Panasonic 2-Button Foot Pedal Conversion

[Guest Mark Fowler]

Express Scribe software allows a serial-input 2-pedal controller.

 

Converting the Panasonic 2-pedal controller to Serial 9-Pin input:

 

The Panasonic RR930 and similar transcribers has a two-button foot pedal. The left pedal is labeled "Back Space" and the right pedal is labeled "Start."

 

There are 5 wires in the cable. You will cut off the connector (it resembles a Keyboard connector) that is meant to plug into the transcriber. The wire colors are: Black, White, Brown, Orange and Yellow. I connected 4 of the 5 wires to pins of a solder-type DB9S (female) connector.

 

There are two switches inside the foot pedal; each has 3 connections:

 

NC = Normally Closed

NO = Normally Open

C = Common.

 

The "Back Space" pedal uses the White and Black wires: White to "NO", Black to "C".

The "Start" pedal uses the Brown, Orange and Yellow wires: Orange to "NO", Brown to "C". The Yellow is connected to "NC", but the yellow is not connected to the new 9-pin female Sub-D connector.

 

According to the instructions from NCH, the Brown and Black will be soldered to the GND, or Pin 4. The Orange will be connected to PLAY, or Pin 1. The White will be connected to REWIND, Pin 6.

 

When looking at the BACK of the connector, the side with the solder buckets, put the 5 pins on top and the 4 pins below. Pin 1 is on the top row, left position; Pin 6 is on the lower row, left position.

 

I used Radio Shack P/N 276-1538: "9-Pin Female D-Sub Connector".

I used Radio Shack P/N 276-1539: "D-Sub Connector Hood for 9-Position Standard & 15-Position High Density Connectors".

 

Run the Foot Pedal Setup Wizard in the "Settings -> Control" tab in Express Scribe.

 

Mark Fowler, mailto:vemmamjf@gmail.com