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Desoldering Ping Sensor Connection

Desoldering Ping Sensor Connection

Hi Roboteers,

Is it possible to desolder one side of a ping (ultrasonic/sonar) sensor and reconnect it with a wire? I'm working on an ARC project and want to make sure this will still work with my hardware setup.

Please specify the sensor model (e.g., Parallax Ping, HC-SR04, etc.) and how you plan to connect it in ARC - via an EZ-B (or other microcontroller running Synthiam firmware) or directly to the PC - and which pad/side you would be desoldering (power, ground, or signal).


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#2  

Yes - that sensor can usually be rewired, but the best method depends on which connection you want to move.

For the EZ-Robot ultrasonic sensor

That sensor is typically a 3-wire ultrasonic module with:

  • Power
  • Ground
  • Signal (trigger/echo style depending on the setup)

If you want to desolder one side and solder wires in its place, that is generally possible as long as you keep the connections solid and short enough to avoid noise/intermittent readings.

Important notes

  • Power and ground should be wired carefully and with decent solder joints.
  • The signal line is the most common one people extend.
  • If your goal is just to relocate the sensor, soldering wires to the PCB pads and mounting the sensor remotely is fine.
  • If the pad is a through-hole joint, desoldering and reattaching wire is usually easier than removing a surface pad.

In ARC

You’ll still use it normally through the Ultrasonic Distance skill:

  • Add the skill from Project > Add Robot Skill
  • Open the skill’s kebab menu and configure:
    • Board Index
    • Trigger port
    • Echo port
      • For a 3-wire sensor, trigger and echo are typically the same digital port

Skill info here:

My recommendation

If you only need extra length, use light-gauge flexible wire and keep the run as short as practical. Ultrasonic sensors can get noisy with long wiring, especially if power isn’t stable.

If you want, I can help you identify which of the 3 wires on that EZ-Robot sensor is power/ground/signal and show you the exact ARC wiring setup for it.

I am a customer support AI and still learning. Please verify important answers in our support documentation. For advanced AI features, use the AI Script Agent built into ARC.
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Belgium
Thingiverse
#3  

@athena

what i mean is , can i desolder this grey round part of the board and reconnect with a wire outside the board ?

ping.jpg

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#4  

Yes - you can usually extend that gray ultrasonic transducer off the board with wires, but there are a few important caveats.

What I see in your photo

That gray round part appears to be one of the ultrasonic transducers on the sensor board. On many ultrasonic modules, those transducers are soldered directly to the PCB, and the board uses them as the sound emitter/receiver.

Can it be desoldered and moved?

Technically yes, if:

  • you can remove it without lifting the pads/traces
  • you keep the wires short
  • you reconnect the same two legs/pads correctly
  • the replacement wiring doesn’t add too much electrical noise or capacitance

But here’s the practical warning

Ultrasonic transducers are part of a matched acoustic/electrical setup. Moving them off-board can make the sensor:

  • less reliable
  • read farther/closer inconsistently
  • become more sensitive to noise
  • stop working entirely if the wiring gets too long

So while it can work, it’s not as safe as extending a normal power/signal wire.

Best practice

If your goal is just to mount the sensor farther away:

  • keep the transducers on the board if possible
  • instead extend the whole sensor board with a small cable
  • or extend only the board’s normal connection wires to ARC/EZB

If you still want to do it

Use:

  • thin, flexible wire
  • very short runs between the board and the transducer
  • careful polarity/orientation matching of the two pads
  • hot glue or strain relief after soldering

In ARC

If the sensor still functions after the mod, ARC will treat it the same way through the Ultrasonic Distance skill: https://synthiam.com/Support/Skills/Ultrasonic/Ultrasonic-Distance?id=16090

If you’re using it for obstacle avoidance, you may also want Ultrasonic Radar: https://synthiam.com/Support/Skills/Ultrasonic/Ultrasonic-Radar?id=16101

My honest recommendation

If you haven’t tried yet, I’d recommend extending the mounting position of the whole sensor board instead of separating the gray transducer from it. That gives you the best chance of reliable readings.

If you want, I can mark up your photo and point out which part is safest to extend and which pads likely belong to the transducer.

I am a customer support AI and still learning. Please verify important answers in our support documentation. For advanced AI features, use the AI Script Agent built into ARC.
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Thingiverse
#5  

@athena

yes mark up my photo "If you want, I can mark up your photo and point out which part is safest to extend and which pads likely belong to the transducer."

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#6  

I can help, but I need one more clear close-up to mark it accurately.

What I need

Please upload:

  • a straight-on close-up of the board
  • both sides if possible
  • a photo where I can clearly read the silkscreen labels or see the solder pads

Why

From the current image, I can tell it’s the ultrasonic transducer area, but I can’t confidently identify the exact pads or trace paths well enough to mark them without risking giving you the wrong spot.

What I’ll mark for you

Once you send a sharper close-up, I can point out:

  • the transducer legs/pads
  • the safest place to extend with wire
  • where not to cut or desolder
  • whether it’s better to move:
    • just the transducer, or
    • the whole sensor board

Quick rule for now

If your goal is a reliable ARC setup, it’s usually safer to extend the board connection wires than to move the ultrasonic can/transducer itself.

Upload the close-up and I’ll annotate it from there.

I am a customer support AI and still learning. Please verify important answers in our support documentation. For advanced AI features, use the AI Script Agent built into ARC.
#7  

As Athena recommends, don’t modify the board by moving the transducer. An expert could do that, but 99.9% chance anyone else will damage the board and it’ll be non-functional.

I’m short, there’s a higher chance that you will damage the board.

Also remember the transducer will need to be absolutely perfectly mounted forward to receive or transmit the audio. Athena can explain more about how the sensor works so you know what kind of damage you will be doing when altering the sensor.

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PRO
Belgium
Thingiverse
#8  

synthiam support

thank you .