adventures in synthland

over the edge...

2012-01-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

so for the last couple weeks ive discovered the entirely new world of microprocessor diy synths. the first and most ridiculus sound for the money (70.00 USD) was the MEEBLIP. holy shit does this little gremlin of a synth have balls! its angry, harsh and just tears through a mix! it has tons of bottom and is extremely staright forward to use and "program". its fairly limited soundwise, which makes i really good for musical things. i was overwhelmingly impressed with it immediately. i of course soudnt use the enclosure they had or their pots and switches. i used sweet ass rockers for the switches and a spare 2 U faceplate to do it as a test unit of sorts. the real one is a 3U face with cv in for each of the knobs.. a little mod that wasnt very had to do.

the next one is the SHRUTHI-1. this is one of the stunning synth engines ive ever seen. holy shit is it. its a wavetable based monosynth with your choice of analog filters. ssm 2044, cem3379, dual 2p SVF, a proprietary stock/standard 4pole LPF like the moogs, and several others. or you can add your own. i chose the 2044, stock 4p and the dual svf. i then set about to figure out how to have all 3 and switch between them :) without physically removing them. this also will sit in the 3 u rack space and have some recycled mac computer keyboard (fromt he 90's) switches. clicky style joints. also utilizing a new haven OLED. with .9 milimeter characters it will be awesome to edit on it.

the engine is simply perfect. it has soo many things that you always wanted to have on a synth. along with 2 cv outs (lfos, envs etc..) and 4 cv ins and a full matrix mod and step sequencer and arpegiator. its a badass little motherfucker!

ill keep you informed as i get into it...

i also did another doepfer DIY. i added some extras.. 2 extra MFOS envs and huge amounts of ins and extra patch points/in/out.

the task of tasks has begun

2011-10-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

so ive begun to wire up the ody and its associated components.. i had to really familiarize myself with its circuitry a bit better and see if what i laid out and had in mind was going to actually work.. so far id say 100% ..its a total fucking miracle actually. i was able to get done VCO 1 and its patch points, switches and pcb connections. the breakaway headers offer much better eas of use to remove and fit/test hings and also though, they double the wiring time it takes to each section. but for what they allow its very worth it for me. here are some pics of the prelimary session on the ody..

yes. that is a HUGE repro/printout of the PCBS! its fanstatic to have as a reference or as for art! right now its great since i can see component values, traces and component numbers/designations. its ideal.

the face plate and pcbs can be removed seperately and in any fashion/combination really. i wanted to be able to access the inside from either the rear or the front. so , so far this design has worked out really good.

quick studio panarama

2011-10-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

heres a quick peek inside....

more of the current...

2011-08-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

heres the poly 6 as i recieved it. its pretty beat. no power connection . its been cut off and stripped (frightening) . so with that guy we're pretty much starting at zero. i spliced a quick poer cord on.. it powered up. no smoke and alot of ill behaviour though. upon a quick initial inspection i found : battery is not exploded (good) . several corrosive spots on pcbs from previous soda spills (bad) general oxidation of traces (bad) alot of free floating objects ( 4 pennies, 3 screws) inside (that could cause shorts it in contact with the WRONG things.. (VERY BAD) . so lets say that i'll start with a serious bath for all those pcbs in some iso alcohol and high pressure air to blow them dry. then deoxit all the connectors. remove the battery and maybe put in a coin cell if i can get it running. not to mention installing an IEC socket for the power cord. what a fuckin mess. i have a feeling this may be a "ill buy it for parts" kinda repair job for me. it might not make it back from the grave. it depends on how much the client is willing to spend on her. shes time intensive for sure. mine was.
if you notice the serious grime on it from the pic of the single wipe of tissue with iso on it. wow. mad grime. then you can se the clean spot that was made when i swiped it.. nasty shit. so we'll see if i can get it running then maybe made a little nicer looking after her hearts beating..:)

current status buffer : full!

2011-08-28T19:51:00.001-07:00

so the benches are seriously full: no vacancy. im knee deep into the ARP ody redo, which is about 3 projects in itself. ( the ody and case, the distro section and then the mfos minisynth under it) both the MFOS and the ody are augmented with an extra MFOS envelope as well.. so yeah.. then i have another sequencer peripheral row expander unit that has 2 more rows of cv with coarse and fine tunes and each has the controll line mod i did. then i got my friend Karl's octave kitten to fix and open on the main bench.. add to that now the 909's rim trigger issue to solve (workaround and maintenence in progress) . i also have a poly 6 which is fairly fucked to repair for a client in detroit.
and an emax II rack to assemble for a friend in florida.

so yeah theres alot onthe benches now. to say the least.

heres some pics of the current things...

THE ODESSEY OF THE ODESSEY

2011-06-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

so i got an arp ody whiteface from a friend. sliders were real fucked. since i really didnt want to pay 400 usd for a set or replacements i decided to harness the boards and remove all sliders and switches .. cut off the keys and make it pached out to point (1/8 jacks) .. alot of work. you betcha it is.
its pretty much redoing all but electronics. im also adding a new ps and another env and 4 amped and attenuated distros to it. along with adding a jacked out patched out MFOS minisynth in the cab below it to use in conjunction with it. how long and dark can i make that tunnel??? reeeeeeal long.

heres what it looks like now and stauts picks

tah dah!

2011-03-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

fianally after lots of work, probing, testing, metering, soldering , tapping, cutting and cursing: its done! hell yeah.

all tested and installed into its home. heres some pics and video of the sequencer driving a sequential circuts pro-one. using the A channel gate and slide feature while B channel cv does the p1 filter.

so worth it. this things quite fun. when in random mode it could easily be a backdrop for Space 1999, doctor who, or buck rodgers, or perhaps even "mother" from aliens" flashing lights as if to say 'computing, computing, computing. "

its one of a kind that im glad to have taken the time and effort to have built. the digital line inversion make the machine extremely crazy. i had it doing alternat lines by switching halfs of the sequence and using 8 per side. it was ridiculous kinda.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

2011-03-13T21:22:00.000-07:00

well heres the vid of everything running with the 4 bit control line modification...
its almost hard to know what happening....

only the battle has been won...

2011-03-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

well after some serious diagnosis, goose chasing and alot of pin pointed tested.. its running. 100%
ALL SYSTEMS ARE A GO!

itseems there was a bad solder connection on the CV A channel that was casuing it to have a output of -1.3 v.. weird. but i resoldered and reheated things and BAM! there it was.

so second issue that was left . the gate B line. it was not reaching full hysteresis threshold for the 40106 portion of the circuit to flip and invert. so everythin after that wasnt happening. it took a long while to track down the culprit. there was somethin in the gates' led cathode bus that was grounding when it shouldne have been. another issue i had was that the B rows leds were VERY bright even with the same value resitor in place to ground as the A line.. this was a shining example of where i should have started to look. im supposing that there was something .. aerrant piece of wire/solder/metal .. SOMETHING that was connecting that bus to ground. since when i was testing and isolating things.. i discoed the bus line from ground and the leds still worked!?!?!?! W T F ? so obviously somewhere else something was touching to ground. after a while and another weirdness, it went to normal. ! hot damn! but im not sure why the other weirdness happened.. the CV A's tl084 snapped and POPPED! just like that. it totally shit itself.. nothing touched it, connected with it or anything... so i replaced that and began a full test .

so now every module works as it was designed to.
including the prototype of the SLIDE>. its mad sweet.

now all thats left is the module for the xternal clock trigger comparator-buffer and the wiring of the trigger outs to 2 DB25's for the gate hold module. then that guy gets tucked into his case and ever so gently put into place.... man i cant wait!
here are some pics and videos.

more pics.

2011-03-07T07:44:00.001-08:00

power connections, 4 bit line switchers, db 15's for the swithcers and .01" headers for every connection to and from anything moveable or modifiable. (what a chore!) the reason for all the cable length is that the entire aluminum frame that all the pcbs are on is swing open able from the right side. so as to have access to the pots and switches for repairs. so the lengths have to reach when opened fully. i think id figure out a different design if i did this again. .. its not the easiest thing to deal with...

leviathan pics

2011-03-07T07:39:00.001-08:00

here are some pics of the machine.. im still diagnosing some off the issues with circuits misbehaving.. but all leds run in correct fashion. (5 rows of 16!!!)
ill upload some videos of the display soon. it utilizes 3 of the 4 bitch switch modification that ive discovered.... it at times looks like its broke, but is just running quite as it should..:)

houston, all systems are go...

2011-02-27T22:16:00.001-08:00

i tested all the sytems this weekend on the DRAX 2.5. thumbs up! i still ahve to check all cvs and gate voltages and such bu as for what the leds should be doing, we're on point.

heres a pile of pics...

dawning of the levaithan..

2011-02-26T22:38:00.000-08:00

so it was a super nice interlude doing the diy synth from doepfer.. but it only honed me up for the second round on the sequencer. after my incredibly botched test from a couple weeks ago, i decided that since there were far too many mistakes and shortcuts taken on that main board.. i decided to get another from MFOS. so i repopulated it very carefully, and with forthought of any mods and kluges neccessary. so the other day i got to test the heart of it and the see it run..:) YES! i tested the A channel of gate and cv. all was good. the gate can use the 4 bit inversion mod or run normal while the cv line runs moded. i made a little switcher tester set-up for the bench and then hooked p and connected the b line and that gate as well. DING another winner! then last was the slide and its led generator.. OHH SNAP! 3 for 3. all the connections have .10 headers to connect them with corresponding pots, buses, jacks, buffers etc, so it took quite a while to do the connectors and to get all the wiring coded, and discernably labeled.

so far its all good. i havent been able to see every channel running yet though since i dont have 3 sets of mod switchers on the bench test set up. so i would run one at a time to test the lines and connections. really the last thing will be testing the actual functions to make sure the cvs aer correct and that the gates are correct . i also have to wire the slide bus to the corresponding normal and portamento outs. then its trimming the pot shaft lengths with the dremel, wiring the connectors for the clock and rest links to the previos sequencers, finishing the rear panel connections for external 4 bit outs and power etc, and attaching the opening door/case for the entire enclosure, then last but not least putting on all the knobs and the rosewood trim strips. once all thats donr.. the very very last thing will be to make the 3- 12 conductore cables that go to the 4bit mod line inverters. then its install time. about fuckin time. whew....

beginning to take a very nice form...

2011-01-30T19:43:00.000-08:00

i had about 2 hours today to work on the MINIMONO some more.. i got all holes machined to the right tolerances and then set the face overlay in play and did the double bond adhesive. i use 3M SUPER77 . its fantastic on metal and plastic and cleans up real nice with naptha. so it went on like a DREAM! everything was exactly where it should have been. nice change. :) anyway, in that 2 hours i also got about a 3rd of the harware on and set in place.. the pacthfield jacks are always a pain to me.. i just hate doing them.. but its all good. and i wanted to see just a couple (literally) knobs on it before i had to leave. i also got the case assembled, but still have to fabricate the inside mountin rails and the face trim/spacers for the faceplate. i also have to make the armature that supports the tiny pcb for this synth. which is an incredibly minor task compared to the sequencers..

oh... i also cleaned out the holes for the hardware with the dremel and a conical shaped rotary edged blade. it is fantastic for the job and if needed can final trim/grind any faceplate material that is hindering correct placement of the hardware. i heeeeeeeaaaaaaaart the dremel.

the case is maple ply for the top and bottom panels and the sides are solid sepelea. they are actaully book leafed from l to r and the same iece was sliced down the middle long ways... im attentive to detail on the cases lets say.

anywa heres some pics of the the process and current status until i next building session.

one year... wow.

2011-01-30T08:08:00.001-08:00

so its been almost a year since i started this DIY adventure into the land of sequencers and CMOS.. ive been working on the last one for a long while now.. i tested the heart of it last weekend. it was a horrible failure. i had soooo many things wrong and mis-connected. i couldnt believe what i was seeing. i also couldnt get the cd40193 to advance the count of the cd4514 multiplexor chip... in essense the sequencer wouldnt move from its initial step (0) . so there were soooo many bets hedged and gamed on the system., i thought i could just go ahead and wire everything and it would work. what a foolish idea. so.. i had to desolder the main control board and all connex to the panels and triggers/gates. no fun. actually it was demoralizing. but after a bit i looked at it as a step in the right direction. so i went back to zero: i ordered another control board and started at 0. im re populating it all very carefully and am going to hedge only 1 bet: the 4 bit control line hack/inversion. thats the only varaible i want to introduce new into the equation here. i also want to check EVERY switch and connection. i had all the dpdt switches for the gates and leds wired incorrectly.. so i had to undo that mess as well. anyway. i made a switch tester/simulator so i can check the hack mod without having it down in the studio itself and do it on the bench.

so as this project was moving slowly (now) foreward.. i had also gotten as present from my wife a DOEPFER DIY synth for xmas.. its a one of everything complete analog synth pcb thats assemebled and working. all you do is connect the power supply to it and wire all the pots and such and fabricate the case/enclosure to your liking. its incredibly patachable and has nice features. state varaible filter and nice mod points. so i was sending the ARP oddysey faceplate to the printers so i picked up the pace and added the doepfer to it as well. i named it the MINIMONO. since it has one everything. and its an incredibly small pcb. and had a good ring to it. so i sent that , the arp and a redone faceplate for a control voltage mod dual row unit out to the printers here in town. gotem back with the machining mechanicals. fan fuckin tastic. i have the control voltage (DSVC is its name) on and am beginning to clean out the holes and getting ready for harware install. the MINIMONO is all drilled. all parts have arrived (pots/ switches/headers) minus 2 switches for the env timand the lfo mode.. i have also made the case for it and have that just about ready. it sepelea endcaps with just 1/2 super finished painted black ply between. looks pretty nice and classy old school style. no 90's bad typefaces or anything. class. the MINIMONO and ODY will match design wise. both use the classic ARP styling from the last version of the ODY. i like that . i used black and orange with white letters and boarders. looks stlylish and scientific without being corny or cold. GENEVA was the typface that is almost 99% identical to the ARP stuff. love it. anyway.. heres pics of all the stuff.

gate hold module fabrication/wiring

2010-12-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

so heres the super cool switches all set in their repsective spots.. i used angle aluminum from home depot to fabricate the housings/faceplates. i made a template for the mounting screws and then figured out the correct spacings from front/side to side for a 19" rach unit with enclosure. so after i got the measurments i laid out all the holes and punched them (to minimize drill bit drift) and then used a fence on the press bed of the drill press to even minimize variance further. worked pretty well.

i then used a dremel to cut the u shaped holes into the aluminum for switches. i didnt cut the horizontal of the u but rather scored it about half way thru. this allows then to snap the alunimum off in a very precise sharp corner with no ugly over cut marks. i then cleaned the u out with a nice file. very efficient. what wasnt efficient and time consuming was tapping the holes (32 in each row ) x2 rows. for the switches. that took some time and delicacy. (4/40 taps dont like to be twisted or torques to hard. theyll say no and snap)

i used 3 pieces of angle stock to make each row. (oddly enough this is just a 1/16th over the actual size of one U rack measurments) i have this sitting in ait own area so its not directly touching any other rack gear so its no issue... the bottom is just face plate surface and will have the step numbers and info on it. the second is the switch row itself and the 3rd is a 3/4 size piece that will house a bi-colour led (red-green) for staus and scroll/count/step indication. so because of the nature of the mechanical switch you can see to parameters at once. - the hold faetures all together via the yellow mechanical flip, and the current step AND status of that step via the dual color led. so its not too bad.

im re-using an old set of rack ears from an s700 that has been canniballized for another project.. the rear panel for this module will have several db -25 connectors on the back the interfacn/connections to the main sequencer unit. so its all about figuring out now exactly where in the circiut this fucker needs to go...

one biiiiiiig step closer. id say about a month to 2 month it will be testable...:)

trudging on...

2010-12-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

as ivve now spent almost a year doing this never ending sequencer project.. i reach a point where ive actaully been able to see the end.. this last sequencer is so encompassing to create, with so many interconnections. switches and just complexity that its daunting at times. today WASNT one. all cv channels, gate channels, and the slide channel are all now manufactured and connected. all digital line buffers are in and awaiting connection to the main switchers. the gate hold module is about 40 % done. ive uploaded pics of the way ime going to mount the super duper sweet dpdt push buttn latch switches im going to use for it. i found them for a buck a piece from a surplus supply place. they have a machanical status indication inside the button (which allows mw to see a series of gate holds together to know where they start and stop) i count ask for a better switch. they are THE SHIT! and they are double sided as well which really makes the assembly free-er. so these will be used to hold the gates and slur them between steps. (so envelpoes will tie together and open up like a 303 or funky slurs/legato portamento on the minimoog). a very nice little feature that really isnt too terrible amounts of work really.
its all relative.

well heres the pics.

ideas as well

2010-11-09T05:29:00.001-08:00

ive also found an imterestimg cmos ic. : the cd 4066 quad switch. basicly it 4 switches integrated into one small 14 pin dip ic. you ask how this may be useful? i ll explain.. say you have a row of triggers with physical switches. you have to drill holes for everyone and wire everyone and have faceplate realeastate for each one. thats all well and cool, but depending on how much money u want to spend.. can be costly and time consuming depending on style of switch.. so ive been thinking of this chip for a drum programmer unit. basicly a large trigger sequencer with a ton of rows for triggering drums and envs or whatever. say 4-8 rows depending. so i can have one row of 16 step switches (like the 808-909) and then selelct between the instrument rows for their use. the only issue im trying to solve is one of power to that row after selection is done..

the chip uses and the vdd volatge as the on status for the switch input and the vss voltage (or lack of) for the off. basicly system power and ground. mine would be +12 an ground in this case. i guess i can just switch the power from another source to "hold" the stauts of each switch after i remove the row from the programmer circuit. like a "lock" switch. another issue is that upon powering down all sequences will be lost. but it would enable me to put all of this into say 3 or 4 rack spaces then for 8 rows of gates and triggers. one row of programmer switches (reeeeeal nice ones) and then a 4-8 x 16 grid of leds that correspond to each rows triggering status and one row of counter "current step" leds. just an idea....

also this would involve me going one more step into all of this stuff and etching my own boards. it would only be wise to do this for such a large amount of ic wiring and repeating circuits. and size as well. im working on how to make each row independant lengths and modes as well. (bi directional, reverse, random etc) it would be a seriously ridiculous analog drum programmer unit, that would be super original.

leviathan apraoches

2010-11-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

so ive sort of take everything from the first sequencer on here and added all of it to the new one thats about 85% done. additional features : gate hold per sequencer to slur-tie your gates together for envelope holds. selectable per-step portamento (aka "slide" ) like on the tb-303/csq-600/sh-101 sequencers. and last nbut not least 3 sets of digital line inversions for cv channel A, B and Slides! ill have some new pics inthe next couple days.. its been quite a consuming wiring task along with simply figuring out how it needs to be done for all this to happen. im sure they'll be lots of bugs to work out . i never plan on it working right off the bat:) heres a pic of the control line wiring that needs to be done to make this happen.

the other image is the truth tables for cd4067 multi-de multiplexer ic. it is the translation of the 4 bit digital line and how its affected by the inversion of its pulse .. and what that means in reality to the sequencer running. basicly it does nested looping!!!! so it makes really sick variations of your pattern. 16 of them! when used in the "bi derectional" and "reset" modes, this does even weirder and cooler things. i havent been able to count the permutations yet.lets just say theres alot.

still

2010-07-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

...

2010-07-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

inverted

2010-07-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

walking through the mirror...

2010-07-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

ok. so i went from theoretical to reality. i built the inversion switches and module and installed it into the original sequencer (which had plenty or room in it) and tested it.. FAN*F__KING* TASTIC!

its unreal what i does. it deos exactly what the table suggested , but combined with the step length and reset and bi directional modes on the sequencer .. its craaaaaaazy. you can make the last parts of the sequence loop. have it run n complete reverse (not bi-directional) and have it it do all the nested looping in reverse and within a desired length. its ridiculous. ive only ever seen one seuqncer that will do this.. the RENEE for modular stuff. it makes a linear sequencer. non-lilnear. LOOOOOVE IT> it adds so many new variations to an allready cool sequence.

so heres where reality gets super warped. this inversion hack can be done for any module seperately within that system.. so if i have 2 channels of cv , they can have seperate inversions for each one with no real efort really other than breadboarding one 40106 hex inverter chip. (after the main buffer/inverter is made..)

so i fabricated a set of 4 inversion controls that occupy the very bottom of the new cabinet i made. one will be for this sequencer... i may do the drax version on only the one channel. or maybe one for each.. depends on my mood. since that has 2 channels of cv gate on it. or i may leave that one be since its allready a serious frankenstein creation with haphazard wiring and precarious engineering...

heres some footage of what the inversion hack does.. its driving the sequential circuts pro-one with just a single oscillator for reference.

holy inversion batman!

2010-07-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

ok.. there are 4 digital control pulse lines that come from the main clocking chip on the mfos sequencer board. they control what step is selected on the multiplexer -demultiplexer chip (cd4067) that selects what pot/sequencer channel is playing and what order. .. so ive been making amping buffer for these signals using a cd40106 hex inverter (2 for each amp up. one gets inverted the other gets re-inverted to normal) but amped to 12 volt for larger spans of wire and multiple submodules.. so if you tap that amp/buffer half way through (the inverted) and the look at the truth table ((((((MATH??????????))))))))) for the 4067.. i sat downa figured out exactly how all that numeric giberish translates to the sequencer order and playback.

HOLY SHIT.

TOTAL MUTATION AND THATS ONLY THE HALF OF IT.

needless to say im adding this into the new one. damn straight.

drax phase 2 : rewire.

2010-07-06T05:45:00.000-07:00

so i had the choice of ether rewiring the main pots or leaving them as is.. i decided to go for the money and rewire those shits to be right.. so they should go to the hinge side of the rear panel to meet up with breakaway headers that then go to the main cv channels. hopefully the extra work will be justified when i have trouble shoot this bitch. and i know i will for damn sure. theres too many unknowns withthe design right now. the poramento circuit is the only proto of it. :) like scotty rebuil;ding the enterprise.. "i wouldnt bet the farmon it captain..well scotty we dont hava choice do we. im counting on you mr scott." so anyway 2 pics are of the re wire and use of the 16 conductor ribbon, if you do anything that has wiring simular USE THIS SHIT! its fantastic. all electronics has it for very very reasonable prices. and it it well worth the price for the amount of clutter and rats nests it avoids. it tames the wild wires.
the next one after the rewire is the slide mux/de-mux chip that basicly selects between the portamento circuit and the normal circuit. this if it works should be dope. and its and incredibly simple thing. hopefully. i may be speaking too soon...after that is GATE chan B its basicly the same as the main gate section on the digital board except its seperate. and it has to tie to 2 diodes on the main board (d28-29) this adds another channel of gate to the machine. handy for many many things. envs, lfos. drums, retriggering anything. or using it as a second sequence with channel b cv.
after that is the 40106 hex inverter led buffer. it basicly buffers up the leds pulses so as to chain them and add another row of leds to whatever they come from. i like leds... so i need 2 of these guys for on here.

drax phase 2 continued continued

2010-07-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

one more vid..

PAHSE 2 continued..

2010-07-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

more pics for the hinge and such...an a vid or 2.

DRAX 2 : phase 2 begins

2010-07-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

i have all the main work related components in the face now and all are wired.. minus connex to the board they have to go to. so the next step was to get a hinged back frame to hang all the modules and sub modules on. and start on their arrangement (important). the arrangement depends on what needs to be connected to what and WHERE. the biggest concern was that the 2 boards for the 2 rows of cvs are near and shortest.. since they were allready wired. i had planned on doing things don the center originally but now i see that was mistake .. so all wires should be run down to the right side (from back) and then over to the boards... i can either rewire all the pots whick wouldnt be THAT bad or leave then as is.. i may opt to re wire since ive tried to be logical and plan ahead so far... so the pics are of the back pre frame and post frame.. also theyll be a little video giving a panarama and a demo of the hinge.. simple but effective. now its finish the propagation of the boards and maybe rty to find breakaway headers for the connections. that would be incredibly helpful in the long run.

2010-06-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

drax and poly 6 part 2...

2010-06-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

me in front of the drax unit.. its a daunting wall of shit right now.. i work on her piece by piece and hopefully it will all go fairly smooth.. i have a general idea of how it should go so. the pic of the aluminum is the armiture that holds all the boards and sub boards for the unit. this goes over top of the pots and switches in the faceplate. and sits about 1.5 inches or so away in parallel. i have to make this hinge so i can then access the pots and such when and if there will be repairs/adaptations and issues. so then the rear enclosure has a hinge and then the main board assembly will have a hinge as well. just seems like wise plan..the overlay DSVC is the extra 2 row expander module im make ing for this as well.. it extremely simple compared to the drax.. i didnt have the overlay printed i did it on the injet at home.. and seemed it and then sealed it with mylar from the art sore on both sides (3m super 77 spray adhesive wont ruin the clear overlays!!!) the next pic is the actual face plate of the DSVC on the drill press.. i work onthat as time allows as well. i make a simple black and white print out of it with all registration marks for all holes and then rubber cement that to the faceplate and puch drill from there. it gets things like 95% where they should be... ith minimal filing afterwards. so if you want to do it .. try it it that way! the last pic is the cr-8000 switches takes apart for cleaning and such.. they are super delicate and basicly what happens is the carbon comes off the top of the plunger and wont make contact to complete the circiut. so you clean it with a qtip and deoxit d5 and then shave a soft lead pencil for the lead shavings. chop it real fine and then apply it and rub it into the tiny foam pads on the plunger.. it works awesomely and pretty much indefinetely.

drax 2 continued...

2010-06-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

well ive done some more wiring and remembered to take some pics this time. i also took some pics of the poly installed into its new home and the cr8000 switches in their undone state. theres a neat pic as well of an upcomming project...:)

drax-2 002 taking shape

2010-06-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

so ive been starting to wire and install all the pots and switches and do some of the preliminary wiring.. wow do i have work ahead. luckily i have a couple pics of this before they were installed and such. one is of the overlay (professionally laminated to be used industrial machine faceplates) and then some of the rear view of the armature i needed to make for all the sub modules and main boards.. this is going to be a wicked bitch to build physically. and more work than i had planned on... ill get some pics of the build as i do them.. i have one row of pots wired as of right now, and one row of leds in. . .

the long haul

2010-06-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

its seems this new sequencer is really taking time.. i guess it dont help tha i have several other projects on the bench as well (including a sequencer expander for it...) and a cr-8000 repair -mod and a poly six repair(extensive).. ive had to make several extra breadboard modules for it as well: 2 CMOS control line buffers, 3 led buffers, an extra gate channel, and a slide /selectable per-step portamento 4067/mux/demux control board.. so the piece ar e aaall done now and ive pretty much figured the layout of it tall behind the faceplate, and monuting etc.. have the faceplate all amachined and eady to go and have the printed overlay on the unit.(it was ridiculously hard to do with soooo many holes to align.- along with 3 rows of rectangular dpdt switches...) but it looks fairly good and should work out allright..

im projecting with everything else in life right now as well.. ill have it finished/de-bugged and running in about 1.5 -2 months... rough estimate with the current time scale. theres ALOT I STRESS ALOT of wiring to be done.. some i can really blaze trhu other shit will just eat time. so...
we'll see.

DRAX 2: revision 3.3

2010-05-07T05:13:00.000-07:00

so i have really gone crazy. i realized while using the sequencers i have allready made that i love to use them and need more.. but being me and unhappy with they way they are .. i modiy and modify. why? cause ive always wanted to know how to do this kind of stuff. and sequencers are the only better than synths :) they are the brains that tell the arms and hands what colours and how to paint them. anyway.. so ive started this monster and figured out how to do several crucial things. 1: buffer the cmos digital control signals (allowing for longer wire runs with no defective artifacts in the controls), 2:use the cool dpdt switches that are oh so cheap (5 for a buck from allelectronics.com) and how to mount them in several style of enclosures. 3: the system for making wiring all the posts and crap much easier and faster. 4: how to build them physically so they are easier to repair or modify in the future.

so.. ive printed out a full size 300 dpi black and white copy of the face plate overlay. then rubber cemented it to the rack plate ii salvaged a while back. , then punched all the holes so as to not have the drill bit wander at all. then drilled baby. drilled. and drilled. some i couldnt do on the press since the span from the post on the press to the bit wasnt large enough any which way to fit the plate in.. so they were done the old fashioned way by hand and a power drill. anyway did every hole. for everything. alot.. then fit everything through with actual components to test fit and placement. especially all 48 of the switches. they were crucial since they have to be thru the holes so the 4/40 thread quarter inch bolts can thread into the body of the dpdt switch. i had to drill each switch hole out and re thread it to that size. they were TINY and just couldnt find the tread anywhere for them.. i imagine they were metric. but very small. so anyway i modified them and have it now..

so its all drilled. i also began making/laying/designing the armature and arrangement of the boards behind the face plate. i have 2 analog boards, one digital board, 2 led buffer boards, one gate channel board, and a cmos control line buffer board. so its not crowded but not spacious. it will be ok to wire if im careful and neat. also have been planning out how to face the boards so they are easy to remove and repair without dissambleing everything. im cutting the back fot he enclosure to have a hinged door so it will allow access without removal of a thousand screws or anything. good physical design goes along way. something i think manyfactures now forgot. they just design that shit to be throw away. fuckers.

anyway the ther projects on the bench are the cr-8000. i had to clean several of the swiches on it.. no fun. but not too bad. so i decided to mod it with trigger ins and individual outs. easy job. but i also found alot of info on the net as to how to make it into a big drum synth. im totally diggin that. so its getting a partial mod now and a big one later.

the other thing is the POLY 6 . needs the typical battery board repair. what a mess. it can live though. just needs a whole lot TLC. that guy is LUUUUUUUSH. he needs to work.

phase 3

2010-04-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

so its all in and working: 3 channels of cv and gate. 2 of them are controlled by one brain of sorts and one by another. its ridiculous.. but the 3rd sequencer is on the way! withe the last portion (the extra gate channel) i learned to manufature the very affordable dpdt switch housings and how to do dual state leds, and single state-cycling leds as well. the extra gate channel was pretty easy to do. minus the tricky diode kluges. (which led to the possibility of the gate holds...more on that as i lay it out further. but i will do a full gate channel layout for anyone who wants to build another gate channel on theirs..its pretty damn easy and dirt dirt dirt cheap. good for env, lfo and any other sort of triggering in time with your sequence. espeically, if you have a modular.

i also inadvertantly came to 2 very nice discoveries. programmable portamento and possible gate time hold per step to give note values other than 1/6th to the sequencer!!!! the portamento is pretty much confirmed a working idea .. the gate may take some further testing. but the portamento will be implemented on the new #3 model. single housing dual channel, dual gate sequencer in a 6 U rack face with akai/emu style angled out control pad/surface at the bottom. (with walnut sides of course...)

this one has the features of the last one plus the selectable portamento. it will be smooth and refined. unlike the DRAX 2 #000 unit, which is a frankenstein and a half. but hey .. you learn on something right? its a crammed tight and almost difficult unit to work on since its grew as i worked on it.. what a freak.

anyway heres the face layout for the DRAX 2 001. for real...and also the black and white mechanical that ill use to do all the machining on the face plate..

small revelations

2010-03-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

so ive been trying to figure out how to use dual state leds for the on off status /current step indicator.. i finally figured it out. u have to wire the annodes of each to either pole of the dpdt witch then run the cathode to resisted ground and then run the trigger in from the main digital board to the common. its so easy and im so stupid. this solves the dilema i had the other day..how to have the dpdt switch do trigger onn/off and show on/off staus with a light no matter if its on or off.

so. if it off lets say as the clock cycles to that step it and it hits that step it shows a red . if its on it shows a green. simple and effective.

only thing i have to do is split the trigger wire to the bottom pole of the other side and to the middle common of the the first. i may have to diode it between i think. anyway..thats that.

then the switches them selves took WAAAAAAy long to mount. i had to figure out a way to do it that doesnt involve hours of dremeling and filing. so i got 4 cutting heads for a rotary hand held grinder ($1.45 each) and then made a bolt and nut combo to lock them all between. this was then measured and used on 2 pieces of 'L' channel aluminum 3/4 inch wide on one side and 1/2 on the the other. (3/4 sides goes together) this is almost exactly the width of a 1 U rack face! perfect. so then you have a u channel about 1 and 1/2 inches accross the face with a seem splitting it in half horizontally.. now you need to put 16 rectangular holes in it. :) so you measeure (3 times before you cut) . i used metrics to do it. much easier. i went 50 mm in from the end on the left side and (almost the same on the right) and started there. i did 25 mm spacings between switch CENTERS. not from edges of them!!!! you can comfotably fit 16 in and have everything be correct then.. then after one side was completed fully i marked and did the other side.

after it all marked, you figure out how far from center line you want the switch to sit vertically. you split the differenece on either piece of aluminum. mark and number all positions and besure to double check before you start knawing this up. mount the one side you are working on in a vice!!!!!!!!!! and always wear you saftey glasses. yeah yeah i know. do it!!! STFU! your shop teacher was right so put them on you jerk. now after you have your cutter heads locked down tight, take a scrap piece and test the width of the 4 (should be almost exactly 1 switch) then secure this into your cordless drill (or corded) and then test away on the scrap. it will be slightly lopsided and bounce unless you're real good at centering the bolt inside the heds.so as i said GET THE FEEL OF YOUR TOOL> ha.

so when you feel ready ...attack you first side. grind until you hit your mark. stop. repeat 16 times. then use a file to square out and test the switch inside the hole. do the other aluminum piece. same here. file and test.

if you did it all right the holes should line up and youll have 16 rectangular openings in a 1U rack face! now you can use this alone or attach this inside another face plate for wahetever you may need! since they dont make rectangular drill bits and we dont have hand held lazers to cut yet and cnc machining is mad expensive. this is the solution i chose. im sure many others will come up with therir own! HACK AWAY!

sequencer sub>9 finished install

2010-03-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

here it is all installed and patched out to the cv pacthbays to make life slightly less complex when it really dont need to be...:)

sequencer sub>8

2010-03-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

ive installed it into its home. run a 16 channel snake for the connex to the cv patch bay area.. ( i also patched in the juno 60 vcf , the lambda vca and the csq-600 start as well. so it clocks, runs and is mad solid. the only problem is now i WANT MORE OF THEM!!!!!! im building another row or triggers so that it can do 3 seperate cv and gates.. right now its only 2 with one row of mod. so ideally this bastard will just grow and grow.. until its some kinda freakishly large, frequently viewed weirdo internet legend..:) uh, ok stop dreaming now..

today is going to be an experiment. im going to try and build a dc coupled cv mixer from MFOS's site. its pretty simple looking to do and shouldnt take very long (if im not and idiot) and hopefully that will allow me add a keyboard cv and the cv from the sequencer at the same time. that basicly translates to upping the voltage of the sequencer output by whatever the keys supply. aka transpose. so we'll see.. the only thing is i need to make another ps for all this new stuff or steal another output from the mains off the distro inside the first unit.

its a 1.5-2 amp ps and theres still plenty of amperage left for other things.. :) over build. like amercians used to!!!!

im so into this shit.

sequencer sub>7

2010-03-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

ive done it igor. the beast rises from it own ashes. the sequencer has been completed. its ridiculous. its 2 brains. 3 channels and 2 gate channels (3rd on the way).. and has one set of coarse and fine tunings.. and then on the secone unit.. a dual set of coarse tunings/control for each channel. i finished it sometime tonight about 20:30 or so...

ill get better pics later.. i was too amped to do anything after i got it runnig right!

sequencer > sub 6

2010-03-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

got the digital control board in yesterday for the second sequencer half.. hopefully this will be the thing to solve digital clocking dilema i had.i believe it will.. wouldnt bet all the money on it since i understand maybe 50% of how it works.. but i have a hunch. also the order with the rest of the parts i needed to complete it from jameco will be here today as well.. so its pretty good timing. shouldnt take long at all to propagate the the board and get it all together.. then tomarrow will be the install and wiring of the switches.. that may take some time. since im using the dpdt sitches to do dual duty (1 pole for on/off status indicator led 1 for actual trigger functioning) its gonna be slightly tight and delicate to wire. not to mentiont hat the trigger controller is in a seperate physical box.. ugh. challenges... always challenges.

sequencer> sub 6

2010-03-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

spent the weekend working on the sequencer.. friday i got the cd40193 counter chips in. thats the only one i didnt have extras of.. so i proceeded early saturday morning to change that guy out. BAM. thats what it was. so i guess i blew those out because it cant handle the draw of power when i had all the others chained after it. so like any other thing that takes power.. it blew.. like having too many speakers or heavy draw speakers on an amp.

so i started and finished the trigger section for the secong sequencer... ive named it the "drax" dual row analong sequencer. sounds kinda cool and menacing. and sort of makes sencse.. it will be the same as the first except that it has 2 independent rows of 16 coarse knobs as oppposed to 1 row of coarse and 1 fine like the other. im guessing eventually ill make another row of triggers for it as well since i know how to use the cd4514 chips to ties into the digital clock/control to drive them..

i also tried using the dpdt switches i got real cheap on this guy.. small slides. had to do some serious mcguyvering on it but they worked and look kinda cool. i used them since they have 2 poles .. one is for the triggers on/off . the second i used for an led indicator of on/off for that step. so when its on its lit, off its not. kinda simple but fun. usefull too to see whos active in the sequence. im going to try and see if i can figure out a way to have both voltages (current step led that flashes and onn-off led) become the same one.. maybe resist the voltage down on the on-off and tie them together so that when the clock comes around to that step it increases the voltage and drives the led harder (aka brighter) it would be kinda cool for sure.. almost like 808 909 type leds.. or maybe use a dual state led.. so that when it counting its red and when its on its green and off is no light.

all these are pieces that im trying to get in complete understanding of since im want to build really 2 more things.. a dual row 10 step sequencer and a 4 channel drum/trigger sequencer withe the option to expand each independent channel with cv as well. .. thats the end goal. a giant sequencer with many peripherals to make that one ridiculously dleicate and perfect sequence of music.

sequencer sub 5

2010-03-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

ok.. well i tried got the comparator circut going!!!! after it now working and me checking and re checking and rechecking my wiring. well im an idiot really, since i had no idea that ics are numbered from the upper left down THEN ACCROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE CHIP to the right side and up. duh. that was the problem.. the add on "trigger comparator" worked flawlessly. so the next day i proceeded to contunie work on the xpander unit...

got it all done and tested it. FAIL> (to quote mr kirk digeorgio) it wasnt traking the steps correctly and doubling up on certain one and was just a damn mess... so i decided to try shortening the connection cable to itsabsolute smallest.. bu when i did theis i mistakenly ahd the +12 an -12 reversed. ooops. yep. big mess now.

so i immediately disconnected the xpandr unit from the main unit.. and then main unit was a mess now. GGGGGRRRRRRRRRR.

so i proceeded to begin changing all chips on the digital board( had a lot of extras of almost all of them...) but i didnt have any extra of the cd 40193 counter ics that basicly make the digital clock signals.. (which would mess everything up if its toasted) .. so i replaeced all but aht and still no luck.. so i mad an order to mouser for a bunch of them. hopefully that will cure the problem. so i can atleast be back at zero with a fucntioning main unit that syncs to the simmons MTM trigger pulse.

that leaves the dilema of the expander unit.. i can either try and buffer the digital control signals from the main units board of i can just add a digital board and control/transport/step length etc to the expander and bascily make another full unit.

thats wht ive opted for. number 2.

so im adding a rown of on/off triggers to it, independent clocking/ step length and modes. so if the main units runnig at say.. a 16 step pattern and in bi directional mode, and the mod sequence if runnign in a 12 step pattern in a reset after last step mode.. man.. hte crazy shit that will come out of that.. of if i want to i can use it drive 3 seperate cv ins on the oberheim xpander i have to make a chord.. in a roundabout way..

so thats where im at. im excited that this may actually come to fruition soon. and actually work!

as ray wilso n from MFOS said.. i flew to close to the sun there for a minute.

sub> sequencer

2010-03-03T04:43:00.001-08:00

today ill get to test the comaprator circut that will add the xternal clock inout to the sequencer... i ve never made a circut directly from schematics.. so it will be a test for me for sure.. theres one part im not really totally sure about, its a power suply bypass area that has a 3 ceramic caps and an electrolytic that ive subbed with a tantalum (didnt have en electro in that value..) i believe it has something to do wi the grounds. the rest of the circut has no tie at all with anything else.. so i guess im reading it correctly. we'll see. if it works or not. if it does.. that'll be damn sweet since xternal clocking can happen then, from a +5 source (MTM, 909, 808, 707, 440 trigger, drum pads.) .. crossing my fingers on that one

the other circut that i had to make (for the expander unit) is a led driver /buffer circut using a cd4514 chip.. its the chip that drives the gates and leds on the main unit. its basicly not to hard to do.. everythings done right off the pins from the chips. (minus a resistor and power) so hopefully my wiring was good. its driven by the control signals from the digital board that the analog board is driven by.. (QA QB QC QD) whatever they are coming out of the 4067 i believe...it basicly has no logical pattern on the pins to how they are wired, but according the schmatic i dl'ed from MFOS its shouldbe the way to fly for LEDS of for making triggers sequenceable!!! its the key for making a drum programmer sequencer. and having lots of flashing leds..:) i like that. i have dpdt switches coming (small ones) that im planning to use for the trigger sequencer. one side of the dpdt will be the trigger itself and the other will be a "on/off" indication for each step.. so as the main leds accross the top count accross , the ones for each step will turn on when it hits thats step if the on switch is switched on. so we'll see. its the next project after the expander cv module.. i want to do a test unit with maybe one row (plus i have a 1 space enclosure and shit i got from the trash to use up-old altec power amp) . so thats the test for the big drum /trigger guy that im going to try.. like 4 or 6 space rack face... probubly 6. have the enclosure for it as well and plate allready.. from the remains of a revox reel to reel enclosure. the other half is used in the expander mod allready . i heart the jig saw and metal blades... well thats all for now.

all the best and tell everyone inthe factory that number 5 alive.

jonny 5

sequencer 4

2010-02-28T21:08:00.000-08:00

so as i was learning about making the expander section for this.. (which is a little easier than the main unit...) slightly. i found a circut using a single chip that drives the leds in time with the clock from the main board.. this is what led (no pun intended) to think about a trigger sequencer unit as well for lfos. drums. envelopes.. whatever. so its actually pretty damn easy to do and i found what may be pretty interesting switches to use on it. thy're really small switches like those on the ARP 1601 for the gate bussing. so i though .. whaty not try them out rather than the big and more expensives spdts i used on the main unit. i also founf these flat top round leds as a close out for ridiculous prices as well.. so i rearranges the circut and used dpdt switches to utilise an led for trigger on status as the clock timing hits it along with the main blinking clock counter.. so we'lll see how that goes on a single row expander as a test of the idea.. i have an enclosure and faceplate from the trash to use up so.. it wont really cost much of anything to do (cept in time) so .. be goos to get it down and make some interesting and useful machines with it.

sequencer part 3...

2010-02-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

last but not least a small little movie using the main unit and controller.. im driving a korg mono/poly that is set in chord memory mode. (little trick thats awesome on it) .. you have to use the vco fm input rather than the cv in.. anyway. its being driven by the MFOS project and im changing modes, portamento and step length while its running. im also building a circut that will alllow a trigger pulese from say , a a simmons MTM converter, or a tr trigger out to drive the clock input/step. it basicly scales up the +5 trigger to a +12 level that the internal system uses.. so once that is finished and tested.. it wil allow me to use this little beast with the MPC3000 triggering it thru the MTM. so hence. MAD SHUFFLE-SWING capabilities..

hopefully by the end of this week ill have the cv mod expander finished so it can really harness the potential of units like the monopoly, pro -one or the ob xpander i have. especiallly the xpander... i cant wait to dig into it with this machine.

sequencer part ...

2010-02-28T19:25:00.001-08:00

so as i was learning how this machine was working while i was building it.. i started to see the craziness and understand how things worked (electronic engineering i guess) and was asking (probubly redundant stupid questions ) to the guy from MFOS (mr. ray wilson) and he was very kind in his replies to my excited, but slightly ignorant (electronicly speaking) self. so i sort of arrives at things he had allready come up with and was just ecstatic. basicly you can run as many channels of this sucker as you want from one main digital/control board.. also the trigger end of it is even simpler than you can imagine so.. i started amasing parts, and planning for a test project of a trigger sequencer that runs with the main one. I also have a crazy idea for a MAQ 16 type sequencer with it where 3 channels or more an run independantly. in different modes...-foreward reset, reverse, random etc etc...:) so.. im pretty amped.

these photos are of the 2 row by 16 step mod voltage expander so as the main unit can do pitch and gate and the aux unit can do 2 channels of modifier cvs.. so along with the extra trigger unit.. they'll be plenty allready.. i feel like a kid at christmas.

sequencer project....yooooooooew!

2010-02-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

i decided i wanted another anlog sequencer. i wasnt going to pay the insane money that they go for now... so i spent a bout 2 months perusing the d i y stuff. Music From Outer Space was the choice. it was a seriously a bit over my head at first (even with some pretty decent understanding from repairs and such) , but i was deteremined.. so i stepped up my game..:)

anyway it took about 2 months on and off (and alot of waiting for the correct parts) since i had to do all the sourcing myself.. also it has led to buildin another 2 rows of 16 for cv mod control sources and also working on plans for a 3 row trigger sequncer to go with these 2 units as well. all peripheral units are powered from the main unit (1.5-2 amp ps and distro..) so i can power a whole modular or sequencer array and such off of it. and i will. no doubt. :) i used enclosures that were from other scrap things... like odd 3 space vu meters, a weird medical thing that i dont know what i did. (guts were out when i got to it.. so it was only the case) and scrounged blank faceplates from various places.. so basicly i set about trying to make an analog sequencer to replace my traded sem 8 step one..

all machining/hacking/cutting op.. and alterations were done by me. using basic power tools and a dremel and lots of small files etc... i had the ovrelay for the faceplates printed at a digital place here in pittsburgh that can do control panels for industrial machines and such and it was a very very reasonable cost(it makes the machine look as well as it fucntions) ..
well it seems i kinda traded up a bit.. this one crazy. and will only continue to get crazier. enjoy and pleas ask any question if you're interested in doing on from MFOS. its awesome.

PRO ONE WALNUT CASE PART 2 : P5 JUNIOR

2009-09-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

oiled, electronics installed and new sequential and p1 badges... almost there.. just the keyboard re-build now....

PIC OF FINISHED VS LCD

2009-08-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

here she is. sorry its so blurry but its hard to get a pic due to the brightness of the display (ahhhh it feels so good to say that...:) )

PRO ONE WALNUT CASE

2009-08-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

well after seeing the dude on ebay who sells the walnut cases and shit for 300 bills.. i wanted my own. i didnt want to buy one. i wanted to make it. my p1 deserves it. its been to so many shitty gigs and always has delivered.. and hen some. so i looked at his and then took apart mine to see what exactly had to be done. this coincided also with the tracking room at the studio being turned into a complete wood shop for remodeling of main control and a studio partnr getting a seriously huge load of old seasoned walnut. PERFECT! so i set about the making of it.. along with all the other projects..

took raw 4quater walnut and planed and planed to get it downto 2 sizes. 1/2 inch 4 the side caps and about 3/8 or so 4 the rest...
lots of sawing cutting, sanding planing gluing joining, etc etc. so finally i ended up with the product in the pics! been workin on it slow and just chuggin along piece by piece.

along with that though i figured i better figure out how to remake those fuckin bushings in the keys. wow. they suck. crumbled and dry rotted. so im using a plastic and metal sheet of heat shielding from a TX16w parts machine and making new spacer/bushing from it. cando about 6 keys a sitting (36 keys total) so its not real bad. but bad enough. i have to make 3 pieces for each key. i can order them , but i as usual i want to figure it out myself. ill pic them later on.. anyway heres the case..

i ordered the new pro one badge and the sequntial badge from the synthwood guy off ebay (figured he deserved some of my cash for the inspiration) and also bought a set of p1 (p5 style with the metal flange) knobs for the poys. cant wait to puthem on. also re did the power cord to have a regular 3 prong computer cord and such. mine was 1/2 step away from starting a fire i think... i used a power port and such from a spare eIIIxp parts machine.

but any way .. heres the pics of the stained and oiled (only 2 coats-needs about 6 more) p1 case..

SHAWN 1- PROPHET VS 1

2009-08-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

looks like the game was a good one! i spent about 5 hours today doing the prep an install for the vs's new blue and white lcd. i basicly had to cut a rectangular hole about 1inch by 2.5 inches thru the switch pcb of the prophet vs. this allowd me to insert the new lcd thru the hole and maintain a usable depth (since it sits behind the pcb and not between the pcb and faceplate. ) . so anyway.. worst case scenario i had to put the old one back in.. well...

best case scenario happened! the hole was fairly easyt to do (DREMEL IS THE JAM). used the fiber cutting wheel and the rotary routerhead/shaver head of sorts) to clean it outand square it out. luckily there were only 2 tracs that ran accross the field that needed to be removed . they were for the old contrast trimmer that ran to the (missing an broken ) backlight inverter for the e.l. foil. (not used) so for good measurre i jumped them anyway, just to keep them out the possible equastion. so after getting all the wires to the correct holes and some serious trial and error on fit (like milimeters each direction and such) i got it in and tested. B A M! the screen lookd fantastic ! but was off center.. so .. some screwing around and such finally got it right...

so the question of the trimmer pot for contrast? since my fuse holder and 110/220 switch was smashed in shipping by the loose transformer (check the scratches on the green pcb fields on the pics) i bypassed the 110/220 switch and had a free open hole in the back. i utilzed this for the 10k trimmer pot that contrls the contrast for the display now. it works pretty nice.

the display sits a decent depth and causes no issue in switch pcb sitting to far out or anything as well. infact it could actually slide a bit more foreward... i may be able to do this with slightly smaller plastic washers eventually if im *really* motivated. by probbly not. its fine for extended and everyday use and looks good from all angles. i posted some pics of the boards and work as well.. ill get a pic of it on when i go back tomarrow.. didnt think of that.. duh.

prophet VS LCD round II

2009-08-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

im determined. the vfd is a swwet looking screen, but it sucks waaay to much juice and makes the vs freak out.... so i had 2 options: a different scree or a seperate poer supply. im opting or a different screen. led based backlite lcd. white letters on blue background.

i tried the sp12 with it nd found that its a fairly easy thing to do and kinda experimented on t before tryingto fuck with the vs more. sequenial was never know for its fantasticly sturdy PCBS or internal builds... so the less in and out and heating up those traces: the better.

so today i have to prep the lcd (do all the wiring pin outs etc and then do the jumps and resistr kluge and wire the pot for the contrast. then it comes time to remove that shit of display in ther and figure out how i have to cut the pcb behind the lcd pcbto make it fit. the prophet sand whiches the lcd in front of the switch pcb and behind the faceplate . very stupid design, BUT on the switch pcb, there is nothing *at all* behind it on either side of the pcb so you can safely and even if you will ..sloppily... make necceassry holes and cutouts. so im thinking i can cut out a hole for the metal case and display area of the new lcd. then mount the lcd to the switch pcb allowing the screen area to go thru the switch pcb and since its about twice as deep and the old one.. pretty much go exactly where it should.

possible issues: that there may be a trace or traces on the switc pcb that will be where the mounting needs to happen, or that there will be a single trace that runs trhu where the hole needs to go in for the screen. as far as i rememeber the filed behind the pcb is wide open more than enought to fit the screen thru. this will also make anyreplacement o the screen happen WITHOUT haveig to take our both solder linked switchboards. (stupide idea # 54 on the vs). it seems when they made the vs. it was quick and dirty. the serviceing design of it wasnt really thought of.. fantastic sounds. poor build design. but hey.. you cant have the world. :) they still made a timeless freak machine. thanks guys..

so anyway i'll take some pics and of the surgey and try to document everything i do. so hopefully someone may need to use it for their own VS.

2009-08-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

SP12 LCD REPLACEMENT AND INSTALLATION

2009-08-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

as the backlight was growing dim on my sp12 (which i so dearly love) i was looking around foe sweet looking replacemts for it. crystalfontz.com is the spot. they have so many damn choicees. they use leds instead of the e.l. foils to do the backlights as well. so they really never burn oout. i kinda guessed at which would be the correct physical fit for the sp12, and only did the biopsy on it after ordering.. luckily it was a good guess. i went with the blue background and the white letters since it seemed very emu-ish and would fit.

the old lcd's have 14 pins. the new ones have 16 (15 and 16 are cathode and annode for backlight leds.) they also have a seperate spot to hook them up as well. i chose to jump mine from the incomming +5vdc from the main switch PCB. you have to put a 68ohm resistor from the jump off the +5 though, other wise it'll burn it out. the power accross the a and k then is about 2.23 on mine.. so its right in the tolerances for the leds. the other thing you have to do is install and wire a 10K ohm trimming pot for the display contrast. this goes to the power for the lcd (not backlight and not logic) its pin 3 in on the 16 pin set. so you jump the +5 to the leds and to the in on the 10k trim, then the ground gets jumped to the kathode of the leds and to the ground of the 10k trim also then the out of the trimmer get wired to the pin 3 location on the led pcb. its actually that easy.

the physical mounting was easy as well.. i re-used the 4 bolts that held the old lcd.. put the nuts on and tightend them in. then with a dremel tool and a littel rotary barrel grinder slowly ground the corners down on the lcd pcb. so it literally snugged right in and centered to the old position. then i put 4 washers on top of it (to overlap onto the PCB) then i found 4 more nuts to fit and sandwhiched the board between them and tighted it up. i also had to drill a hole thru the face plate for the 10K trimmer pot to be accessable onthe outside. i figured it should be right near the screen area. .. so its actaully quite easy to do and works fantastically. its a mid level project for someone who has a decent amount of experiance id say...

VFD : NEGATIVE

2009-07-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

the over heating issue was caused (as could be logically ssumed) from the installation of the VFD module. the VFD module was drawing far to much power.. even when that board wasnt plugged ing.. and making the voice board overheat. i didnt loook at it this way : on the back of the vs is a printed power total by the fuse " 500ma@110v" max draw. so i then look at the vfd "150-200ma" max draw alone! shit. thats just under half the power for the vfd alone. duh. good thing i dont build rockets. anyway so i reinstall the old burnt out lcd and things work for hours. he ps section ets hot but not like it did, and not as fast. all functions work as they should as well. the new switches are great.

so im thinking that i should maybe figure out how to add more amperage (say take the ps supply up to 1a or so and then the vfd should be coolio.. or add an external hack (walwart adapter ) for the VFD section power, im not sure how the migleing of power supplies works.. and it it is seperate from the mains or not. id probubly have to cut traces to make sure that the external is isolated from the mains. so its back to the burnt out (BUT WORKING) prophet vs. such is life...

but on a positive note. its better than a non working vs and the dx-7 IIFD restoration came out excellent as well (new display-from a tx-16w) and all new 3mm tactile switches. its fantastic and its fun to programm with the butons! DESPITE WHAT 20 YEARS OF BAD PRESS SAYS!!!!! its not really that hard. try it!

prophet vs- the next trial

2009-07-03T05:04:00.000-07:00

well , i did all e work. i re-capped the power suplly section, put new voltage regulators, and installed the VFD. the vfd has caused a small issue: it sits like .5mm higher than the old LCD, so i checked the board behind the old LCD area, kucily it was a huge, blank field of open PCB. so i drilled to holed thru the board to accomodate the "taller" compoments on the back of the VFD board. problem solved. now all switches sit as they really should.

enter the next test: power section heats up INCREDIBLY fast. ugh. ok so unplug all boards and slowly plug them in to see whats causing the issue If you guessed the VFD was the issue - YOURE WRONG! its the voicing board (uh-oh) since it contains some of the super rare CEM chips. luckily none of them were smoking hot. the 2 voltage resistors on that board (7805 an 7905) positive and negative 5 volt regulators are the issue.. the negative one gets untouchable. red flag. no good. i left it on with the switch/display section on for like an hour : normal heat level on the ps. i turn the voincing board on and in like 5 monutes the ps is too hot to touch. not good. so i had to order the regulators (50 cent parts) from mouser electronics. only took 3 days to get here but.. still. i hate the fact that there are no more mom and pop electronic supply places left. anyway i ll try them out in there today and see if the solve the issue. im crossing my figers...

prophet vs restore - modification

2009-06-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

got a prophet vs off ebay.. took the chance on it even though i had abad feeling.. always wanted one bad. so i get it, the ps was free floaing inside. it smashedthe lcd inverter and the 110/220 voltage switcha and the fuse holder. long story short ..fix all those issues and re cap the ps section and change out the voltage regulators. it runs great. then i switch out every switch on the face plate. mouser electronics has them yet. i made the switches lite grey almost white rather than black.. they came out well and then added walnut to the sides. i have a vfd from noritake on the way as well to replace the burned out lcd. ill post pics of that when its done.