Baldwin C-600

[Guest]

Hello,

I'm the new proud owner of the Baldwin C-600 from Virginia Beach. I have a question about the wiring between the console and the speakers/amplifier. I'm confused about which one is for the AC power and which is for the speaker send. There are two connectors at the speaker amplifier. One says "to console" and the other says "remote amplifier". I have two AC power cords with relays in them. I think that the AC power from the console triggers the relay to connect the AC power to the speaker/amplifier. On the connecting cords the ends are such that the AC power would attach to the connector that says "to console". Is this correct? That would mean that the Swell/Great would connect to the connectors marked "remote amplifier". It seems backwards to me but I really don't know. Can you help?

Thank you,

~Pete

[jbird604]

Re: Baldwin C-600



Pete,

I think you've got it right. The connections are quitefool-proof, almost impossible to hook it up wrong. The big relay box just switches on AC power at the remote amp location rather than using power from the console. But it requires the console AC to trigger the relay, so the console-to-relay cable has to be there.

The cables that carry AC power have a different number of pins from the ones that carry audio signals. That will be obvious and you can't plug them in the wrong sockets. Just be sure you have a separate audio cable for each division -- swell, great, choir, and pedal -- and connect each cable to the corresponding tone cabinet. The 3 manual cabinets may be identical unless you have the Festival Trumpet option, in which case one of the cabinets will have the horn-type speaker. The pedal cabinet is, of course, an entirely different type and will only function as a pedal speaker.

Only one AC cable is required from the console to the relay box, then you run an AC cable from the relay to each tone cabinet's AC input.

If you didn't get one, you should order a technical manual on this organ from MusicElectronics in Springdale, Arkansas. You might also request additional literature for the particular tone cabinets and other equipment you got with the organ, though some of this equipment is described in the C-600 manual itself.

I once had a C-601 (the drawknob version of the 600) at church and it was quite serviceable, some rather good sounds for an organ of that age and type. It's a remarkable tour-de-force in engineering, and very enlightening to study the schematics. Baldwin really threw all their engineering know-how into that organ!

You should be aware that the C-600/601 series organs were produced only by special order and thus each one is a custom organ.Each one is a unique item, none of them exactly as described in the service manual. They also revised the filter boards and other components as time went by, and they produced these organs over a period of 6 or 7 years, so there were quite a few changes.

I believe they only built a few dozen of them, perhaps 75 or 80. I have worked on two of them in Arkansas and have known of a couple more. When I had one at church I was so enamored of it that I wanted to find out where the others were. But never got much info. Eventually had the chance to replace it with a newer Rodgers, so we gave it away to a nice guy in Missouri.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

John

[Guest]

Re: Baldwin C-600



The cables that carry AC power have a different number of pins from the
ones that carry audio signals. That will be obvious and you can't plug
them in the wrong sockets.

You've been very helpful. Thank you.

My AC power cables and my audio signal cables have the same number of pins. That's my concern. And, the male/female connectors end up being backwards if I use the "remote amplifier" connectors. Is it possible that power is carried through pin 1 & 2 and then the audio runs through the other pins 3 through 6. (I don't have a cable with me but I know there were at least 6 pins, maybe 8). In that case it would be okay if the Swell/Great plugged into the "to console" connectors as well as the AC power. Would you know if that's a possibility?

I guess I could open the box up in the speaker cabinet and see how the fuse is connected.

Interesting. Thanks.

~Pete

[jbird604]

Re: Baldwin C-600



Pete,

Are you absolutely sure that the power cables and audio cables have identical connectors? IIRC, there is only a difference of one pin, and you might at first glance think they are identical.

If the audio cables and the power cables do indeedhave the same number of pins then someone has monkeyed with this organ big-time. I'd walk very carefully here. Get the manual, and go over the wiring diagram with great care.

The AC power cords on these big monsters carry nothing but AC power, even though there are several pins. The male connector goes into a female socket on the output chassis of the organ, or in the case of using a remote relay box, into the same type of socket on the relay. Then, there must be a cable from the organ, connected to one of the power sockets, connected to the relay box. That is the way it was built, so if yours is not like that, something is changed up and you need to find out what before you proceed.

The audio cables will have 3 shielded wires inside, as the standard Baldwin tone cabinets were always 3 channels. On the C-600 organs, the 3 channels are not used for the same purposes as on smaller Baldwins, but if you look at the manual you'll see how they are used. The cable is standard Baldwin audio cable, though. Once again, if it is something different, the organ has been modified and you must find out what has been done before you try to hook it up.

Good luck. Please report your findings here.

John

[Guest]

Re: Baldwin C-600



Thank you again for some great information. I talked to MusicElectronics and a technical manual is on the way. It turns out that the AC power is carried through pin #1 and pin #6 in the same type of cable that has the audio signal. (I'll check with a meter to be sure.) So, both the AC cable and the audio cable connect to the male connectors in the tone cabinet. The female connectors must be there to be able to gang multiple tone cabinets.

Thanks again,

~Pete

[Guest]

Re: Baldwin C-600



I received my technical manual today. Now, I see what you mean. The first thing I noticed is that I have the C-601 and not the C-600.

And, you are quite right. The connector with 6 pins carries the AC. The connector with 7 pins carries the audio. There is one of each right next to the other. A 6 pin connector and a 7 pin connector that say "to console" and a 6 pin connector and 7 pin connector that say "remote amplifier". Armed with this knowledge I should have no problem.

I also have a three wire long run that has been cut. My initial guess is that it is for an echo tone cabinet. I'll get back to you on this one...

Thank you ever so much.

~Pete

[jbird604]

Re: Baldwin C-600



Pete,

If all is well, it will probably play if you just plug in all the cables. OTOH, all may not be well! I'm glad you got the manual. You're on the right track.

And glad I could be of some assistance.

John