I'll open it up again to give some pics like you have but everythin i've done so far (except work on seperating the pad components) is documented, with some new images:

Adam's KP1 Guitar Mod (attempt! :D)

 http://kaosspad.blogspot.com/

 The trusty white connector is the same, i think. And there are still 2 layers to the PCB. I'll need a closer look about the hold button i guess, hopefully it should be obvious.

The main other difference I noticed was the number of screws! Thats what had me thinking *wait, he's done it with a KP2*. that and the sample buttons!

Most my tools should arrive tommorow, so I'll defo keep stuff posted on my blog up there, and will keep you updated on any interesting discoveries I make concerning the electronics. and no doubt appear at 4am with urgent electronics SOS requests when I get fried components.

 

Thanks for the props!

1) I just picked up an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, which is obviously similar in shape to a Special II, but the center of the face is raised (I guess you'd call it a contour?) Does the Special II design have this. If so (or not), how could this problem be overcome when making a frame for the pad?

I think the Special II does have this very very slightly, hrm, I didn't have to worry since it didn't seem to affect anything. If the curve is pronounced you may have to bend the frame to match, or use a slightly flexible plexi-glass or other material.

2) Is there a way to overcome the two cable system and have both the guitar and pad signals pass through one lead?

There are custom 1/4" cables which can carry more than 2 leads however you'd need at least 6 and I'm not sure if these are available and would work very well. If you wanted to replace the entire 1/4" audio jack you could use any connector that has 6 pins, I'm not sure why I went with DB9, probably just because I had some around.

3) I see you have colour changing LEDs working. Is there a way to make it so that the colour changes depending on the chaning parameter values, like when you use the Kaoss pad normally? (please ask for clarification if needed, I'm not sure how to phrase this)

This would require moving more of the circuit to the guitar, alternatively you could build a mic into a small circuit which would alter the LED's based on sound.

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Phil [at] substatica [dot see oh ehm]

firstly i am going to have the LED circuit separate from everything and just running off a separate battery with an on/off switch.  ( this is so that it wont interfere with pad signal/voltage). so i was wondering do i need those other components (resistors etc) or could i just hook the LED's up to the battery and switch? and what type of battery(s) would i need to run the auto change RGB LED's?

 

Sure, you should just be able to use a 9V battery with a resistor for each LED.

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Phil [at] substatica [dot see oh ehm]

Adam's KP1 Guitar Mod (attempt! :D)

 http://kaosspad.blogspot.com/

 

Hot beats! Looks good so far, great to have a step-by-step for the KP1. I love the fact that it's just as haphazard and insane as mine was,

And then I hacked. Mostly just piled it in with a hammer half way and came back on myself to pull chunks, then just hacked in, twisted to get a bit under the surface and just, worked little chunks out to get it square. I didnt make it go through the back, saw no need for that.

That's awesome!

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Phil [at] substatica [dot see oh ehm]

Hey Adam, I sent Tom at MusicThing a note about your efforts and he posted your blog,

http://musicthing.blogspot.com/2007/03/building-kaoss-pad-into-guitar-cheap.html

That'll drive some traffic for ya ;)

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Phil [at] substatica [dot see oh ehm]

lol im more or less doing the same thing with my epiphone

 korg kaos pad 2

 

but for mine im having a plate made out of a mirror thats the same shape as the guitar body fror the front. a local mirror windows and doors place is doing it got me, ill post it when iv completed my project

 

could not of done it with out you phil, hats off too ya!
 

Philll i got a bit of a panic on my hands!

Well, I rushed but finished soldering all wiring to everything else, i guess I need a multimeter (i just realised there while i wrote) to check but, i thought It was pretty sound it took ages.

Sadly I aint got a serial cable to connect and test the 2 pieces together, and nowhere near here sells them, they all jus gave me a wierd look and said "er. nobody bothers with serial anymore mate". Then they asked 'whats it to connect like?' but i realised if i even half answered his question, he'd wish he never asked. Bottom line I'll have to buy one of good old ebay and wait til next week to test it properly.

 But i am impatient, and tested it using a few wires with stripped ends. I hooked the wires from a neccesary (as in one of the 4 pins I used to connect the wiring previously) pin on one port to the same numbered pin on the opposite port, plugged them in best I could, till they went kinda far and sometime locked in slightly.

I switch it on, press the pad, WAHEY, we have a reaction light on the KP PCB, so thats working, but sadly... the dimensions seem irrelevant. it doesn't seem to be getting anything from the x & y axis, when I press it it just stays on 1,1 regardless of where my finger is pressing.

It sounds like, and I'm hoping it is, a problem with the wiring. If theres a break anywhere along the line with the lines that control the x and y (and the other 2 for when its on two modes) it would figure that there was no signal. I hope i'm also correct that its more likely if I'd broken the sensor pad itself, surely it would either not work at all (and so wouldn't do its usual light up when you touch it thing) or maybe malfunction somehow to give a wierd location.

In good time I'll post up my PCB step by step by the way, took pics but my PC upstairs kept crashing every few mins when I wrote.

But anyway,

If you have any ideas at all, except from checking the circuit mods using a continuity tester which I'll do soon as possible, particularly if you came across the same issue at any stage, or even better, if you found this to happen when you hadn't finished connecting all the wires..

If you could somehow insulate one of the active pins on your own serial cable that'd surely tell if the broken circuit idea is correc,t but that could be tricky, but aye just any help would be great.

Cheers phil,

-adam

Philll i got a bit of a panic on my hands!

I screwed up the connections a number of times to no ill effect ( had the ribbon cable inserted upside down ), ensure that you're not reversing the connections, remember that the ribbon cable flips. All I can really say is that you should double and triple check the wiring between the two connections. Some pics may help if possible.

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Phil [at] substatica [dot see oh ehm]

but for mine im having a plate made out of a mirror thats the same shape as the guitar body fror the front. a local mirror windows and doors place is doing it got me, ill post it when iv completed my project

That sounds fantastic. For sure keep us updated.

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Phil [at] substatica [dot see oh ehm]

hey again,

now that its generally working, I wanna add the FX and HOLD buttons (FX so that you can sample with the guitar)..

Is it okay to sorta, just add in parallel my own push-to-make (momentary) button switch on top of the solder work for the one korg put on the pad, for the hold at least, FX button can wait although it's probably the same anyway.

I tryed to take the switch off completely but it just wouldn't go for some reason :S was wierd.. seemed glued but, wasn't, unless it had some sorta clip fixing i couldn't see...

Either way I could just wire a hold button in parallel and I *guess* that'd work yea? because it'd just remain normally open, like the other, then when you press it it'd provide another route for the current to reach the other side of the switch back on the pad, causing the hold switch to toggle on or off? am i right?

I'm just asking because I'm making assumptions, such as that its even a PTM, or the way the kaoss pad works.

I'm also wanting to put an on/off LED for the hold button on the guitar, that can be done using the same method as transporting current for the touchpad and hold button yeah? it will probably be dim unless I remove the LED on the pad, maybe it wont.

Anyway, if you can think of anythin for them two questions cheers

-adam

I posted this on YouTube as well, but thought I'd post it here since I don't know how often you check over there. 

Great job with this mod, you've taken it to a whole new level! The color-changing LEDs are amazing. Two questions. First of all, could this be done with a Kaoss Pad 3? Secondly, is there any chance you might make a guide for "dummies" like myself? I have no real knowledge of soldering or electronics - tried it once and it didn't really work but I'd really, REALLY like to do the same mod. Probably with the exact same equipment since the guitar's cheap enough. Thanks in advance!

hi ganza,

i was just waitin on a reply from phil an checking back, noticed you wanted a for dummies guide...

not sure if its quite what you wanted, but thats almost exactly what i'd been tryin to make at my blog, i did it with a KP-1, but i think im pretty much in your position. Since then, ie.. a few weeks back, i'm actualy prety confident with electronics... so i gues best way would be to try to solder some crap together, or tryin rippin a few compoentns off an old unused cheap tacky bit of a electronics without meltin everythin or snappin out, or touchin stuff...

I thought plenty of times i'd blown the pad with too much heat or static from my hands or somethin but, never did.

Have a look, it might be handy, but phil's certainly more likely to tell you a correct way of doin it i'd imagine.

http://kaosspad.blogspot.com

Thank you very much for your reply. I'll definitely check your guide/blog out as it might help like you said since you know what I'm going through :)

 I'm not intending to do this right now but I want to gather as much information as possible in order to be sure what I have to get and how I have to go through the procedure.

Sorry, my times been filled by a number of things. How goes the mod?

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Phil [at] substatica [dot see oh ehm]

Hey, greetings from the uk!

 for starters, im loving ya guitar mod and am doing it as I speak :) 

and as i was flicking through the replies i noticed someone said something about goin wireless,i believe it would be possible to make it wireless via a wireless plug with a db9 connecter, the problem occures at the other end, because you are unable to easily turn the bluetooth signal back into a db9 signal. Anyway someone might like to investigate, but meh.

http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=103566&partner=froogle

 

anywho, ya comment back r whatever,

 

Ben Jacobs