Power Supply For Craig 4102 CB.

General Questions
#1

Yep. I am the proud owner of a Craig model 4102 CB. I’m a big fan of AM, short wave, and ham radio, so I decided to install this CB into my house - for entertainment reasons.

The CB takes the regimented 12 VDC to operate, which is the normal output for an AC to DC power converter. So that much is simple.

The problem is the connection. On the back of my Craig 4102 CB, the only power connector is a flush horizontal green plastic connector with six metal contacts. I assume that one is a positive, one is a negative, and there is atleast one ground there too, and some of them probably don’t do anything. I opened the CB up to try to figure out which is which, but the inside is a spaghetti of wires and I couldn’t make heads from tails.

The manual isn’t any help, since it doesn’t exist, and I believe Craig has gone out of business. But this should be elementary stuff.

This power connector on the back of the CB was obviously engineered to mate with a power connector from a car or truck. I am not at all familiar with power connectors inside a vehicle, and I’m not going to tear my Honda Accord apart trying to figure it out.

Here’s the question. Anyone who is familiar with Craig CBs, or any CBs at all, please inform me of how to hook an AC to DC power supply in my house up to this CB.

One last bonus question. What is the technical difference between AM, short wave, ham radio, and CBs?

#2

AM stands for “Amplitude Modulation”, where the amplitude of a carrier wave is varied according to a modulating signal. Sometimes referred to as double sideband in it’s most common form, since it’s compromised of both upper and lower single sideband. Other common modes on radios include FM (frequency modulation), USB/LSB (upper and lower single sideband), and CW (continuous wave).

Shortwave refers to the frequencies in the 3-30mhz range.

Ham Radio is a term applied to the Amateur Radio Service. People licensed to operate on these bands are often called Hams.

CB is Citizens Band, which is 40 defined channels between 26.965 and 27.405mhz. AM is the most common mode here.

The difference? Well, it’s apples and oranges really, except for ham radio and CB. Ham radio operators have a wide range of bands they can operate on, but have to be licensed to do so. There is no license requirement for CB anymore, but they are limited to a fairly narrow portion of the HF (shortwave) band.

So, for example, you can transmit an AM signal on the shortwave band with your ham or CB radio.

I can’t help you on your wiring problem. The only radios I’ve ever owned are Heath, Uniden, and Galaxy. I don’t think I have anything around for a Craig.

#3

If it’s a 3-pin connector in an oval-shaped recess, with the pins spaced like this: * * &nbsp*, you can get what you need at Radio Shack. This is a fairly common power connector on CBs. The red wire will go to the + side of the battery or a switched ACC terminal on the fuse block and the black goes to ground.

#4

Oh fark. Well, the third pin is spaced farther from the center pin than the first one.

#5

Type ‘Craig 4102’ into Google. The first link, www.cbtricks.com, will give you a schematic for this unit. Looks like your 6 pin plug is for power, ext. speaker, and PA speaker.

#6

Oh crap. I swear I read the whole OP. :smack:

Sorry.

#7

Yes. That’s correct. The unit I have can have external speakers added on, and can double as a PA system. I did not mention this, and I’m sorry if it confused anyone. That’s why this unit is kind of “special”.

I had seen that schematic before on that website, and I can read simple electrical diagrams, but “Woooo!”, who’d a thunk a CB is so complicated?

So, in the diagram, are the power contacts over on the right hand side, right beneath the speaker? That is what I assumed.

How does this schematic relate to the actual unit? As I’m looking at the back of the CB, going left to right, according to the schematic, which contacts are first? And how can I tell I am hooking the power up correctly?

As soon as I figure this out, I may just solder the wires from the AC/DC power supply to the CB, to avoid any future confusion.

#8

The schematic may or may not relate to how the plug is laid out. It’s best to assume it doesn’t. The easiest way to determine your + lead is to use an ohm meter and find what lead of the plug connects to S1, the power switch. The - lead can be found with an ohm meter connected to the case of the unit.

Hope this helps.

#9

In addition to the previous answer, AM also refers to the commercial broadcast AM band, which is 540 to 1600 kHz. Even though AM refers to a type of modulation, the fact that this band is set up with that type of modulation has caused it to be referred to as the AM radio band. Similarly, 88 to 108 MHz has come to be known as FM radio because the FCC has restricted this band to frequency modulated signals only.

Here’s a nice little chart:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/audio/radio.html

#10

You know. I just opened the unit back up for the third time and purposely separated the wires connected to the inside of the power connector. Of the six contacts, one goes to the speaker, one goes this way, another goes that way, but the last two are thicker than the rest, and they are red and black.

I’m such a dolt.

Red still means negative and black still means positive, right?

Thank you for your help everyone. I learned something.

#11

Usually red is positive and black is negative.

#12

Black means HOT in home electrical wiring, but in electonics it is ground. red is positive.

Brian

#13

Usually, red is positive and black is neg.