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Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11725] Tue, 01 September 2009 09:02   KMDH Messages: 3 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member Please help! I have acquired a working Kustom Sidewinder Amplifier (non JBL). However, it has bad body damage (handle broken-taped, casters rusty, tuck & roll torn and back panel duct taped). Can someone please provide a website or name to get parts for this amp. Also, I would like to rewire the power cord for a 3 prong plug - any schematics/diagrams to do this? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11727 is a reply to message #11725] Tue, 01 September 2009 11:51 chicagobill Messages: 2005 Registered: April 2003 Senior Member Welcome to the board! I can't remember too much about the Sidewinders, but I know that I don't have the specific schematic set for your amp. That being said, Kustom used a modular approach to their amps, so I might have schematics for some sections of your amp. If you look at the PC boards, you will find them marked with a number, like PC5065. If you post those numbers maybe we can send you the schematics. As for the parts, most things have been discussed here before, so try searching the board for some of those threads. There are a few guys here that can offer tuck and roll advice and one former factory guy that refurbishes cabinets. If you have any specific questions or part needs, you can always start up a new thread and see what happens. Again Welcome! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11728 is a reply to message #11725] Tue, 01 September 2009 12:32   stevem Messages: 4733 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY Senior Member To install a grounded cor on that amp you need to remove the so called death cap( most times a .022) from the polarity switch, than all you do with the new cord is ground the green wire to the chassie somewhere near the power transfomer bu drilling a new hole and crimping a ring on the wire to bolt it down, or if you have a big enought soldering iron you could solder the wire to the chassie side of the death cap. I responded last week to a post about new casters so do a search for it, and welcome to the board! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11730 is a reply to message #11727] Wed, 02 September 2009 08:02   KMDH Messages: 3 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member Thanks for the help! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11731 is a reply to message #11728] Wed, 02 September 2009 08:02   KMDH Messages: 3 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member Thanks for the advice! Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11784 is a reply to message #11728] Wed, 09 September 2009 23:25   pleat Messages: 1452 Registered: June 2004 Location: Belding, Mi Senior Member Steve, is it nesessary to remove the cap? I have always left it in place and soldered the green wire from my new AC Cords to the ground side of the cap. Made life simple that way. Don Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11786 is a reply to message #11725] Thu, 10 September 2009 05:54   stevem Messages: 4733 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY Senior Member Most times not, but if the caps ever become leaky as they do sometimes with age, than its best to just clip them off at one end. Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11845 is a reply to message #11786] Tue, 15 September 2009 10:19   XsSpeed Messages: 9 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member Hi, I'm new here too and have read some of the posts about changing out to a 3 wire cord. I'm not really sure what the polarity switch on my K200b is. Is it the bright/normal toggle switch? I have the head open and was thinking of leaving the existing cord in place and just running a ground off the inside bolt of the cord holder (like that girl said in the other thread), then tape the ground wire to the outside or the existing cord and puting a new three prong plug on the end of it. Do you guys see a problem with that? Thanks heres a pic. Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11846 is a reply to message #11725] Tue, 15 September 2009 10:28   stevem Messages: 4733 Registered: June 2004 Location: NY Senior Member Its strickly for AC hum and buzz removal when the amp had the original 2 prong cord as in the left or right position the amp would have the least amount of noise. It has nothing to do with signal tone, on a k200 B-1 like yours, one channel is briter than the other and then with in each channel each input has more bass than the other. Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11847 is a reply to message #11846] Tue, 15 September 2009 10:37   XsSpeed Messages: 9 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member Im gonna add the ground for hum and shocks I'm getting so that should be fine? Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11849 is a reply to message #11847] Tue, 15 September 2009 12:05 chicagobill Messages: 2005 Registered: April 2003 Senior Member Do not mess around with ac cords! If you want to upgrade the amp, install a three wire cord and be done with it. You are risking bodily harm by trying to rig up a ground wire with a new plug. In answer to your question, the K100/K200 series amps have a single power/ground switch. The later metal front 150/250 series amps have separate power and ground switches. Go to your local home center and buy a three wire replacement cable. If they don't carry them, buy a grounded extension cord and cut off the female end. In your photo the original wires go to the switch and to the fuse block. The new wires will go to the same places. Replace black wire to black wire and white wire to white wire. See the orange capacitor that goes from the switch to the chassis? Cut it out. Attach the green ground wire from the new cord to the chassis where the capacitor was attached, and you're done. Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11855 is a reply to message #11849] Tue, 15 September 2009 13:13   XsSpeed Messages: 9 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member Thanks man. I will. Just out of curiousity, what is the orange capacitor for? Thanks, Sean Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11856 is a reply to message #11855] Tue, 15 September 2009 15:24 chicagobill Messages: 2005 Registered: April 2003 Senior Member In the days before three wire outlets, you could plug an ac cord into the socket anyway you wanted. With a few exceptions, the plugs were rarely polarized like they are today. In order to reduce hum, most amps had a capacitor that connected the chassis to one side of the ac line. Hopefully this would be the neutral side, but because of the lack of standards early on one never knew for sure if the socket was wired correctly or not. In order to make it more convenient amp companies added a ground or line reverse switch which connected the cap to one or the other line coming in from the wall outlet. The user would set the switch for the least amount of hum. The two main problems with this system are: one, when you plug your guitar into the amp, you are connecting the strings to the chassis ground, which is connected to one side of the ac line through a small capacitor. If the cap should short, the chassis could be directly connected to one side of the ac line circuit. And two, even though there is a cap, a certain amount of voltage still can appear on the chassis in reference to ground. If you should stand barefoot on a concrete floor and touch the amp chassis or the guitar strings and the ground capacitor is connected to the hot side of the ac line, you will feel a slight shock. If you use a PA and it's chassis is connected to the opposite side of the ac line, you will get a shock whenever you touch the mike and the strings of your guitar. This is not the full ac voltage, but it is enough to make you not want to have it happen again. Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11857 is a reply to message #11856] Tue, 15 September 2009 15:44   XsSpeed Messages: 9 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member Ohhhhhhhh that's what they mean by "death cap"! I was getting shocks from singing when my lips touch the mic. Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain all that to me. And sorry to have hijacked KMDH's thread. Report message to a moderator

Re: Kustom Sidewinder Project [message #11859 is a reply to message #11857] Wed, 16 September 2009 00:38   XsSpeed Messages: 9 Registered: September 2009 Junior Member All done and works like a dream! Thanks!!! Report message to a moderator

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