Where can I find the user manual for KK MK3?

BIF

The question is in the question. I need to access the manual before I install the software, so that I will fully understand the ports on the back panel. Thanks!

Vagus

In the email you got from NI after install of the hardware, there's a link to the manual.

You can also read through here:

https://www.native-instruments.com/ni-tech-manuals/kontrol-s-mk3-manual/en/welcome-to-kontrol-mk3

PoorFellow

'How to set up your Kontrol S-Series MK3' and 'Komplete Kontrol S-Series user manual'

Vagus

In the email you got from NI after install of the hardware, there's a link to the manual.

You can also read through here:

https://www.native-instruments.com/ni-tech-manuals/kontrol-s-mk3-manual/en/welcome-to-kontrol-mk3

PoorFellow

'How to set up your Kontrol S-Series MK3' and 'Komplete Kontrol S-Series user manual'

BIF

Thank you both. Vagus, you might not have realized that I haven't installed the hardware yet...I need to see the manual BEFORE I try to plug it in and/or turn it on and/or install any drivers.

But thank you both, I'm sure this will benefit me and others too!

PoorFellow

Oops ! , sorry , were in auto cruise mode and forgot I already put in the link ! 🤣

BIF

Haha, thanks. Both you and Vagus contributed, so I very much appreciate it.

The provided links DID answer my technical question, which I will answer here for others' benefit:

My question was,

"Does the USB-C cable need to run directly from the computer's motherboard to the KK?"

The answer is, "Maybe. If you add intervening cables or a hub and it doesn't work, always go back to a straight connection as a test to see if you return to a working condition."

And my second question was,

"What if somebody didn't have USB-C on their computer?"

The answer is, "They will need to use the "host" connection on the KK to connect to whatever USB they do have on the computer or hub (using a cable/connectors that match whatever the computer has), and they also need to use the little lightningbolt connection on the KK with another USB cable coming from a power source."

And my third question, which still hasn't been answered by the documentation, is:

"Will it hurt the KK MK3 if it's plugged into USB-C for "host" (so getting power from the PC), but ALSO plugged into a power supply via the other USB-C port? Is the KK smart enough to accept this without sustaining damage?"

Again, I don't have the answer to that question. Yet.

Now, I know that there is all kinds of other discussion going on in other threads about hubs and stuff, but I really just wanted to read the doc first.

Pertaining to the first question above...what people DON'T know, is that not all USB-C cables, hubs, and extensions behave precisely the same way, and that's because of the way they're wired. I'm not even talking about Thunderbolt, which is a valid example in and of itself.

But it's true for non-Thunderbolt too. For example, some USB-C cables will only work if they are plugged into a USB 2 device "the right way". I know, I know, the physical connector is universal, so who knew? I have a cable tester here, and it does all the USB flavors, including A, B, C, and even USB-A or C to lightning (for Apple products that need lightning). When I plug the NI-provided USB-C cable into my tester, I get one set of lights. When I reverse the connector at one end, the lights reverse. But if I reverse the connector at the OTHER end, the lights don't reverse. And then if I plug it into an extension cable and then into the tester, I get a whole 'nother set of lights! And an even DIFFERENT set of lights come on if there's a USB-C hub plugged into the series!

Add to that the fact that USB-C extension cables (the ones with USB-C male connector on one end and female connector on the other end) sometimes also come with instructions saying "if it doesn't work on a USB 2 device, please reverse the connector and try again."

Yikes, I'm starting to think that maybe the USB-C protocol might not have been vetted as well as it should have been.

So I have to test all of these permutations to make sure I know what cable configurations will work with the KK. And which might cause behavior that looks like a malfunction.

In an unrelated but still pertinent matter, my email inbox just got hit with something about a setup video from Ni. I'm going to watch that now. After that, I'll shut down my PC here and get started on my setup. Yeah, I'm old-school about shutting down before I mess with connections on the backplane.