Author Topic: Wiring help (Read 287 times)

radio_silence · « **on:** February 27, 2005, 08:41:45 PM »

Hi All:
I need a little help with the wiring of some older series electronics. I bought the unit (pickups, pots, PC board, all switches and jacks) about 3 months ago and am now just getting around to installing it. I have a brown wire and a gray wire coming from the pick up slector switch and have no idea where they need to go and I also have a brown wire coming from the ribbon of the 14 pin connector that needs to find a home. Any help or pictures of where these wires need to be soldered would be greatly appreciated. My stereo 1/4 jack is a little shakey too... If anyone has one or knows where I can get one let me know.

Thanks,
Mike

David Houck · « **Reply #1 on:** March 02, 2005, 05:51:51 AM »

Hi Mike;

I'm looking at my S1 and I have a brown wire in the ribbon (on mine it's the brown wire next to the black wire) that doesn't go anywhere; it's just cut off clean. I guess it's just an extra unused wire.

On my bass, the gray wire coming from the pick up selector switch goes to the center pole of the neck volume pot. And the brown wire goes to the center pole of the bridge volume pot.

David Houck · « **Reply #2 on:** March 02, 2005, 06:16:07 AM »

I believe you can order a new jack from Alembic.

radio_silence · « **Reply #3 on:** March 02, 2005, 07:58:56 AM »

Hi Dave:

Hey...These are your old electronics! I'm finally getting the opportunity to get everything mounted. I hope to have it all put together in the next week or two. Maybe you can help me with another question. Between one of the sets of volume/tone pots is like a dual resistor set. While I was installing the pots they borke off of where ever they were soldered to. By looking things over it looked like the 2 resistor set came off of the 2 end solder lugs of each pot. See the pic below. Maybe you can tell me If I have soldered them back in the correct location.The shaft of the screwdriver is pointing to the two components in question.

Thanks again for the electronics and the help!

Mike

mica · « **Reply #4 on:** March 02, 2005, 06:32:14 PM »

Check the surviving single/dual control connections for a reference - they are identical.

Looks like you should check here:

mica · « **Reply #5 on:** March 02, 2005, 06:41:13 PM »

You can get replacement jacks from us - call 707.523.2611 to order (M-F 10-4 pacific time).

Also, make sure you get the shielding up the sides and over the lip of your control cavity. Looks like there's none on the lip now (but I may only think I'm looking at the lip). If the backplate isn't conductive, make sure the inside is shielded.

radio_silence · « **Reply #6 on:** March 04, 2005, 05:59:44 PM »

Hi Mica:
Thanks for the info. Why would I have another resistor in the path for the neck pickup? You mention they sould be identical. Should I remove the brown one? I think my 1/4 input jack is toast. I can only get a signal from one pick up. I am using a stereo cable with a stereo jack on the guitar side and a mono jack on the amp side combining the two hot leads. Seems to work good for my bass but not the guitar.

Thanks again comments and help always welcome,

Mike

radio_silence · « **Reply #7 on:** March 06, 2005, 11:31:35 AM »

Hi All:
OK, I've done a little more work and can explain the problem a little clearer (I think). I am using a 1/4 cable that has a stereo jack on the guitar side and a mono jack onthe amp side the two hot leads are soldered together on the mono side to combine the stereo signal. This cable works fine for my bass. The guitars pickups, switches and pots all seem to be working. However, they only work when the pickup selector switch is in the both on position. When I back off the volume on one of the volume pots the other pickup becomes dominate. If I back the volume all the way down both pickups turn off. When I turn the pickup selector switch to either single pickup on position on I get nothing. If any body has a color code drawing of where everything is routed (for the non electronic capable) I would really appreciate it.

HELP!

and Thanks,
Mike

dela217 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 07, 2005, 05:03:54 PM »

Does the bass and guitar have the same exact electronics? Earlier series instruments used a stereo jack, and later ones a mono jack. Could this be the problem here? I know that to use a stereo that you are describing with an earlier series instrument, there must be a resistor in the cable. Sorry, I don't know the value off hand, but I have records of it somewhere. Could this be the problem? I guess you could check with a true stereo cable, one that the two outputs are independent like on a Y cable.

Michael

radio_silence · « **Reply #9 on:** March 08, 2005, 09:23:16 PM »

Hi All:

Michael, thanks for the input but it is a stereo jack, just like the bass, do I don't think that is the issue... but thanks for the suggestion.

Upon furher investigation, I noticed that I am getting signal from either pickup when the selector switch is in either the neck or bridge position. However the signal is really really faint. I didn't notice it before, but I had the volume on my mixer cranked up a bit while doing some testing and finally noticed it. Volume is good when the selector switch is in the both on position but when in either bridge or neck are selected, I get very little output form the guitar.

HELP!

radio_silence · « **Reply #10 on:** March 10, 2005, 06:11:53 PM »

mica · « **Reply #11 on:** March 10, 2005, 06:45:44 PM »

The brown part is a capacitor, and it is added during manufacture for timming. The resistors are the same in each channel.

If the older electronics you're working with are older than 1987, the 1/4 jack is likely a stereo jack. To confirm if it's working properly, you can insert stereo headphones in the jack and see if you get one pickup in each ear.

I think the cable may be the problem, which is why I ask you to check the jack with headphones. You didn't mention what the electronics in your bass are, so I can't tell if the cable working properly for them is an indication that it should work with your Alembic electronics.

You will need to modify the cable. Inside the stereo plug on the cable, you will need to add two 20K (or 10K or 22K if handier) mixing resistors. Connect one resistor to the tip, one to the ring, and join them together. Then connect that to the center wire of the cable.

You can also use the 5-pin output for stereo and rewire the 1/4 to a dedicated mono output.

radio_silence · « **Reply #12 on:** March 11, 2005, 07:54:24 PM »

Thank you Mica!
I did the head phones test and I am getting a good signal from both pickups. So the cable is the issue. Can you give me a brief description on how to make the 5 pin to 1/4 mono cable. Pin configuration would also help.

Thanks, Mike

mica · « **Reply #13 on:** March 12, 2005, 06:26:13 PM »

To go from 5-pin to 1/4 you'd need to use a DS-5 or DS-5R power supply. If you use the 5-pin cable on the bass, the batteries will not turn on.

To use the batteries and the 1/4 output, you need a stereo cable like the one I described in my previous post. Or, you can rewire the 1/4 jack to be a dedicated mono jack so a regular guitar cable will work or you can even install a stereo/mono switch to have either mode available.

Right now with your stereo jack, if you use a regular mono guitar cable, you'll only hear one pickup.