Thank you for the detailed presentation. I am doing something similar, although my organ already has midi capability. I am just trying to add a third keyboard. The part I missed is that I see you relaxed the power supply. Can you give me some advice on that? Thanks again!
Hi, I'm not sure what you mean by 'relaxed the power supply' but basically all I did was to use the original switch on the front of the console and wire it in line with the power cord to the 4 way socket I fixed in the back so that the front switch turns the power on and off to the 4 way block. Hope that helps and thanks for watching and commenting.
@@THNDRacket The encoder I use is powered by USB so I simply used a plug-in USB power supply. The Encoder only uses very little current so any USB power supply or charger would work.
You would need to add some sort of switch contacts to each key, pedal and stop. The usual ones are similar to those shown in this video series BUT they are not cheap! They are manufactured by Kimber Allen Ltd in the UK and are around £2.50 each for the Silver wire ones and £5.80 for the gold wire ones. Both these prices are plus tax and shipping. Then you require a metal 'wiper' fixed to each key in order to make them operate. These are an additional £1.00 each. These are trade only prices to organ builders - us regular guys pay more...! So, the best way to do what you want; well if you have plenty of money available for the project then use the KA contacts. Otherwise maybe get old keyboards or organs from auction sites and strip out the contacts to re-use. Once you have everything fitted with contacts of some sort you can just go ahead and do what I did in the videos to actually make the MIDI generation work. Hope that helps, and good luck with your project.... :-)
I have watched this presentation so many times I can almost see it in my sleep. I am considering an attempt to convert an organ here to Hauptwerk. The organ for the project is an Allen T-12A currently with the worst sound I have ever heard. Please advise if you think this is a do-able project and any hints of what to avoid. I would appreciate a response from anyone with knowledge of the Allen.
Hi Don, I don't know the exact model you mention but any organ can be converted this way so long as the keyboards have working contacts. Older organs, particularly those that have led a life in smoky or damp atmosphere often need the contacts cleaned before they will work successfully. That said if the thing works 'as is' then it should be just fine to convert. Also on the subject of key contacts - I see this model is from the mid 60's; some organs, notably Baldwin from the USA used a strange 'resistive rubber' substance which had a single gold wire pressed against it when a key is pressed. This type will NOT work with ANY modern midi encoder that uses a 5 volt scan system, I don't think yours has this type but just check before you strip it out. I do make a 'keyboard booster' that does work with this type but obvoiusly it adds cost and work if one is needed. What I DO know about Allen organs though is that they often have quite good amplifiers which can sometimes be re-used but not sure what would be in one of the 60's vintage. Anyway; I hope my ramblings make sense and are of some help. If you want any more info feel free to contact me directly through the website. Hauptwerk Hardware dot com. Cheers...
Really enjoyed this series. Thank you.
Thanks so much for this 👍
Thank you for the detailed presentation. I am doing something similar, although my organ already has midi capability. I am just trying to add a third keyboard. The part I missed is that I see you relaxed the power supply. Can you give me some advice on that? Thanks again!
Hi, I'm not sure what you mean by 'relaxed the power supply' but basically all I did was to use the original switch on the front of the console and wire it in line with the power cord to the 4 way socket I fixed in the back so that the front switch turns the power on and off to the 4 way block. Hope that helps and thanks for watching and commenting.
Hauptwerk Hardware Oh sorry, I meant replaced, not relaxed. I’m wondering how do I choose a new power supply that is adequate for the organ?
@@THNDRacket The encoder I use is powered by USB so I simply used a plug-in USB power supply. The Encoder only uses very little current so any USB power supply or charger would work.
I have a pedal Reed organ with 2 manuals and 3 stops which i would like to enrich with hauptwerk. What would be THE best way to do that?
You would need to add some sort of switch contacts to each key, pedal and stop. The usual ones are similar to those shown in this video series BUT they are not cheap! They are manufactured by Kimber Allen Ltd in the UK and are around £2.50 each for the Silver wire ones and £5.80 for the gold wire ones. Both these prices are plus tax and shipping. Then you require a metal 'wiper' fixed to each key in order to make them operate. These are an additional £1.00 each. These are trade only prices to organ builders - us regular guys pay more...! So, the best way to do what you want; well if you have plenty of money available for the project then use the KA contacts. Otherwise maybe get old keyboards or organs from auction sites and strip out the contacts to re-use. Once you have everything fitted with contacts of some sort you can just go ahead and do what I did in the videos to actually make the MIDI generation work. Hope that helps, and good luck with your project.... :-)
I have watched this presentation so many times I can almost see it in my sleep. I am considering an attempt to convert an organ here to Hauptwerk. The organ for the project is an Allen T-12A currently with the worst sound I have ever heard.
Please advise if you think this is a do-able project and any hints of what to avoid.
I would appreciate a response from anyone with knowledge of the Allen.
Hi Don, I don't know the exact model you mention but any organ can be converted this way so long as the keyboards have working contacts. Older organs, particularly those that have led a life in smoky or damp atmosphere often need the contacts cleaned before they will work successfully. That said if the thing works 'as is' then it should be just fine to convert. Also on the subject of key contacts - I see this model is from the mid 60's; some organs, notably Baldwin from the USA used a strange 'resistive rubber' substance which had a single gold wire pressed against it when a key is pressed. This type will NOT work with ANY modern midi encoder that uses a 5 volt scan system, I don't think yours has this type but just check before you strip it out. I do make a 'keyboard booster' that does work with this type but obvoiusly it adds cost and work if one is needed. What I DO know about Allen organs though is that they often have quite good amplifiers which can sometimes be re-used but not sure what would be in one of the 60's vintage. Anyway; I hope my ramblings make sense and are of some help. If you want any more info feel free to contact me directly through the website. Hauptwerk Hardware dot com. Cheers...