Kontrol S Series mk3 keyboard long USB-C cable

BillW32

What are the data transfer speed requirements over USB C for the Kontrol S Series mk3?

I just upgraded from S61 mk2 to S61 mk3. I need to use a long (15 to 20 feet) USB-C cable given the distance and cable routing between my keyboard rig and location of my Mac Studio. That was no problem with the mk2 using USB-A cables for both bus power and data transfer but given mk3 capabilities I presume a higher data transfer speed may be required. I see a number of 15 to 20ft USB C cables stating support of data transfer at various maximum speeds which prompts my question. Also curious whether active USB C cables or USB C fiber optic link cables used for longer distances will work.

For my use and given the longer cable, bus power is not a concern as I do not mind using a USB power adapter connected to a nearby source.

Appreciate any info and insights. Thanks.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/17858/kontrol-s-series-mk3-keyboard-long-usb-c-cable

Questions regarding not published specifications can only be answered by customer service. The N.I. forum representative (Jeremy_NI) is off until 6th of November and the leader of the hardware time is taking time off with his family. So while your post could be spotted by other members of the hardware team roaming the forum sometimes these days then I will still say that you ought to ask customer service if you have some more specific questions regarding cables (normally Jeremy might have tried looking into it !)

https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us

BillW32

Got it and thanks for the suggestion and heads-up about Jeremy, et al who are likely on a well-deserved break after just after the launch. In the meantime, I'll contact CS, may try a few cable options and will advise of any successes or failures if that info is beneficial to the group.

BIF

While you're waiting for NI to come back from vacation, I did something similar to you, except that I used an extension cable and a passive (not powered) hub (for the reason noted below), plus the NI cable that came with my KK MK3. The cable and hub, wired in the way that I did it, produces the same status lights on a USB-C tester that the NI cable by itself did. I don't know if that's a requirement, but it works for my S61 MK3 and my Windows 11 PC. I'll cross the Windows 10 PC and Mac bridges when I get to them.

Here's the excerpt from that post.

Computer Motherboard USB-C Port (it's an Asus i9 Motherboard built in 2021) --> Faracent USB-C 6-Foot Extension cable (Amazon - Link) --> J5 unpowered USB-C Hub (Best Buy - Link) --> KK Included USB-C cable --> KK Host Port

Rather than make you pick through the other thread, here's a little TLDR:

1. I wanted like you, 10+ feet from my PC (it's a tower, so can't be moved easily) to my KK's permanent home on the opposite side of my wrap-around desk. It's not really going to be 10 feet away, but the cables can't go as the crow flies...they need to be under the desk and out of the way of my clumsy feet and my clumsy vacuum cleaner, lol!
2. The order of the cables may be important. I wanted the hub IN THE MIDDLE of the chain, so that I can plug additional USB devices (including up to 1 additional USB-C device) and have it closer to my KK than to my PC.
3. The above cable sequence STILL required ANOTHER usb-c cable and a power supply (I used an old Apple 20W power supply), because the PC was not supplying enough power to the KK through that cable and hub chain.
4. The orientation of the CONNECTORS may also be important, because not all USB-C cables (not even extension cables) are made the same way. I bought 3 extension cables, and only one produced the same lights on the tester that the NI cable produces by itself. And the extension STILL needed to be plugged in a certain way (with the label "up") to produce those lights in that order. Flipping the connector the other way on the PC side would have produced a different sequence of lights, which might have worked...or might not have.

The upshot to #4 above is that I didn't waste any time trying any configurations that produced different lights. They might work...I just didn't want to mess around all day trying to find the right combination of cables and connector-directions and then still have to do a rain-dance to get it to work.

I hope that's helpful. That other thread is here:

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/17560/just-received-the-mk3-s61/p6

Good luck!

Niocio01

I got my Kontrol S61 MK3 and I am driving it using a 5m USB 3.2 (USB-C) cable without any problems so far.

I had a look using "USB Device Tree Viewer" and it looks like it is just using a USB 2.0 connection for data transfer. The USB-C is therefore just for the higher power consumption, I suppose.

So a USB-A should work fine, as long as power is applied via the dedicated power port.

Hope this helps.

BillW32

Many thanks for everyone's insights.

I had success using a Cable Matters 5m/16.4 ft Active USB-C cable (model 201034) with my S61 MK3 connected to an M2 Mac Studio. This works for powering the Mk3 as well although I've chosen to use the dedicated power port anyway. For me it was plug-and-play solution for the required long cable run.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/104081#Comment_104081

Thank you for the feedback and great that it all went 'plug and play' for you. I wish that a lot more users here had had that kind of experience with their Kontrol S Series mk3 keyboard 🤔 🙂

TomSynsongs

I can also recommend this 5m cable

PHIXERO USB C auf USB C Kabel 100W (20GBPS)

https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B09YTWX7FD/

It works on the back right port of the Mac Studio M2 without any issues and no need for an additional power suppy (once the keyboard has been firmware update).

Hope this helps.