think my pen has some issues :/

Anyway thank you all for your hard work and kindness for sharing those usefull informations

[bernard]

Probably you need to tune the pen.  There are hidden potentiometers inside.  You have to find a way to dismantle the pen without breaking it (difficult) -- typically the pots are under the side switch which is removable (but ****easily**** breakable) you have to force the right way else it breaks.

[Amerlander]

Is it necessary to remove the MC145406? ( http://forum.bongofish.co.uk/index.php?action=dlattach%3Btopic%3D1930.0%3Battach%3D4436%3Bimage )
Or can I also leave it where it is and just connect the cable to the pins? It would be much easier, especially because I have no tools to remove it softly.

[bernard]

It is certainly not ideal. I wouldn't risk it.

Instead of removing the chip, you can always cut out the pins that are meant to be connected with a wire. To cut, you can try to use a sharp knife (like a utility knife) -- be careful!  Beware that some of the pins are connected on the 5V and you do not want to "bridge" the pins. In other words, make sure the pins do not touch each other as the chip will remain somewhat active (because some pins will stay connected).  Try to pass a piece of paper between the pins if unsure. 

Frankly, it is much better unsoldering it all (or simply cut it all).

Good luck!

[DOCa Cola]

Thanks for the guide!
For inspiration, here are pictures for my converted board.
I have desoldered the d-sub connector and put a usb b connector in its place. This feels more sturdy than using a micro usb cable directly in the Teensy.

I first had removed the ON/OFF switch, too. However i noticed it is also being used to align the board in the case. Therefore i have put it back on the board. It now serves as Reset switch for the Teensy, so it isn't that useless. I have cut the traces on the board for the switch of course. Initially i had planned to expose a separate push-switch for the reset function.
The chip on the board is desoldered too, but the pins are (as described) really fragile. I have secured the soldered cables with electric tape. I still had to be very careful when soldering those cables.
I have put the Teensy on top of the two chips in the middle of the board. I simply used double sided tape for that. It is a thicker foam like tape. So there is still space between the chips and the Teensy.

Quite happy overall. Tablet works perfectly.

[Blastered]

  Respect

[bernard]

great stuff!

I did not know the switch had a mechanical usage(?)  I removed mine completely and I did not see a problem(?)

[DOCa Cola]

Thanks! Wouldn't have been possible without waxbee.

Yes, the switch locks the board into position. At least i think it has a more tightened fit than without it. But probably not that important.

[DD]

Hi, I don't intent to "resurrect" this old thread. Just want to "report" another success and add some info which I think can be useful for Mac users who don't want to open their tablets in order to modify it.

I have used TabletMagic for many years. It worked well. But currently (PSCS4, AiCS4 + OS X 10.8/10.9/10.10/10.11), I'm not getting pen pressure support from it. Although TabletMagic supports pen pressure in Adobe CC under various versions of OS X, I don't have enough budget to "rent" the CC. So I've to make my tablet compatible with Waxbee to use Wacom's driver.

I read how a member named "Sicarius" made an adapter and like the idea.
http://forum.bongofish.co.uk/index.php?topic=1993.msg17274#msg17274
So I follow his guide with three exceptions:

- My MAX3232 runs dangerously hot at 5v, so the Teensy needs to be converted to use 3.3v.
https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/3volt.html

- I still use the tablet's original power adapter. So I don't need the LM2577 DCDC module.

- My connector is male Mini-DIN 8 (Mac serial port). So I have to find a female one. I've found that all the reasonably priced Mini-DIN 8 connectors on eBay have the position wrong for the holes in the middle row. They are equally spaced which is wrong. It would damage the pin-4 if forced to fit. Fortunately the correct ones are available on aliexpress at cheap price and some seller is selling 1 piece per lot.

With all the parts ready (Teensy 2.0 with MCP1825 regulator, MAX3232, and a female Mini-DIN 8 ), it is very easy.

(the Teensy has two sets of VCC/GND, use the one that is the most convenient for you)







Thank you.

PS. With the reduced voltage, the Teensy should run at 8MHz instead of its full speed of 16MHz. Fortunately Waxbee contains an option to select in the File > Raw Config Editing > CPU core clock.

The counterfeit Teensy boards from China don't work (it could only do the simple blink trick to fool you), you have to buy a genuine one from http://pjrc.com or their official distributors.

[Aerendraca]

Hi DD, excellent info and well worth bringing this old thread back to life! Im sure some will find it invaluable. Thanks.

[bernard]

Cool stuff!  Care to tell us what tablet model you are hooking this on?

Yes, the CPU is rated at 8MHz when running at 3.3v, going 16Mhz is considered "overclocking". It works most of the time but if 8Mhz is good enough then stick with that.

[DD]

The tablet is a UD-1212-R using XD-1212-U emulation. I'm using it with OS X 10.9.5 and Wacom 6.2.0w4 driver.   

For the OS X 10.11.x, the 6.2.0w4's PreferencePane is not compatible with it, I can't set-up the tablet there. But its Wacom Tablet Utility is still functional. So there is a workaround. By backing up my settings to a file with the Wacom Tablet Utility while I'm still in OS X 10.9.5. Then boot into OS X 10.11.x, and use the Wacom Tablet Utility's Restore to restore the settings from that file.

By the way, I've not tried Intuos5 emulation with Wacom's newest driver which is compatible with 10.11.x yet. AiCS4 is not very compatible with the new version of OS X. So I'm not very motivated to do that. 

[bernard]

UD-1212-R is a nice tablet.

Is there a specific name for the "mac-compatible" mini-DIN connector?  You said most of them are of the "wrong type".   I'm asking in case someone else wants to search for this part. You mentioned aliexpress, can you get a little more specific? How can one distinguish one over the other when search for one?

[DD]

Actually the 8-pin mini-DIN connector Apple use(d) for serial connection is a standard one.

A standard 8-pin mini-DIN connector looks like this. Note the distance between pin 4 and pin 5.


But a wrong one looks like this. Note the equally spaced of pins 3-4-5. I wonder, may be, some manufacturers think the "correct" positioning is wrong and assume the pins should be equally spaced.


There are several "correct" ones out there but this one was the cheapest among them when I was searching. It is what I bought.


I bought it from a seller who was willing to sell 1 piece per lot because I just needed one.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Computer-Component-DIN-8-Mini-Pin-Female-S-video-Adapter-Sockets-Connnector/32218724304.html

PS. Have a look on eBay and see there are now more of them that get it right. Make sure before you buy it.  

[jackjameshoward]

If I follow this thread should I be able to convert my UD-1218-R in the same way?