News:

Available now!.. "Down the Rhodes: The Fender Rhodes Story" (book & documentary) More...

Main Menu

Clavinet DUO Stereo Out 5 pin DIN Usage

Started by johnmarksherlock, October 24, 2021, 03:47:46 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

johnmarksherlock

I have finally decided to see if I could make use of the 5 pin DIN stereo out of my Clavinet DUO. I have a cable that splits off into two xlr cables wired like this: XLR1: Clavinet outs to pins 1 and 3, pin 2 common. XLR2: Pianet outs to pins 1 and 3, pin 2 common. I get no sound in this configuration.
When testing, I could get a sound by joining pins 1 and 3 to a TR cable with the common as normal. This seems to defeat the purpose if the purpose is to send balanced signals to a recording setting.
Does anyone have any experience getting this to work?
Circled the spot I in the schematic...

Thanks!

Rhodes EightyEight 1980
Fender Rhodes SeventyThree 1967 "Sparkletop"
FR 73 1969 transitional
Wurlitzer 206 and 200 "Forest Green"
Hohner Clavinets DUO and D6
Hohner Pianets N, Combo, T
Hohner Cembalet
Hammond A100
Hammond Solovox, S6
Mustel Celesta
Maestro 612p

Tim W

That 5 pin DIN output is not balanced. 

Pin 2 is Common/Ground.
Pins 1 and 3 are shorted together, and are the signal for the Pianet.
Pins 4 and 5 are shorted together, and are the signal for the Clav.

If you send the Duo's DIN 1 and 3 (or 4 and 5)  to an XLR's  + and - (pins 2 and 3), and Duo DIN 2 to XLR pin 1, a true XLR balanced input will subtract pin 3 from 2, hence the signal from itself, and you will end up with nothing.

So other than convenience or compatibility with older European stereo equipment,
the 5 pin DIN is no better than 2 separate 1/4" unbalanced instrument cables hooked to the separate Pianet and Clavinet outputs.

johnmarksherlock

Hi Tim,

Thanks very much for your response. From looking at the schematic and fooling around with the thing for a while this afternoon after I made the post I sort of began to figure that same conclusion out... But I couldn't believe that they would actually do that... I guess there's nothing really to do with this except one could make stereo pairs from each output FWIW.

It's a real shame that this wasn't a balanced out which would help so much with the typical Clavinet racket .

Really, thanks again for responding.

John
Rhodes EightyEight 1980
Fender Rhodes SeventyThree 1967 "Sparkletop"
FR 73 1969 transitional
Wurlitzer 206 and 200 "Forest Green"
Hohner Clavinets DUO and D6
Hohner Pianets N, Combo, T
Hohner Cembalet
Hammond A100
Hammond Solovox, S6
Mustel Celesta
Maestro 612p