Product Demonstration: https://youtu.be/zZ0Xsxf007M

The K-153 from Klink Ltd. brings the classic half-moon switch rotary speaker control to the venerable Electro-Harmonix Lester G rotary speaker simulator pedal.  A 3-position lever switch with a firm detent feature provides decisive control between Slow, Stop and Fast positions.

The K-153 attaches to your keyboard using the included mounting screws (see compatible keyboards below).  The K-153 connects to the Lester G EXP input using a standard ¼” male to male TRS (stereo) cable.  NOTE: Due to the required cable length depending upon the location of the Lester-G pedal, the cable is not included.

K-153 Adjustment

The K-153 has 5 user-adjustable potentiometers to tailor the rotary speaker simulator behavior.  

    • Slow rotor speed

    • Fast rotor speed

    • Slow to Fast acceleration

    • Fast to Slow deceleration

    • Fast/Slow to Stop deceleration

They can be accessed by removing the front cover (held in place by 4 screws), or through via the holes in the front cover (if equipped).  Tighten the screws with care as not to strip the holes of the plastic cover.  A small screwdriver is included for adjustment of these potentiometers.  Adjust the potentiometers carefully, as they are delicate.

 

This document assumes that you’ve already made all the audio connections necessary to get audio from your keyboard/organ into the Lester-G pedal and back out to your amp/speakers.  It also assumes you’ve mounted the K-153 to your keyboard/organ, sourced a ¼” male-male TRS (stereo) cable and plugged one end into the receptacle of the K-153 and the other to the Lester-G EXP receptacle.

Setting up the K-153 can be accomplished a number of ways.  The method below outlines an approach that seems to work for me and is close to what I did in a demonstration video that I put on YouTube (search K-153-A Lester-G).  

Lester-G Pedal:  

I set the SLOW knob all the way down and the FAST knob all the way up.  Everything else is up to you and your preference of sound.  The BYPASS button allows the effect to by bypassed.  If you find settings that work better with the K-153, please share with me and the rest of the community!

K-153:

Lever Switch positions are arranged as follows:

    • Left = Slow

    • Middle = Stop

    • Right = Fast

    1. Set SLOW, FAST and BRAKE potentiometers to fully CCW (counter-clockwise).

    2. Set DECEL and ACCEL potentiometers to fully CW (clockwise).

    3. Set lever to Slow.

    4. Play a note or chord and adjust the SLOW potentiometer for desired slow rotor speed.

    5. Set lever switch to Fast.

    6. Play a note or chord and adjust the FAST potentiometer for desired fast rotor speed.

    7. While playing a note or chord, move the lever between Fast and Slow and listen to rotor speed ramp down from fast to slow.  Adjust the DECEL potentiometer to get the desired rotor deceleration effect desired. The further DECEL is turned CW, the faster the rotor deceleration. 

    8. While playing a note or chord, move the lever between Slow and Fast and listen to speed ramp up from slow to fast.  Adjust the ACCEL potentiometer to get the desired rotor acceleration effect desired.  The further ACCEL is turned CW, the faster the rotor acceleration. 

    9. While playing a note or chord, move the lever between Fast and Stop and listen to speed ramp down from fast to stop.  Adjust the BRAKE potentiometer to get the desired rotor deceleration effect desired. The further BRAKE is turned CW, the faster the rotor deceleration.  Keep in mind that when moving the lever between Fast and Slow, the lever will pass through the Stop position which will begin decelerating the rotor before the lever reaches the Slow position.  Setting this too far CW will affect the deceleration to the slow speed.

    10. Since the K-153 is a switchable resistor/capacitor (RC) network, the ACCEL and DECEL settings will play an effect on the FAST and SLOW settings and fine tuning will be required in this process to get it just the way you want.

The K-153 can be fitted to a wide variety of keyboards and organs.  However, the mounting holes and included hardware are directly compatible with the following Hammond and Nord products:

    • Hammond SK2

    • Hammond SKX

    • Hammond XK-5

    • Hammond XK-3

    • Hammond XK-3C

    • Hammond XK-1C

    • Hammond A-405SP

    • Nord C1 Combo Organ

    • Nord C2 Combo Organ

    • Nord C2D

    • Nord Electro 5D 61 & 73

    • Nord Electro 6D 61 & 73

    • Nord Stage 3 Compact

    • Nord Stage 4 Compact

If you have another application you would like a switch for, don't be afraid to ask!

Material:FDM PLA (3D printed)

SwitchPositions: Slow/Stop/Fast

Attachment: M4 X 0.75 Phillips Pan Head Machine Screws