One of the most requested accessory for Powered Up is an adapter cable that works with the Power Functions components. We are still not sure if it will come officially, but actually it’s not that difficult to make your own – unfortunately you have to sacrifice some parts for it. In this video I show you what are the possibilities of a “dumb” converter cable, one that acts as a standard motor, the other acts as a train motor.
I did not provide details about the making of the cables in the video as I wanted to focus on the usage. Here are the resources I used to make them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtILLnzptcI
https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/169094-powered-up-to-power-functions-adapter/
Based on the tests the following Power Functions components were working with the simple cable:
- PF M motor
- PF L motor
- PF XL motor
- PF train motor
- PF light
- PF switch
- PF extension cable
The following components are not working:
- PF Servo motor
- PF IR receiver (works if we add an empty AA battery box but does not really make sense)
My conclusion about the adapter cables:
- A “dumb” converter cable can be useful if we would like to use Power Functions motors or lights with the Powered Up hub with speed control
- It can be especially useful to stack lights which is not possible currently with the Powered Up lights
- The Powered Up hub can detect Power Functions motors as a simple motor or as a train motor depending on the wiring
- The main issue with these simple cables is the lack of support for the Power Functions Servo motor. It will be possible however to use a mixed setup with the new Powered Up L motor acting as a servo and use Power Functions motors for other purposes