HELPINSTILL 120 Instruction Manual

HELPINSTILL

PIANO SENSOR

Model 120

For Grand Pianos

Please Read Instructions Carefully

Before Using Your Helpinstill

5115 Pocahontas Bellaire TX 77401

Voicelink: [phone]

Weblink: www.helpinstill.com

Copyright© 2005 Charles Helpinstill

All Rights Reserved

Model 120 For Grand Pianos

Your complete unit consists of the following pieces:

3 Sensors in lengths of 24", 16" and 14"

1 Gold Double Support Bar

2 Silver Underbars with adjustable pedestals

Control Box

Screwdriver for adjustment of pedestals

Owners Manual - Please read this first!

Installation

The silver support bars are used to support two sensors under the middle and treble strings. The
gold double support bar suspends the third sensor over the bass strings.
Before installing any of the pickup strips, remove the tie wraps from the gray cables and smooth
out, stretch and straighten the cables. If they kink and curl under the strings, they may touch
them and cause a buzzing noise.

The longest pickup strip is always used under the highest notes. Select which of the

remaining two best fits the width of the bass section ( usually the medium length) and attach it to
the magnetic strip on the gold support bar. This bar then rests on the frame pieces on either side of
the bass notes, and the double wingnut adjustment is used to hang the sensor strip about 1/4" over
these strings. The gold bar has gray non-slip pads where it rests on the piano frame to eliminate
rattles and minimize movement from vibration.This bar may be placed anywhere along strings, but
the best sound will be achieved about 1/7 of the way from the end of the string at either end. The
illustration shows the sensor approximately in the area where the hammers strike the strings. It may
also be placed at the other end about a foot from the end of the strings.
The copper-wound bass strings generate less signal in the pickups because copper is not magnetic,
and only the steel core of these string produces output. Therefore, the limitation of the volume of
the whole unit depends on adjusting the pickup hanging over the bass end until it is as close to the
strings as possible without the strings buzzing on the pickup when played hard. This is usually

between 1/8- 1/4 inch of clearance. The other two pickups can be further away.

Next place the other two sensors on the silver underbars, the longest sensor on the longest
bar. ( They will stick on quite firmly because of their magnetic nature.) These support bars rest on
pedestals that are padded to prevent scratching the soundboard, and to minimize vibration to the
sensors. Make sure the screws of these pedestals are on either side of the sensors so that they will
be adjustable from above. These two units are simply slid in under the strings from the left side of
the piano, the longest first so it will end up under the highest notes. If the clearance between the

strings and the soundboard seems too close, slide them in nearer the bridge (that's the end
of the strings farthest from the keyboard.)

After the sensors are in place under the strings, stick the small screwdriver through the
strings and turn the pedestal screw to adjust the clearance between the sensor and the strings to
about 1/8" at the highest notes to about 1/4" in the middle of the piano.

Sliding the High Sensor In

The position of the highest sensor is critical under the highest few notes. Try to align this

sensor at a straightened angle that will keep its upper end as far away from the keys as possible to

keep the top hammers from striking the sensor. The length of these highest strings allows just

enough space for this clearance.

After the sensors are in place under the strings, stick the small screwdriver through the

strings and turn the pedestal screw to adjust the clearance between the sensor and the strings to

about 1/8" at the highest notes to about 1/4" in the middle of the piano.The sensors do not pick up

any string movement over the last 1/4" on each end. Be careful to place the middle and highest

pickups so that they overlap slightly to insure that the notes at their boundaries are properly picked

up.

After placing the middle pickup in place under the strings, it helps to use the screwdriver to

tuck the gray wire from the highest pickup under the middle bracket to insure that it won’t curl up

and touch the strings and cause buzzing noises.

When removing these units from the piano it is perfectly okay to use the gray wires to pull them

out of the piano. These wires are very strongly attached inside the sensors and nearly impossible to

pull loose.

Adjustment & Hookup

After the sensors are in place in the piano, run the gray wires out the left side of the piano

and plug each one into the corresponding input jack on the control box. Either or both of the

outputs can then be connected to a sound system or amplifier.

For proper adjustment and balancing of the pickup levels, the signal needs to be routed to a

monitor speaker or amp near the piano that is louder than the natural sound of the piano. The

pickup can be used with the lid of the piano open or closed (it makes no difference to the pickup),

but it is easier to tell the real volumes of the sensors with the lid shut.

Moving the middle pickup as close to the keyboard as possible will result in the best tone in

that region; moving it further back will tend to emphasize the lower harmonics, resulting in more of

an electric piano sound

Control Box

The control box is a passive unit. It does not require batteries, phantom power, or any other

power source. This means it is compatible with sound systems worldwide, and requires no

maintenance.

The three knobs on the control box control the volume of the three sensors. To start with, they

should all be turned to their full-volume (12 o'clock) position. If any section of the piano sounds

louder than the rest, it can be turned down in volume to balance. Invariably the lowest (bass) section

is quieter than the rest, and its knob usually remains at 12 o'clock. Never turn any of the volume

controls all the way down, since that will cause the signal to be off for all three channels. The best

way to tell if a single sensor strip is working is to plug and unplug the gray wire from the control

box. When adjusting the volume controls, concentrate on smoothing the transition from one sensor

region to the next.

If the piano signal seems to accentuate the notes at top end of the highest pickup too much,

use the screwdriver pedestal adjustment to move that pickup further away from the strings on the

high end rather than rolling off the high frequency equalization on the piano channel, since that

would dull the tone of the whole piano. In general, the two pickups under the strings need to be

about the same distance from the strings at either end of the pickup. If they are slanted in height, it

will be impossible to adjust the volumes across the whole keyboard to be smooth and balanced.

Play test notes on the piano in the following order: first, play notes at near either end of each

sensor; this will insure that the brackets are level. If they are not, use the screwdriver pedestal

adjustments to balance. Then, play notes on either side of the junctions between sensors while using

the control box volume knobs to smooth the transition between pickups. After this procedure is

followed, the entire keyboard is now being reproduced at uniform volume.

In a permanent installation, such as a church or club, it is always a good idea to request that the

piano tuner not move the pickups around, since that will obviously change the installation. The

position of the pickups is rarely in the tuner's way, yet they often have a tendency to move the

pickup brackets out of the way and not move them back when they're finished.

Troubleshooting

As durable as the Helpinstill systems have proven to be over the years, any instrument can

malfunction.

Sensors It is important that care is taken not to puncture the outer plastic casing of the sensors.

The sensors are made to be flexible and durable, but contain hair-fine wires on the interior which

could possibly be broken under extreme treatment.

If you suspect that a sensor is not working, measure it with an ohmmeter at the output plug on the

end of the gray wire. Each sensor should read between 300-500 ohms. There should be no

fluctuation of this measurement with bending or tapping on the sensor. If this measurement is

consistent, the sensor will definitely work properly in the system.

Buzzing Noises Aside from mechanical buzzing of the strings against the pickup or wires,

buzzing noise or hum of an electrical nature has two primary causes: ground problems between the

unit and the mic line it's plugged into, and electromagnetic interference in the vicinity of the piano. It

has been found that most hum or grounding noise originates in the system that thepickup is

plugged into. If any noise is encountered when the pickup channel is turned on, the following

procedures can be used to isolate the cause:

1. Ground Loops The Helpinstill system is completely passive and requires no power source

itself. If ground-loop buzzing is encountered, try unplugging the mic cable from the control box

and plugging it into an ordinary dynamic microphone, such as an SM-58. The continued presence

of the hum in the system would, of course, rule out the piano pickup as its source. indicate hum

only when the piano pickup is connected, try patching the hi-Z output of the piano pickup into a

direct box with a ground lift, and plugging the mic cable into the direct box. Lifting the ground at

the direct box may then eliminate the hum.

2. Airborne interference There is a small chance that RF or other electromagnetic waves in the

vicinity of the piano may be picked up by the sensors. To test for this possibility, unplug and plug

back in the three gray wires from the sensors into the control box. If this action kills the hum, then

it is actually being picked up by the sensors. Electric guitar players have to deal with this

phenomenon quite a bit from neon signs, etc. Sometimes the noise can be minimized by flipping

over one of the sensors under the strings, which will create a hum-cancelling effect. As always,

making sure the signal from the pickup is maximized through closer pickup-to-string proximity will

minimize any hum.

Warranty

When you own a Helpinstill, you're a member of the family. We want your unit to work forever,

and we'll do whatever it takes to keep you satisfied. Call us anytime at [phone] with

questions or suggestions, or e-mail us at [e-mail], or visit our website at

www.helpinstill.com

"There's No Substitute for Real Piano"