Kinman K9 NoSoldering Harness User manual

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Install Guide for the ‘Kinman’ K9 NoSoldering Harness
for pickguard or rear rout control cavity Stratocasters.
5
th
December ’04. Rev-17 © Chris Kinman
CAUTION: Avoid using Lead solder on Lead Free products bearing this symbol
NOTE-1: Read this completely first before beginning the project.
NOTE-2: Hum and noise may still be present but goes away when you touch the strings because shielding is
not present or is not effectively connected to ground. Please refer to the Harness Diagnostics sheet on this
Webpage to diagnose and solve your noise/shielding issue.
NOTE-3: The lower pot labelled *Tone* is my Push/Push K9 control that when turned to ‘0’ connects the neck
pickup to whatever else is selected by the 5 position switch. This increases the available combinations of the
pickups from 5 to 7. (ie bridge + neck & all 3 together)
NOTE-4: With selector switch in position 2 and the Push/Push switch is popped out the Bridge and Middle are
connected in series. The neck pickup can be connected in Parallel with the rotary part of the control as in note
2. For full details view my “K9 selection chart” see Support >>Install info >Switching function chart.
NOTE-5: The middle pot is a Master Tone pot.
NOTE-6: The volume pot has a bypass filter fitted (see bottom photo). If you feel the sound is too bright when
the volume is rolled down the filter can be disconnected simply by cutting or de-soldering the wires that connect
from the series Cap/Resistor to the pot terminals.
NOTE 7: The little slide switch on the circuit board selects between two different tone capacitors. The left
position selects my High Definition Tone cap while the right position selects a regular (normal) tone cap, as
described in the harness section of My Products on www.kinman.com
NOTE-8: The knobs should be an easy slide fit on the Pot shafts. Open the split shaft with extreme care only if
the knob is loose. If excessive force is used one half of the split shaft will break off. Also if the knob fits too
tightly it will damage the switch when pulling the knob off. CAUTION: The knob on the push/push switch should
only be removed with the switch in the ‘OUT’ position. Damage caused by pulling the knob off the shaft with the
switch in the ‘IN’ position is not covered by warranty.
NOTE-9. Advanced feature: Occasionally a pot or control becomes noisy or fails in use so as of 15-August-06
the pots are ‘user replaceable’ without soldering. The controls connect to the circuit using miniature plugs and
sockets. Before re-assembling the guitar make sure all plugs are engaged in their sockets correctly by aligning
the coloured dots. On previous side mounted sockets the White wire of the plug attached to the volume pot
should be away from the pickguard.
Tools needed:
oSmallish/Medium X head screwdriver to remove and replace the pickguard mounting screws.
oSmall blade screwdriver to tighten the terminal block connections.
oRazor blade or other small sharp blade to cut plastic insulation on Black ground wire. If you have cloth
covered wires you don’t need to cut it, just push it back to expose bare wire. (see #2)
oUSA Models: ½” (or 13mm) tube spanner (or nut driver) to tighten the pots and jack socket.
oNon USA models: In addition to above you will need an 11mm tube spanner (or other nut driver) to
remove the original pots. The pot holes in the pickguard may have to be enlarged from 5/16” (8mm) to
3/8” (9.5mm) for the Kinman pots by using a 9mm (approximately) diameter round file or tapered
reamer;
CAUTION: do not drill as it is dangerous to enlarge existing holes in a pickguard using a power drill
because the drill will bite into the plastic and spin the pickguard causing personal injury.
1) Remove the strings and then the pickguard. Place the pickguard upside down adjacent to the guitar right
beside it, close enough so the output socket cable does not pull on it’s connections.
2) Cut or break the ground wire(s) (coming from the spring claw at the rear of the guitar -and/or- from the
central ground point, as the case may be) away from the casing of the volume pot by working the wire(s)
around and around at the solder point until it breaks. Then cut and strip or push the insulation back about
1/4” (6mm) so it or they are ready to insert into one of the ports of the screw terminal block mounted on the
cover of the NEW volume pot.
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Pb
Lead-Free
Tapered reamer
www.guitarpartsresource.com

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3) DO NOT disturb or loosen any screw and associated solder tab that are attached to the floor or
wall of any cavity. These provide a ‘ground’ for the conductive coating (Shielding) that is applied to the
cavities and doing so will render the Shielding ineffective. If this happens the noise level will be excessive,
and is difficult to fix.
4) Remove the Output socket from the recessed steel plate. Cut or break the output socket off the end of it’s
two wires by working the wires around and around at the solder points until they break.
5) NOTE: Try to keep the original wiring harness in tact as much as possible for possible resale.
6) De-mount the original pickups and controls from the pickguard and withdraw the wiring harness complete.
The pickguard and guitar should now have no remaining connections to the original pickup or controls.
You should now be ready for the Kinman install.
7) Unpack and remove the replacement pickups and wiring harness from the Red plastic shipping plate.
Pickguard models: Unplug and mount the pickup to the pickguard with exactly the same orientation as
received on the shipping plate using the Red silicone rubber tubes as springs around the screws. Use the
Kinman mounting screws.
Rear rout control cavity models: Unplug and mount the pickup into their body cavities using the Red
silicone rubber tubes as springs around the screws. Do not use the Kinman mounting screws and do not
pack foam under the pickups as this can cause severe damage. Poke the cables into the connecting
tunnel leading to the control cavity.
8) Then fit all the controls into the holes and spaces left by the original parts, as well as the output socket on
it’s recessed holder. If the Star washer has not been assembled to the socket it may be necessary to fit the
one supplied.
oNOTE: The Star washer should not be fitted on the outside underneath the nut, but only on the inside
between the recessed jack holder and the jack socket.
oMake sure the socket is tightened in the position where the *hot* leaf-spring terminal is centred on the
recessed jack holder, otherwise it might contact the wall of the cavity and cause a partial short via the
wood or shielding resulting is BAD sound. Also this makes the plug difficult to insert.
oOn some copy guitars it may be necessary to enlarge the cavity to avoid the short mentioned above.
oIf the pot holes are too small see *Tools needed >Non USA models* at top of page.
9) Check the pot bushings to ensure there are at least 2 thread ridges exposed above the pickguard. If too
little thread form is available for the nut it is advisable to remove one Star washer from the pot bushing to
allow sufficient grip by the fixing nut. But be aware that excessively exposed thread-form results in the skirt
of the knobs being too far from the pickguard.
Pickguard
Ideal:
2 exposed
thread ridges
4 Star washers
Threaded mounting
bush
Mounting the pots correctly. Diag #1
Fixing nut
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10) Lightly tighten the pot nuts, then adjust the rotational position of the pots and tighten the nuts firmly so the
terminal block’s are in line. See diagram #2. If they poke out they might cause a short circuit by contacting
any shielding on the cavity wall. Tighten firmly with a ½” (13mm) tube spanner (do not tighten excessively).
11) Mount the recessed jack plate and poke the cable through the connecting tunnel into the main control
cavity and screw the jack holder to the guitar. The two plugs on the cable should be piggy backed, one
inside the back of the other, as depicted in photo 1 below. This arrangement makes it easier to thread
them through the connecting tunnel.
Aligning the pots. Diag #2
Vol
Master Tone
Neck mix
Photo 1
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12) Undo the 3 screws to open the Connector Block ports and insert the two Plugs and ground wire(s) into
their respective screw terminals as shown in photo 2 below. The Red wire is plugged into the (left) terminal
furthest away from the pot body (same with Left hand harness). The Shield is plugged into the middle
terminal and the Black string grounding wire/s (from the spring claw at the back of the guitar –and/or- the
central ground point, as the case may be) into the remaining terminal (right). Tighten the screws firmly but
not too tightly.
NOTE: I do not advocate Star grounding as a necessity; in fact it can cause headaches. With that in mind
all shielding and ground wires (usually Black) should be somehow connected (either directly or indirectly)
to the right hand port of the Connector block. This included the control cavity shielding (if present), output
cavity shielding (if present), and the strings - direct from the bridge as in the case of hardtails or via the
spring claw on vibrato models. Since it is not recommended to insert many wires into the connector-block
ports all these items can be (and usually are already) connected together at another point and a single
wire leading from that point can be terminated into the right hand port of the connector-block. Failure to
ground any shielding will result in unwanted noise.
13) Insert the pickup plugs into their respective sockets. Red is bridge pickup and is the bottom plug. White is
the middle pickup in the middle and Blue is the neck pickup at the top. Make sure the ‘Hot’ pins goes into
the correct holes (the bottom one in the photo). Push the plugs all the way into the sockets. Arrange the
cables for neatness, as shown in photo 2 and fit the cable tie. The word HOT should be visible on the
outside. For added security apply a small section of adhesive tape over the plug and socket to prevent
unwanted dis-engagement.
14) Assemble the pickguard to body taking care not to cross thread the screws in the wood, and proceed to
restring and adjust the pickup heights.….. Please refer to >Support >Adjust & Set-up … for detailed info on
how to get the best out of your pickups and guitar. There is a wealth of information in this section of my
Website that will fascinate and delight you for many hours.
Pickup sockets and plugs. Ensure the Hot
pins are connected to correct side. The
word Hot on the plugs should be visible.
Slide switch to choose tone cap.
-Left pos is Hi-Definition
-Right pos is Normal
Hot pins
Black Ground wire from
spring claw (or Bridge)
and Shielding points if
present.
Shield
Red wire
Photo 2
End
I
n left hand Harness, the 3 connections in
this
Block are
the same
way.
DO NOT remove
or loosen in any
way these types
of screws fixed to
wood.