Harman Kardon Citation 17 Pre-Amp Speaker Plug

[pf...@aol.com]

Does anyone know what type of 5-pin plug HK specified for their Citation 17? This allows the pre-amp to control multiple sets of speakers from its front panel.

Thanks in advance!

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

[mrob...@att.net]

pf...@aol.com <pf...@aol.com> wrote:
> Does anyone know what type of 5-pin plug HK specified for their
> Citation 17? This allows the pre-amp to control multiple sets of
> speakers from its front panel.

A little Googling shows that some people thought it was a 5-pin tube
base, but that didn't work:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2760319

One guy used a six-pin connector on the preamp end, for a Citation 11.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=312706

He gave this part number, but it appears to be a 6-pin plug, and
Allied doesn't actually sell it:
http://www.alliedelec.com/cooper-interconnect-86-71-6s/70144660/

Newark doesn't show any stock, but says they will have some in a few
months:
http://www.newark.com/cooper-interconnect/86-71-6-s/mini-unshielded-plug/dp/24C8164?ost=24C8164&CMP=AFC-OP

Cooper's old catalog, with these connectors, is here - see PDF page
31:
http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/dam/public/wiringdevices/interconnect/Resources/Literature/CI%20Connectors,%20Accessories.pdf

Apparently Cooper is now a tentacle of Eaton. You might try asking
Eaton if they still make them and where to get them in small quantities.
I get the impression, though, that Eaton is really geared to selling
thousands or millions at a time to other companies; they may not
understand how to sell you just one.

Up through the mid-1980s, Radio Shack branded car stereos had a 5-pin
plug that seems to be similar to the one above. I don't *know* if it's
the same as what you have, though. It wasn't a DIN plug and I don't
think it was a 5-pin tube plug. The 2001 Radio Shack catalog gave part
numbers of RSU 11968575 for the plug with wire, and RSU 12025425. (RSU
was their mail-order operation.) The 1990 catalog
http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/html/1990/hr063.html gives a 5-pin
plug with wire part number of 270-041. Radio Shack doesn't sell these
anymore, though.

Somebody on Ebay is selling a harness with this 5-pin connector:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Radio-Shack-270-753-Autosound-Adapter-Harness-270-014-270-041-Quantity-of-2-/281663011431?

If you find an old enough car stereo shop, or get very, very lucky in a
junkyard, you might also find one.

Matt Roberds

[pf...@aol.com]

On Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at 2:43:26 PM UTC-4, mrob...@att.net wrote:
> pf...@aol.com <pf...@aol.com> wrote:
> > Does anyone know what type of 5-pin plug HK specified for their
> > Citation 17? This allows the pre-amp to control multiple sets of
> > speakers from its front panel.

Matt:

Many thanks for this. I may make a clay model or some such - which would then allow me to cast a plug myself if hard against it.

I was hoping for a definitive answer (silly me for something from 1976 or so). But you have given me an excellent start.

[mrob...@att.net]

pf...@aol.com <pf...@aol.com> wrote:
> Many thanks for this. I may make a clay model or some such - which
> would then allow me to cast a plug myself if hard against it.

I have heard of (but not personally done) something like this, for one
of those circular multi-pin connectors that a lot of US military gear
has. Those connectors only have three or four different pin sizes, but
approximately one billion different pin arrangements, shell sizes,
keying notches, etc. Somebody needed to connect some equipment *now*,
so they bought the individual pins put wires on them, plugged the pins
into the female connector one by one, and verified that they had what
they wanted. Then they put tape (IIRC) around the threads on the female
connector to make a "dam" around the wires+pins, and dumped silicone or
some other material in to mold a plug body. The result was a plug that
was at least good enough to do testing with, while waiting for Amphenol
or whoever to mill them an official plug out of solid unobtainium.

You might use different gauges of solid wire, gently, in the individual
pin holes, until you find something that fits well. Or, you might also
be able to use the blunt end of various sizes of drill bits to get a
good fit; if you have a set that goes by 1/64ths, you have approximately
0.016 inch steps. Once you find a size you like, browse around Digi-Key
or Mouser for connector pins of about that size, and try it out.

Matt Roberds

[pf...@aol.com]

On Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 3:22:56 AM UTC-4, mrob...@att.net wrote:

> You might use different gauges of solid wire, gently, in the individual
> pin holes, until you find something that fits well. Or, you might also
> be able to use the blunt end of various sizes of drill bits to get a
> good fit; if you have a set that goes by 1/64ths, you have approximately
> 0.016 inch steps. Once you find a size you like, browse around Digi-Key
> or Mouser for connector pins of about that size, and try it out.
>

I obtained at our local radio swap (Kutztown, PA) a large coffee can of hobby-brass ends, cuts and culls. I have round, flat and square shapes from a less than 1mm up to about 4mm. I will start there.

http://www.dvhrc.com/pdfs/Kutztown-May-2014-info.pdf

[mrob...@att.net]

Followup:

I was going through some of my <strike>old junk</strike> valuable
antiques and I found a couple of the Realistic/Archer/Radio Shack car
stereo plugs. They have five pins, and a keying notch on the outside of
the plastic body. If you hold the keying notch at 12 o'clock, the five
pins are arranged like this (use a fixed-width font):

* *
*
* *

Some measurements I made:

Diameter of plastic body of plug 0.614" 15.6 mm
Diameter of each individual pin 0.093" 2.4 mm
Length of each individual pin 0.375" 9.5 mm
Distance from edge of plastic body to first row 0.213" 5.4 mm
Center-to-center spacing of pins on first row 0.295" 7.5 mm
Distance from edge of plastic body to third row 0.413" 10.5 mm
Center-to-center spacing of pins on third row 0.327" 8.3 mm
Second row (one pin) appears to be in the center of the plug

There is no locking mechanism; it just depends on the fit of the pins.

Matt Roberds