It is possible to connect the Z-Pi 7 through a USB port using a Serial to USB adapter. Only 4 pins are required to connect and control the Z-Wave Chip on Z-Pi 7. Utilizing a USB serial adapter will allow your Z-Pi 7 to connect to a USB port on your PC and utilize it like any other general series 700 Z-Wave USB Adapter.
This guide will provide you with links to the required tools and the steps you need to take to connect your Z-Pi 7 to your PC.
Pins you need from Z-Pi 7:
Out of all 10 pins, you only need 4 of the pins.
- #1 - 3.3VDC
- #9 - GND
- #8 - GPIO14 (TX)
- #10 - GPIO15 (RX)
Only 3.3VDC is needed to power the Z-Wave chip internally, and RX/TX to allow serial communication.
Required tools to convert Z-Pi 7 to USB Serial connection:
There are many other available tools that you can use, but these are the tools available online used in the creation of this guide. There are other USB to TTL Serial Adapters available that you can choose to use another which you should still be able to follow along with this guide to give you some understanding on how you can connect Z-Pi 7 to the serial adapter.
Below are the USB to TTL Serial Adapter and the Jumper cable bundles found from Amazon that have been used and tested in the creation of this article.
- USB to TTL Serial Adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BBPX8B8
- 4x Female to Male jumper wires: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X7MKHN (you won't really be able to buy these wires online without bulk purchasing a bunch, if you have a nearby electronic store, i would recommend checking at your local electronics shop).
The diagram to connect Z-Pi 7 to the Serial to USB adapter:
PIN 1 = 3.3VDC (VCC)
PIN 9 = GND
PIN 8 = GPIO (TXD)
PIN 10 = GPIO (RXD)
Warning - Make sure that everything is properly wired before you plug it into your PC, wrongful wiring can destroy your Z-Pi 7 and void the warranty of your unit.
Once you finish wiring and ensuring that everything is connected properly, plug it into your PC, it will operate exactly as a Z-Stick 7 will allowing you to use PC Controller 5 through Windows or any other compatible software to Series 700 Z-Wave USB Adapters.
Compared to connecting Z-Pi 7 to an RPi4, when wired this way, only a single LED will light up. (On an RPi connection, 2 LEDs light up).