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The stand construction thread


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Here my stand. Not as cool as the other ones here, but neither am I.

 

Are you kidding - that's beautiful! Did you make it yourself?

 

Cheers, Mike.

 

Thanks. It was built for me by a local furniture maker Jack Garriott for about $200 . The sides detach at the hinges and breaks down to 4 almost flat pieces.

FunMachine.

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Some great ideas here. I'm like King Arthur on a search for the "Holy Grail" of stands. When someone, here or elsewhere, mentions a new or different type of stand I'm compelled to find one and try it out.

I have Z stands, X Stands, folding stands, invisible stands, Apex stands, Ultimate Stands, a T-Stand, and even two Standtastic Stands.

My observation is that the "better" (ergonomically, structurally, stability...) a stand is, the longer it takes to set up. Knobs, wingnuts, etc. all suck when they come loose and roll away to a dark corner on an unlit stage during setup or breakdown. I dislike it when it takes longer to set up my stand than it does for the drummer to set up his kit.

 

On the subject of modifications: I keep coming back to this X-Stand (horrors!) with a 2nd tier. *CLONK*

In stock form, the 2nd tier is ridiculously high, AND is perched almost directly over the lower keyboard. I needed it lower and back. A sawz-all cut the arms, and I used a drill press to drill holes for the stabilizing rod across the back (to lower it). Simple, effective.

And, yes, I use a simple safety strap in case of X-Stand Malfunction.

Only (minor) complaint is that there isn't a lot of foot room, and I use two sustain and two modulation pedals.

Stand sets up or folds up in less than 10 seconds. AND with the modification the 2nd tier is well back and lower.

 

This past weekend I realized I'd left my X stand AND my folding Z-stand in my Music Room at school, and was forced to take one of the Standtastic stands out of hibernation. They work great, and are very adjustable - just a bit fiddly to set up.

Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine.

 

HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama.

 

 

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.... I'm like King Arthur on a search for the "Holy Grail" of stands. When someone, here or elsewhere, mentions a new or different type of stand I'm compelled to find one and try it out....

 

For my money, the Roland KS 12 is the holy grail of stands. It takes all of 5 seconds to set up. Add 30 if you're adding the second tier brackets. I got my KS 12 many years ago with a Roland RD-250. I think these days, the legs are black, not chrome, and they sell for $240. Expensive yes, but you get the compact stackable load, the quick set-up and plenty of real estate for your pedals. I added a mixer to mine, and jerry rigged second tier brackets.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/KS12-stand.jpg

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/DODmixer.jpg

The mixer is an ancient DOD, 4 mono inputs, stereo outputs on XLR and 1/4". The KS 12 stand in the default configuration is the perfect width for mounting a 19" rack mount unit. (The width and height are adjustable.)

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/mixer-side.jpg

I also added rubber bumpers for the keyboard to sit on.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/front-mount.jpg

Front mounting is with a piece of one-inch angle aluminum, sheet metal screws into the stand, and a nut and screw for the rack ears.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/rear-mount.jpg

Rear mounting is an L brace supporting the weight of the mixer.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/2nd-tier.jpg

Second tier bracket (a no-name brand) is designed to mount vertically, but that would have put the second tier keyboard too high, so I cut it and bolted it back together at a right angle. I jammed a piece of plywood inside the cut part so it wouldn't collapse when it was bolted back together.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/2nd-tier-mntd.jpg

The clamp end just so happens to fit the KS 12 stand perfectly. The brackets aren't rigid at the right-angle bend, but they don't have to be. They're designed to rest on top of the bottom keyboard, with carpet scraps double-taped on the bottom side. I also cut the tubing back a bit to eliminate another inch in height.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/2-keybd.jpg

 

I've been using this with different keyboards for about 20 years or so. Fortunately, I've always had a bottom keyboard with all the controls close to the front. In fact, that's a major part of my buying decision.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/Mt-Lmn-Kvn.jpg

Heres some guy (who looks a lot like me) playing my rig before I got the Nord Electro. You'll notice I hadn't yet cut the bottom of the 2nd-tier tubing to eliminate that extra inch added by the higher profile of the RD-300gx.

 

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab258/d2300/iPad-Stand.jpg

 

I had to throw this in - my jerry-rigged iPad stand. Its made by On Stage. It comes with an L-shaped arm to clamp onto a mic stand. Fortunately, the base threads onto a standard mic stand, which is how I use it. I cut the hole for the 30-pin connector and added the bent-open eye-bolts to clamp the iPad to the stand. They can be moved to accommodate horizontal or vertical orientation. There are springs against the wing nuts so they dont rattle off in transit. Back when I rigged this up, iPad holders were still made for a bare iPad with no cover. Mine has the Gumdrops case which makes it too thick to fit the clamps of one of those. These days I think the tablet-holder stands are more versatile.

 

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Not wanting to de-rail Moe's thread, but have you seen this quite beautiful stand designed for Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco, by furniture makers UM Project

 

Really??

Sorry, don't mean to offend, but that's uglier than the DGX640 in the other thread!

 

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one!

 

I'm not offended - was hoping others would chime in with "out of the box" thinking on their own stand designs!

 

I've mentioned this previously in another thread, but for the record here's my foray into stand design:

 

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6043/6314151488_e76a4748ae.jpg

 

I had it made at a local plastics fabrication place from a rough drawing that I threw together. It's not very practical for gigging, as it doesn't fold down (for gigs I'm using an X-stand (ughhhh) with an On-Stage KSA8000 Deluxe Universal 2nd tier), but it's good for home due to it's low-profile, and looks kinda snazzy (I am biased, of course).

 

More details on it here .

 

 

 

 

 

 

My blog

Nord Electro 2 | microKorg | Casiotone MT-65 | Hammond XB-2 | Korg Electribe-R ER-1

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My contribution to this thread is really "stand configuration" not "stand construction", but I thought it would be better not to start a new "customised stand" thread.

 

It starts with a no-name X stand (I know, I know). I added half a QuikLok QLX-1 second tier (just the uprights, not the supporting arms), turned upside down.

Image 1 Image 2

 

My lower-tier Oberheim MC1000 has pitch and mod wheels which I never use, so I unplugged the wheel "module" from the PCB and covered the gap with duct tape. I also removed the data wheel to lower the profile.

Image 3

 

My upper tier sits over the Oberheim on the the front edge, and the QuikLok arms at the back.

Image 4

 

I take it for its first flight on gigs Friday and Saturday.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Here's a little addition I did to my Quiklok Monolith stand.

 

I cut down the top tier height so to get closer between the two keyboards (unfortunately a 4oct board will not span between the arms so had to add a shelf).

 

Underneath, I added a shelf by cutting two holes at the back which allows it to slot over the uprights and rest between the legs. It's rock solid. I could even add a couple of Mackie SRM 150's if my laptops not in use.

 

Quiklok Monolith

 

 

 

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On the subject of modifications: I keep coming back to this X-Stand (horrors!) with a 2nd tier. *CLONK*

In stock form, the 2nd tier is ridiculously high, AND is perched almost directly over the lower keyboard. I needed it lower and back. A sawz-all cut the arms, and I used a drill press to drill holes for the stabilizing rod across the back (to lower it). Simple, effective.

And, yes, I use a simple safety strap in case of X-Stand Malfunction.

Only (minor) complaint is that there isn't a lot of foot room, and I use two sustain and two modulation pedals.

Stand sets up or folds up in less than 10 seconds. AND with the modification the 2nd tier is well back and lower.

 

I've done a similar modification for height with my On-Stage 2nd tier. How did you modify things to set the 2nd tier farther back? Any photos? Thanks!

www.wjwcreative.com

www.linkedin.com/in/wjwilcox

 

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I'm curious, does anyone's bottom tier board slide around?

 

Why I ask is because I use a Yamaha YKA7500 Double X stand. It has little pads (2 front, 2 rear) that "lock" the keyboard in and prevents sliding.

 

Note: If you look this up on Amazon, the bottom picture is wrong! :)

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I'm curious, does anyone's bottom tier board slide around?

 

Why I ask is because I use a Yamaha YKA7500 Double X stand. It has little pads (2 front, 2 rear) that "lock" the keyboard in and prevents sliding.

 

Note: If you look this up on Amazon, the bottom picture is wrong! :)

 

I had an issue with the feet on my Electro not lining up correctly with the horizontal parts of the x-stand I use for rehearsals. I fixed that purchasing some foam pipe insulation from the Home Depot. I bought the stuff with the adhesive along the edge, cut it to length, made cutouts for the "X" bracket connection and stuck them in place. Makes it real easy to just plop the keyboard onto the stand.

.

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Wondering, Mate Stubb, now that you've had awhile to test things out, how are you liking the sliding upper tier design?

 

I'm in the middle of constructing mine. I mod'd my stand awhile back to have the 2nd board sit on the bottom one. Top board is stationary though, and when I saw your pics, it was like...I gotta have that!

 

I've got my basic design and some materials ready to go, but I'm still struggling with the "ski ramp" wedges that slide in the channel, mostly because they'll be "extra" pieces that I'll have to keep track of during setup, breakdown, packing, moving, etc. I've got this design down to two pieces that can be strapped together; the main stand, and the horizontal cross bar that the channels will be attached to (that will sit on the lower board). The channels will swing in to be parallel to the cross bar, making it effectively a 4" pole. Pretty easy to pack up.

 

I've looked at sliding ball bearing drawer hinges to use to move the upper board. They lay flat and could be concealed within the channel, thereby keeping the height down. The upper piece of the hinge could be attached to a slat/support that the keyboard sits on. It could all stay within the channel during moving, thereby no extra pieces. Problem is the amount of travel in the hinge is not adjustable enough, and there's no way to put stops in the hinge for a multiple position setup with the upper board. Seemed like a slick idea, but not proving too practical. Still looking at other possibilities.

 

I'd be interested to get your take on your channel/wedge/ski slope sliding hinge, and how it's working for you.

 

 

"May you stay...forever young."

 

 

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I actually haven't had the opportunity to use it much yet. Since I came up with it, I have had one organ-only gig, and my normal band has been on hiatus.

 

I think in any case it's still a compromise to fit a 2 manual organ with a third board. I like Jim's rig a lot and one of these days will look into a single manual Mojo for the top, Privia for the bottom.

Moe

---

 

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Thanks for responding.

 

I'm only working with 2 manuals; XK2 on bottom and PC3 on top. The PC3 sits very nicely on the XK2's cheek blocks, but it needs to be positioned far back enough to get to drawbars/controls. I have to lean in/over to get to the PC3 keys, which isn't so comfortable. This slide idea is perfect, except for the fact that I'm now obsessed with it ; )

 

Just found this:

http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/24877-01-200.jpg

 

Looks promising. I like the idea of wood so that there's enough friction to prevent it from sliding around. The slide is almost 2" high though...more then I'd like.

 

The research continues.

"May you stay...forever young."

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

This post seems timely, given the recent, and ongoing, threads on stands, and the dissatisfaction many feel with whats available off the shelf. Its a bit of a long post, so bear with me.

 

My sliding upper tier stand is complete! Moe so inspired me that Ive been on a mission to find the perfect slides for the upper tier. I wanted to post my results as this forum has been so helpful for me, and thought maybe it might inspire some, and assist others.

 

I built this sliding 2nd tier onto my X stand. I, like others here, have never had a problem with it, other then wanting more room for pedals, but I can make do. The stand has served me well for many, many years, and hundreds of gigs. Its double braced, and I have the forum inspired safety strap just in case. Ive used it for a 2 and 3 tier stand, so I know it can support the weight. I've purchased 2 upper tier add ons in the past, but was never satisfied. I was able to use one of them for this design. About a year and a half ago, I ditched both pre-made second tier attachments and built a stand where the upper board sat on the lower board. Think I've posted pics of it. Problem was the upper board was too far away from me, and I was too hunched over. At the end of the gigmy back/hips were so stiff, I could hardly stand after a set, hence the reason why this sliding design was so attractive. I used a U shaped 2nd tier for this design. While it was way too high to serve well as a 2nd (or 3rd tier), it worked perfectly for this. I cut it at just the right height to be level with the top of the XK2 (should also work if I upgrade to a XK3C) to make the slide channels level. It fits into the cross bars of the X stand and secures with a tightening knob.

 

I thought I'd found the perfect product made by a company called Accuride. Took a week, but I finally got a response from them. Unfortunately, it's a brand new product, and they couldnt sell directly, i.e. had to go through a distributor/retail outlet. After waiting 2 more weeks, I found something comparable on eBay that looked close. I made an offer, and got them for $20 a piece. Theyre an industrial ball bearing slides, and major heavy duty. Their description is : THK FBW/FBW2560R Linear Bearing Guide Slide Rail Pack 488mm. Theres 3 mounting plates per slide that are 1 5/8"x2 5/8"x1/16. I thought Id be mounting an aluminum bar to these that would run from front to back of the keyboard, which it would sit on. Turned outI didnt need to, and that prevented the addition of another 1/4-1/4" in height. While testing things out, I put some foam pieces onto the mounting plates and put the top keyboard on it. It was really secure and slid nicely.

 

Here are the slides:

http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/m/mscCdaovrPOOmrC04x2kfNg/140.jpg

 

Since the mounting plates are metal, I needed to secure some foam to them for padding. Again, to not add any more additional height, I used some foam underlay I had left over from doing some flooring; its this green, really tough foam/material, and is only about 1/8 high. I used contact cement to secure it, and figured Id paint it or something.

Here they are in their ugliness, but you can also see how the channel sits on the end caps of the XK2. I used the same green foam to pad the underside and protect the wood underneath:

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/IMAG0259_zpsdac7f947.jpg

 

 

I mounted the channels on a 2x2 aluminum square tube that I bought from a steel shop here in town for $10, plus $2 for end caps. I used a standard threaded bolt through the full tube to give it strength. Drilling through the slide's channels was difficult, as the metal was really hard. I dont have a drill press, so had to do it with a hand drill. Took 20 min. of continuous drilling per side, but I finally broke though.

 

I drilled a 1 hole in the bottom of the square aluminum tube, which accepts the top of the 2nd tier support snugly, and is a really quick and easy assembly. The 2nd tier "upgrights" can stay attached to the X stand during transport. I do need to remove the square horizontal bar for transport, but the channels both swivel back onto the square bar, making it basically one pole thats the 2nd piece of the stand now. I bought some Velcro straps to secure the pole to the X stand, so its really easily transportable.

 

Here's the stand with the 2nd tier uprights, horizontal bar, and slides swiveled back onto the tube:

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/IMAG0267_zps2f4606d1.jpg

 

And here it's ready for transport:

 

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/IMAG0265_zpsdaf50067.jpg

 

Thus far, everything was going really well, except the slides slid a little too easily. I was concerned the board would move around while playing. That worked itself out as the bottom of the top keyboard, a PC3, had rubber bumpers on it. Turns out, when theyre positioned inside the slide channel, they stop the PC3 from moving once in place, yet with some slight upward pressure the board slides nicely. Pretty easy to do in between songs, and even during them.

 

I bought some liquid rubber at the hardware store, and dipped just the top of the mounting plates where the green foam is cemented, and voila.its now black and grips the underside of the board even better. I did the same thing underneath so the tracks grip the wood on the XK2. I also made some end caps for the slide with this. I folded paper around the end of the channels, and wrapped them in Saran wrap, dipped, and now have some custom end caps! I did some other cosmetic things to it as well that I wont bore you with, but Ill tell youliquid rubber is da schitt!

 

Heres how they turned out; I sort of swirled the rubber as it was drying to give it even more grab:

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/IMAG0270_zps430e3d2c.jpg

 

 

One last thing, the X stand is not quite stable enough for two boards that are offset. In the past, I used another set of legs to prevent the board from tipping over backwards. For this design, I extended the rear feet of the X stand about 6 by simple using round tubing. I joined the X stand to the extension by using a smaller diameter 6 piece of tube inside the stand, then adding a 6 tube of the same diameter as the stand, i.e. X stand tube female to 6 tube male to 6 tube female. Very secure, and you cant even tell unless youre really looking.

 

Here's how far it extend out:

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/bdd19108-1dbf-4869-8d65-da887d453763_zps46145cd8.jpg

 

Two more shots of the boards with PC3 pushed back, and then pulled in closer. It can actually be pulled directly over the XK2 if all I'm doing is piano/epiano, etc:

 

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/IMAG0271_zps8aa7809e.jpg

 

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/IMAG0272_zps323d3c5f.jpg

 

And one showing the distance between the boards...it's less then 1":

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz190/daddyg3042/IMAG0273_zps4512edd9.jpg

 

So.all told, I spent around $60, and about a day & a half of actual work. I've put both boards on it, slid it around vigorously, sort of rocked it back & forth. It's very stable. I think I finally have something that is gonna work, and I'm pretty stoked. It'll make it's maiden voyage on a gig tomorrow.

 

So...thanks so much for the inspiration, Moe. Sorry for being somewhat long winded as well.

"May you stay...forever young."

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK, I finally came up with a solution that I like. Hammer action on bottom, all keys as close as possible so that I can reach everything.

 

I'm reversing my slides and putting them on the bottom so that the PX will slide out a couple inches to reveal the panel when needed. Now to get building on the stand.

 

http://hotrodmotm.com/images/stand/mojo_over_px.jpg

Moe

---

 

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Thank you guys for this thread; getting some great ideas for my 2-board stand project.

 

I currently am very, very happy with my Spider Pro...can't find any down side for it, but I just personally don't like the looks of it with the 2 boards all set up; looks too much like a Fokker D7 biplane. That's what I get for being a WW I fan!

 

I bought this stand used, and it's the silver one; the black one probably wouldn't have looked like it's ready to take off.

 

More likely than not, this is just an excuse to build something over the winter season.

 

Paul

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I was setting up my Spider in a bar several years ago and a customer asked me if it was some new type of musical instrument. I told him it was a new type of saxophone. Bought the story totally. He had had a few, though...I think they look cool, FWIW. Mine is silver, as well.

Jim Wells

Tallahassee, FL

 

www.pureplatinumband.com

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^^^ right; from one perspective, compared to an X stand, they do look cool. I think they are the best looking ones out there, I just have a problem with the biplane look.

 

I have been thinking of designing a simple dark cloth rectangle "shade" to hang from the top board down to just above the floor to make it appear solid from the audience.

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So, this thread has been rattling around in my head for awhile. Awhile back I bought the K&M 18950 and some accessories, as described here. What's nice about this stand and the accessories is that there are lots of ways to configure it. But once you have the stand configured, all the knobs and such get to be rather fussy. And the tubing used on the second tier supports has a very large diameter, and this diameter limits how low the upper key board can be. My thought was, what if I welded up something super simple that was just the right height, so no adjustments possible, and make it out of smaller tubing so the keyboards can be closer together?

 

For larger gigs I use a Stage 2 compact for pianos and synth, and then an SK-1 up above for organ. I would like to have the organ manual as low and as far forward 99% of the time, but be able to slide it back occasionanly to access the Nord's control panel. So I've been very interested in what Mate Stubb and Daddyg3042 are doing with the sliding top layer. I'm thinking of doing something similar but much simpler. Instead of having an actual sliding mechanism, just have a long flat surface that I can slide the SK-1 back and forth on. The trick will be to find a material to put on top of the bar that provides enough friction to hold the board in place, but not so much that the board is too difficult to slide backwards. Rubber strips might do it.

 

Awhile back I bought a ten-foot length of rectangular steel tubing, and I had a couple free hours this afternoon and decided to have a go at it with a mig welder.

 

Here are the upper bars. Not much to it, really:

 

http://www.oceanbeach.com/temp/stands1.jpg

 

Here's what they look like when slid into the accessory slots on the K&M and the set screws tightened down:

 

http://www.oceanbeach.com/temp/stands2.jpg

 

Here's what the access looks like with the SK-1 slid all the way back:

 

http://www.oceanbeach.com/temp/stands3.jpg

 

And here's a side view with it slid forward.

 

http://www.oceanbeach.com/temp/stands4.jpg

 

I wasn't sure how stable this long span was going to be, but it seems pretty sturdy. I don't like the height, though, and when I get a few more free hours I'ma weld up a new one where the upper support bars just barely clear the Stage 2's controls.

 

 

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I went a slightly different way with my stand construction. I wanted something that would look more organ like on stage. So I went for an all wood stand that has space for a bit of artwork on the front (particularly good when the drummer is using someone else's kit and so we don't have the band logo on the kick drum).

 

It folds flat but is still quite large so not the easiest to transport. But on the plus side, it hides the fact that I'm just playing a controller keyboard (Novation Launchkey 61) and a V-Machine running VB3 which wouldn't look that great on stage. So it does a bit of 'smoke and mirrors' to give the impression that I'm playing a real organ.

http://instagram.com/p/e4g5bDvcp_/#

http://instagram.com/p/e4g2Lwvcp6/#

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Caution, once you start building stands, you start obsessing about getting every little 1/4" of slack out of the design!

 

Hahahaha, so true. Well, I actually decided to give myself an extra 1/4" of margin because I'm not that great a welder. Who knows, this thing may sag after awhile. But I banged out another set at lunch and I'm pretty happy with it. It probably brings the SK-1 down about 2 inches from where it was using the K&M upper tier. I'll try it out at tonight's gig. For now I'm just using 3M bumpon rubber feet.

 

http://www.oceanbeach.com/temp/standb2.jpg

http://www.oceanbeach.com/temp/standb3.jpg

http://www.oceanbeach.com/temp/standb4.jpg

 

 

 

 

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