TriplePlay Connect Teardown

[kevorkian]

Had to take a look!









Overall size is slightly smaller than a humbucker which is really great.

[kevorkian]

Looks like a good candidate for hacking an internal install with an added more robust Type B usb output. I wonder if it would be possible to rig up two buttons and a volume control in a strat pickquard?

I'm wondering the same - I'm not familiar with what it would take to hand solder SMD contacts but hopefully the collective wisdom on this board can enlighten me there.

I'm very interested in the 8-point, "P3" and "P4" connectors - I'm hoping they could work identically to the secondary pickup input on the OEM TriplePlay kit.

[admin]

Looks like a good candidate for hacking an internal install with an added more robust Type B usb output. I wonder if it would be possible to rig up two buttons and a volume control in a strat pickquard?

It can be easily done!

rather impressive when you consider it replaced this
https://edinburghhacklab.com/2015/03/axon-ax-100-repair-pt1/

[gearhound22]

Thanks so much for doing this!

I plan on getting one!

I wonder if the P3/4 could be used to parallel off to a GK3 etc

[admin]

I wonder if the P3/4 could be used to parallel off to a GK3 etc

SHOULD BE CAPABLE

Read: VADE's - Synth and midi build questions.

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=10117.msg164132#msg164132

[gearhound22]

SHOULD BE CAPABLE

Re: VADE's - Synth and midi build questions.
« Reply #216 on: January 25, 2018, 10:28:03 AM »
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=10117.msg164132#msg164132

Wonder if it would matter much if I used the roland gk pickup instead of the fishman? Its lower profile.....
iirc on the internal fishman kits the 8 pin connector was reversed as well?

p3 looks most likely the same point (8 pins)

[admin]

Wonder if it would matter much if I used the roland gk pickup instead of the fishman? Its lower profile.....
iirc on the internal fishman kits the 8 pin connector was reversed as well?

p3 looks most likely the same point (8 pins)

Identical 8 pin header pinout

slightly different sensitivity - but GK-3 PU will work

and vice versa  - I prefer the Fishman Tripleplay PU in my Fender Tripleplay Strat

http://www.guitarsite.com/news/electric_guitar/fender-fishman-tripleplay-stratocaster-hss/

Read: VADE's - Synth and midi build questions.

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=10117.msg164132#msg164132

[gumbo]

...the Pickup Y-Cable plans are still in my filing cabinet.....   

..I feel another diversion coming on...   

[gearhound22]

Identical 8 pin header pinout

slightly different sensitivity - but GK-3 PU will work

and vice versa  - I prefer the Fishman Tripleplay PU in my Fender Tripleplay Strat

http://www.guitarsite.com/news/electric_guitar/fender-fishman-tripleplay-stratocaster-hss/

Read: VADE's - Synth and midi build questions.

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=10117.msg164132#msg164132

Yeah that fishman pickup is nice.... low profile like the gk (even more!)

The FTP regular is kinda goofy... I might flip it if it does go on! 😂

[bradlake]

Does anyone know if the capability of proper MONO mode with full pitch bend control, is hidden in the hardware, I have been unable to access it on Mac Mojave using TP EW or Kontakt presets ..is it planned for the future , or is this a no go....?

[Mrchevy]

Out for less than 2 weeks and you guys are already taking it apart and planning hacks. I love this forum!

[gearhound22]

Out for less than 2 weeks and you guys are already taking it apart and planning hacks. I love this forum!

THis place is awesome for DIY!!!!

I had the same plans

[kevorkian]

Does anyone know if the capability of proper MONO mode with full pitch bend control, is hidden in the hardware, I have been unable to access it on Mac Mojave using TP EW or Kontakt presets ..is it planned for the future , or is this a no go....?

I've been working on figuring this out as well.

So far what I've determined on iOS is that TriplePlay Connect sends each string on individual channels (Mono mode) to other iOS apps by default with the app running in the background, however there is no setting in the app that I can find that specifies Mono Mode and allows you to save it to a patch for standalone use.

The FC-1 can be configured to allow you to toggle Mono mode on or off using the desktop app, but I have been unable to connect the FC-1 to the iOS app using the USB to lightening cable - it's not being recognized.  I had to re-order a usb camera connection adapter for my iPad and I'm hoping that the behavior is somehow different when connecting via USB.

I'm wondering if they relegated mono mode settings to the desktop TriplePlay app...

EDIT:
I also need to try sending MIDI CC's directly to the Connect to set it to Mono mode. The original TP responds to them so the Connect should as well. 

[kevorkian]

Does anyone know if the capability of proper MONO mode with full pitch bend control, is hidden in the hardware, I have been unable to access it on Mac Mojave using TP EW or Kontakt presets ..is it planned for the future , or is this a no go....?

I figured out how to get the Connect into Mono mode:

Poly = Bank #0
Mono = "Bank #1

So, to enable Mono mode you just need to send a bank change specifying bank #1 to  the "TP Guitar" MIDI Output.

Simple enough to do, but harder to discover than it should have been (Thankfully the FC-1 displays the MIDI mode clearly as you scroll through the presets).

Fishman would do well to share some additional documentation about these features.

[kevorkian]

I ordered a 2nd Connect, some 13-pin jacks and some of the breakout boards that kdeterra offers on Amazon here:

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=26207.msg191395#msg191395

I'm going to see if the P4 connectors on the Connect circuitboard map to a GK-13 pin output.

[admin]

I ordered a 2nd Connect, some 13-pin jacks and some of the breakout boards that kdeterra offers on Amazon here:

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=26207.msg191395#msg191395

I'm going to see if the P4 connectors on the Connect circuitboard map to a GK-13 pin output.

These GK 13 pass through PC Boards will NOT work directly with any version of Tripleplay - will require many mods.

the only common connector pinout among Fishman Tripleplay and Roland is the 8 pin divided magnetic PU connector




Vade has a blog where he has utilized one magnetic divided PU to feed both Fishman Tripleplay DSP board and Internal GK-KIT-GT-3 board here:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=10117.msg123752#msg123752
   

A new adventure begins!

I picked up a Fender FTP Strat with an eye to adding an internal GK-3. When I'm done the idea is to have Roland 13 pin capabilities for guitar modeling, alt tunings, and synths using my Boss GP-10. The FTP is already built into the guitar which will give me access to fast wireless midi for triggering synths from the PC built into my pedal board. The advantage of this build, besides the function you gain, is that there will be no equipment on the guitar such as you have with the external FTP and GK-3 units. This will be my first serious guitar modification and so help and suggestions are more than welcome!

I included some information about the internal GK-3 kit as well.

Fender Fishman TriplePlay Stratocaster HSS Specifications

•   Body Material: Alder
•   Body Finish: Gloss Polyester
•   Body Shape: Stratocaster
•   Neck Material: Maple
•   Neck Finish: Gloss Urethane
•   Scale Length: 25.5 inches (64.8 cm)
•   Fingerboard: Rosewood
•   Fingerboard Radius: 9.5 inches (241 mm)
•   Frets: 22
•   Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
•   String Nut: Synthetic Bone
•   Nut Width: 1.650 inch (42 mm)
•   Position Inlays: White Dot
•   Bridge Pickup: Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Humbucker
•   Middle Pickup: Vintage Noiseless Single-Coil Strat
•   Neck Pickup: Vintage Noiseless Single-Coil Strat
•   Controls: Master Volume, MIDI Volume, Headphone Volume, TriplePlay Dpad Control on Pickguard, TriplePlay Module  Controls (Power, Sync, Charging Port) on Backplate
•   Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Pos 2. Inside Coil Bridge Pickup/Middle Pickup, Pos 3. Middle Pickup, Pos 4. Middle Pickup/Outside Coil Neck Pickup, Pos 5. Neck Pickup
•   Special Electronics: Fishman Hex Pickup, Fishman TriplePlay Wireless MIDI Module, Fender USB Module
•   Bridge: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
•   Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
•   Tuning Machines: Standard Cast/Sealed
•   Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment
•   Control Knobs: White Plastic
•   Included Accessories: Software Loaded Fender USB Drive, Mini-B to USB Type A Cable, Fishman USB Transceiver, Power   Supply/Charger and Micro-USB Cable


More information available on these threads.

1. 13 Pin to FTP adapter

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=8413.0

N.B. Per Elantric post #49 "Fishman hex PU employs identical 8 pin connector and wiring pinout as a stock Roland GK-3 PU. In other words - if you own a guitar that already has a GK-3 hex PU installed - you can easily swap the GK-3 "wart" for the FTP "wart"."

1.a. Fender Fishman Tripleplay Strat - install an internal GK Kit

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=15974.0

1.b. Roland Internal GK-Kit-GT3 @ Andertons UK - (75 British pounds) or $135.03

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=11241.0

1.c. Gumbo connectors

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=8888.0

1.d. Install Internal GK-3

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=133.0

1.e. Details of 8 pin connector used by both FTP and GK-3.

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=9094.0

1.f. GK-3 Schematics

From post #20 "DA1 to DA8 are diode arrays which prevents the output exceeding the supply rails and damaging the op-amp chips from transients and electrostatic discharge"

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=73.msg3281#msg3281

1.g. "You could install the GK Internal - but make a subtle but important change  - that is adding a 1/4" Switching jack for the Normal pickups output. With the standard GK-3 Install, the three way Guitar/mix/Synth switch slightly alters the sound of your normal pickups - due to impedance loading of the GK Circuit. Adding a switching 1/4" Output jack that removes the GK circuit from the Normal Guitar output anytime a 1/4" guitar cable in inserted is a good thing. This is exactly what the Fender Roland Ready and GC-1 Strats do as well. They actually use the same SwitchCraft Style Jack used on a 1967 Fender Twin Reverb Input Jack.
Switchcraft L12A 1/4" Mono 2-Conductor Jack, Tip Shunt, Long Bushing
But the big downer for me is that getting the three way "Guitar/Mix/Synth" switch to actually work is a daunting frustrating experience. Its not automatic, due to the fact that after the 2001 VG-88, Roland  13 pin processors Factory presets are all missing the important programing to make this function work.

We have several threads that talk about this - its related to the GK Volume as a Control Assignment for non Volume duties, this clobbers the Three way "Guitar/Mix/Synth " switch operation.

Roland should have addressed this years ago, but instead they felt a need to maintain a flawed "standard" that was fully compatible with the old GK-2A.
I know many here never use "Normal Pickups"  - I'm NOT in that camp, as I always view the Synth Tones are there to augment my Guitar sound- not replace it.

Show me the best COSM Modeled Guitar sound with a VG-99 / GR-55. and in 15 seconds I'll show you a few sounds it can Not duplicate that my Normal Pickups faithfully deliver. Its mostly Palm Muting styles."

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=7699.0

[gumbo]

....and even though the 8-pin connector is SIMILARLY set-out in terms of content and pitch, the ACTUAL connector used on the TriplePlay is NOT a JST branded one and utilises slightly different locating 'tabs' on the body..
...the Roland-type JST connector has to have its locating tabs 'trimmed' in order to fit into the TP header..

....Another thing that Vade & I discovered when playing about with all this..
HTH
Peter

[gearhound22]

you guys are truly animals and as sick as me when it comes to mods and stuff hahahah 

I can't wait to mod mine when it arrives!!!

[kevorkian]

Vade's FTP/GK-KIT mod thread is absolutely a bible of a thread - so much so that I ordered some of Gumbo's lovely connectors and successfully modded 2 of my own instruments in a similar way.

Seems to me that just discovering that a mult of the hex pickup input signal appears at these connectors would be a handy way to pass the hex pickup signal along to a GK Kit. 

So, I defer to the collective wisdom of this board....

What do we think these could be? Should I test these connections? How should I best test these?

[admin]

Vade's FTP/GK-KIT mod thread is absolutely a bible of a thread - so much so that I ordered some of Gumbo's lovely connectors and successfully modded 2 of my own instruments in a similar way.

Seems to me that just discovering that a mult of the hex pickup input signal appears at these connectors would be a handy way to pass the hex pickup signal along to a GK Kit. 

So, I defer to the collective wisdom of this board....

What do we think these could be? Should I test these connections? How should I best test these?

Gumbo makes an 8 pin "Y" cable - to allows one divided Mag Hex PU to feed the 8 pin Hex PU Input connectors on  Tripleplay DSP and GK-KIT-GT3


FTP - DIY adapter to use GK 13 Pin Guitars with Tripleplay
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=8413.msg179878#msg179878

Vade has a Fishman Tripleplay Strat with the fender Tripleplay Mag hex PU ( its similar to a Roland GK pickup on a roland ready strat but a flatter radius  -

This OEM FTP mag hex PU feeds a custom Gumbo 8 pin "y" splitter ribbon cable
-  one end of Gumbo's Y Splitter feeds the stock FTP DSP Board,

- other end of Gumbo's Y Splitter feeds a Roland Gk-KIT-GT3 internal Gk 13 preamp board with Gumbo GK 13 Output jack

(that type setup could also be incorporated into the Godin Session Tripleplay )  - or your guitar with a stock FTP setup

[kevorkian]

Gumbo makes an 8 pin "Y" cable - to allows one divided Mag Hex PU to feed the 8 pin Hex PU Input connectors on  Tripleplay DSP and GK-KIT-GT3

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=8413.msg179878#msg179878

Speaking from my past communications with Vade and Gumbo - I believe their original plan was to use a splitter, however in the end, they used a jumper from the FTP internal circuitboard to the hex input on the GK-kit - made possible because the FTP Hex pickup is actually soldered onto the OEM kit board and there also happens to be an open 8-pin connector available.

I purchased the same jumper from Gumbo to connect my OEM FTP circuitboard to the GK-kit and it worked a charm.

The Tripleplay Connect uses an 8-pin connector for the hex PU and if P3 or P4 could send signal to the GK-kit then we would essentially be recreating the same FTP+GK connection flow.

[admin]

made possible because the FTP Hex pickup is actually soldered onto the OEM kit board and there also happens to be an open 8-pin connector available.

Mag hex Pickup is directly soldered on the Tripleplay OEM Internal DSP board Only!



The normal Tripleplay Wireless DSP Board has a detachable PU using the 8 pin Header



Sources for 1.5mm & 2mm multipin header connectors
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=9094.0

[Nuchaz]

Vade's FTP/GK-KIT mod thread is absolutely a bible of a thread - so much so that I ordered some of Gumbo's lovely connectors and successfully modded 2 of my own instruments in a similar way.

Seems to me that just discovering that a mult of the hex pickup input signal appears at these connectors would be a handy way to pass the hex pickup signal along to a GK Kit. 

So, I defer to the collective wisdom of this board....

What do we think these could be? Should I test these connections? How should I best test these?

I took my tripleplay connect apart and was looking it over and that seems to be a programming header. I'm not sure what all is connected, but 4 or 5 of those pins are the JTAG connection to the primary DSP, which is an analog devices ADSP-BF592 ( https://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/data-sheets/ADSP-BF592.pdf ). Someone who knows more about JTAG than I do might be able to do a firmware dump through that which might be pretty interesting.

[gearhound22]

Mines on the way!!!

[Phorton]

Great work by everyone here!  I , better late than never, need to order one of these immediately for experimentation. I have two of the wireless ones (a coil on one pickup went bad) but have hesitated to get the wired one. If it can be hacked (read: completely utilized apart from proscribed software) then I think I might actually prefer the reliability of a wired connection.

I'll need to revisit this thread thereafter, very attentively, before I might have anything to add to the conversation, but I wanted to thank you all, esp. Kevorkian, for putting this stuff up.