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GK-13 Reference Knowledge => GK-13 Interface Top things to know => Topic started by: stef626 on November 11, 2011, 07:34:38 PM

Title: GK-13 Cables - where to buy SHORT cable ?
Post by: stef626 on November 11, 2011, 07:34:38 PM
hi all :-)
i use a vg99 and gr 55 at the same time via gkp4 dispatch
i have an old 13 pin gk cable i use to connect gkp4 to the vg99 which is near , but this cable is a bit old and i would like to buy another one : do you know where i can buy one ?
this 13 pin cable is small , about 30 cms (11,8 inches) but i can't find it online (and don't rememebr where i bought it , it was a long time ago , maybe with the gkp4 !)
thanks for your help !
stef
Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: Elantric on November 12, 2011, 07:20:05 AM
Contact the Roland Customer Service in your country.
Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: stef626 on November 12, 2011, 02:59:12 PM
it s a joke ?roland customer service sucks (roland france benelux) i had to deal with them few time it was incredible how they don t care
Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: Elantric on November 12, 2011, 03:16:34 PM
Somehow Im not surprised

Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: stef626 on November 12, 2011, 03:31:03 PM
why ?
Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: Elantric on November 12, 2011, 04:14:09 PM
Because Roland service is rather bad here in the USA too.

That has been my experience. Its gotten much worse just this year.

Prior to 2011, I could order any repair manual i needed to keep my Roland gear up and running.

Today I can't. Instead Roland US Customer Service tells me to contact my local Radio Shack in MorroBay which ironically is actually my local Roland Authorized Service repair center. I would only step foot in there if I had lots of time and I was desperate for humor. I certainly would never let my Roland gear near one of those battery salesmen at Radio Shack as they attempted to repair  / resolder / a broken GR-55  / GK-3, as they try to sell me a new cell phone plan on commission.
   



 
Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: gumbo on November 12, 2011, 04:32:13 PM
stef626:

uneeksupply.com is currently selling 13-pin cables both off their website and also on eBay... I have bought a couple to evaluate, and they seem reasonable for the price....although the actual cable itself is a bit thinner than the 'real' Roland stuff...    all 13 pins are connected & there seems to be a half-decent shield...

While the cable they use appears to contain conductors with the correct-coloured insulation (at least as it was in some Roland cables) ...the eBay ones do NOT use the standard layout as per pin-to-colour code...   however since they do connect pin-for-pin at each end, it doesn't matter from a performance point of view.  You just have to rewire them (if you modify one of these cables) in the same way that they were put together... 8)

They have about three stock lengths available..one of these may suit you (even if it is longer than you actually require for the application)....    failing that, they can be shortened (or simply cut in half and have a couple of extra plugs attached...presto! ...you end up with two...  ;)

The plugs can be dismantled so you can resolder (I have posted somewhere here in the past as to how the plugs come apart)....     I also have a source for new 13-pin locking plugs if you need that information..


HTH


Gumbo

Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: stef626 on November 13, 2011, 12:55:22 PM
elantric : thanks for your answer : i had some experience with roland you would laughhow it's ridiculous how they don't care , it's a shame !

gumbo : thanks a lot ! i've seen on the website it's 13 pin cable for audio /car : maybe i've wrong, but i have seen on this forum these 13 pin cable weren't wired the same way as 13 pin cable for guitar synth device ?
anyway thanks !
Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: gumbo on November 14, 2011, 03:03:28 AM
Hi again stef626:

I know there have been many reports of sub-standard and incompatible cables....fully aware of that..

In fact uneeksupply wouldn't / couldn't answer MY questions about these cables when I asked them...I took a chance and bought a couple of their items on eBay  (listing # 110765015271)...  I can tell you that the cable has 13 conductors and a shield, and that all 13 pins are connected, like-for-like at each end...  although, as I said earlier, the coloured insulation code does NOT follow the Roland standard...right colours - wrong pins...

The lead (which has 'KEN MM30S' on a sticker on the bag it comes in) is obviously at some point directed at suitability for a Kenwood car changer cable, but in fact WILL transmit synth signals..

The plugs supplied with the lead are LOCKING (unlike many other 'Kenwood / Clarion' leads on the market) and closely resemble the original Roland ones with the exception that the plastic 'body' of the plug is about 1/2" shorter, and the locking 'pawl' is constructed as a part of the metal outer 'ring' of the plug, rather than a separate component.  It relies on spring tension of the metal itself to hold in position, rather than the 'balancing act' of the free-floating pawl in the Roland plugs.

The plugs also do NOT have the indented 'dimple' in the metal casing, in line with the locking pawl...which presumably would then more rely on the pawl itself to positively transmit conductivity of the screen connection from the plug to the jack, or vice-versa..

Apart from those points, these seem to be the closest, cheap alternatives at the moment...until someone comes up with a better one..  certainly cheap enough to experiment with if you're inclined to get in and chop things around...

As I mentioned earlier, uneeksupply basically don't want to answer questions...they just say that they're NOT the manufacturer..just the seller....

I took it one step further and attempted to contact "IMC Audio" who are listed as the manufacturer...so far they have managed to avoid replying to my emails...  perhaps someone a little closer to them (I am in Australia) will have more luck...   maybe a phone call will get a better response..  or maybe they don't give a $#%* either...


In my previous post, I stated that there was a source for locking plugs, and a couple of people have asked me about this...  over a year ago I found a business called NKC Electronics, based in FL, USA...they DO sell (although they do not appear to list them at the moment) locking plugs that are identical to the ones on the uneeksupply leads, EXCEPT theirs DO have that elusive 'dimple' AND the locking pawl IS free-floating....in fact the NKC ones are the closest I've found to the Roland originals...

For anyone contemplating mucking about with plugs, I would certainly recommend these...and NKC seem to be nice people to deal with as well..    ...they DO answer emails!!


Hope all this information is of use to someone...  happy to answer any further questions, if my personal experience can be of help..


Happy Hunting, Folks!!!    ;D
Title: Re: where to buy "small" gk cable ?
Post by: DeRigueur on November 17, 2011, 08:56:08 AM
fwiw, I just received a 13-pin GK cable from uneeksupply and it seems to work with no problems.
Title: Re: GK-13 Cables - where to buy SHORT cable ?
Post by: Elantric on April 08, 2015, 09:00:25 AM
Contact Codesmart for short GK13 cables
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=13234.0 (https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=13234.0)