vinorange Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Hello out there. I’ve got a bass with a Kent Armstrong soap bar pick up with white, green, black, red and shielding in its loom. I bought a KSBT 2 band preamp prewired with bass and treble pots so all I have to do is add a volume, battery clip and stereo output. Thing is it came with no wiring instructions so here’s hoping someone out there has used one and knows how to wire in one of the KA soap bar pickups. The wires on the preamp are input, ground, switch (which I don’t need), output, +9v. Sounds easy but I’m bamboozled..... Help please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 (edited) If you need to find out the pickup cables, take a DMM and a screw driver. - choose two cables from the pick up with the DMM (ohms), so that you get some reasonable number (5 kohms or so) - put the DMM to VDC and click the pickup coils/poles with the screw driver - cables are in phase, if the DMM starts with positive voltage (and + is the live wire of the coil) - write down the cable colors and which coil they belong to - repeat until all wires are clear - you probably want to connect the coils to form a humbucker - solder the live wire (+) to the preamp in - solder the ground wire together with the other grounds and the shielding I think that the next steps should be pretty clear from now on. Enjoy. Edited July 11, 2019 by itu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 34 minutes ago, itu said: If you need to find out the pickup cables, take a DMM and a screw driver. - choose two cables from the pick up with the DMM (ohms), so that you get some reasonable number (5 kohms or so) - put the DMM to VDC and click the pickup coils/poles with the screw driver - cables are in phase, if the DMM starts with positive voltage (and + is the live wire of the coil) - write down the cable colors and which coil they belong to - repeat until all wires are clear - you probably want to connect the coils to form a humbucker - solder the live wire (+) to the preamp in - solder the ground wire together with the other grounds and the shielding I think that the next steps should be pretty clear from now on. Enjoy. Thanks for that. Could I use a DPDT switch to use the humbucking capability so I can have parallel / series switching? I’m starting to understand but I have to draw it at least 5 times before I get it.....and I know - all I’m doing is connecting a TRS jack, a battery clip and a volume control. It’s pathetic but my brain starts to go fuzzy..... Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 https://www.slideshare.net/finzic/series-parallel-wiring-diagram-for-4conductor-humbucker-pickups For example bartolini has decent schemas of how to connect all wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 13 minutes ago, itu said: https://www.slideshare.net/finzic/series-parallel-wiring-diagram-for-4conductor-humbucker-pickups For example bartolini has decent schemas of how to connect all wires. My head hurts now. I maybe need to keep it simple.... Ive got different diagrams all confusing me now.....brain fuzz.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Think about the basic signal route, first: pickup - S/P switch - volume - tone capsule - output OR pickup - S/P switch - tone capsule - volume - output Then check the wires needed. Name each wire with tape. Separate power and signal. Should already look pretty simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Here is the complete schematics for new Kent Armstrong pickups : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 And the schematics for the new Kent Armstrong 2 or 3 bands preamps : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 Thanks for that. I’ve got those diagrams but combining the wiring for type 1 DPDT (figure 1a) with the 3rd diagram on the MM3 wiring is doing me in. Ive sketched out a diagram using a push pull volume pot as an active bypass but now trying to sketch out using it as a DPDT series / parallel switch is what has stumped me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 3 minutes ago, vinorange said: Thanks for that. I’ve got those diagrams but combining the wiring for type 1 DPDT (figure 1a) with the 3rd diagram on the MM3 wiring is doing me in. Ive sketched out a diagram using a push pull volume pot as an active bypass but now trying to sketch out using it as a DPDT series / parallel switch is what has stumped me..... Ok, quite easy, the output of your DPDT switch is now the output of your pickup in the 3rd MM3 diagram, the ground remaining the, urm, ground. As simple as that. And just get rid of volume 2 as you only use one pickup, if I read correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 23 minutes ago, Hellzero said: Ok, quite easy, the output of your DPDT switch is now the output of your pickup in the 3rd MM3 diagram, the ground remaining the, urm, ground. As simple as that. And just get rid of volume 2 as you only use one pickup, if I read correctly. Nope. That’s got me totally confused. The way the DPDT is used is totally different between the active / passive diagram (MM3 diagram 3) and the Kent diagram for using the DPDT as series / parallel switch. I must be nearly there but I just can’t fathom it. For instance I’ve lost the switch cable in my diagram and can’t decide between preamp in and out relating to the DPDT switch.😗😗😗 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 I’ve decided that I’d prefer the DPDT to use both coils as if they’re there I may as well use them so have abandoned my active / passive bypass use. That also means I’m stumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 Must stop using stumped - it’s coz the cricket is on..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Of course, the DPDT switches wirings are different, one is for active/passive switching, the other for series/split/parallel mode of the pickup... So can't be compared. Figure it this way : Pickup wires go to the first DPDT switch, then the live output goes to the volume and then the ouput of the volume goes to the second DPDT switch for active/passive modes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 This is what I have using the existing pull / push volume control as an active / passive bypass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 (edited) As for the DPDT as a series / parallel switch well it’s got me beaten..... Edited July 11, 2019 by vinorange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 PM replied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinorange Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 4 minutes ago, Hellzero said: PM replied. Thank you very much.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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