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My Self-Indulgent Memorymoog Refurb Thread!!! (Long Post)


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WARNING - LONG LONG technical post.

 

3 years ago I posted here about a major Memorymoog repair I had undertaken. That lasted a couple of years at best with intermittent tuning issues cropping up and eventually the power supply crapped out (again) making it inoperable over the past year. I was waiting for sufficient time to do a complete refurb from top to bottom (or more like side to side) and finally found the time. The whole project took about 2 and a half months albeit with a lot of screwing around.

 

Forum member Michael Caloroso's (aka THE REAL MC) posting found here was a big portion of the work I performed. Thank you Michael and I'm glad I finally got to meet you at the NAMM hang. In addition and as luck would have it (glad I procrastinated as long as I did) Chuck (aka Atomicsynth) posted a few months ago regarding a newly designed power supply that works with Memorymoogs as well as several other vintage synths. Chuck put me in touch with the designer Heinz from Germany and I was able to quickly obtain one of these incredible replacement supplys. Everything Chuck stated in this thread is true. What he failed to reveal however was that the purchase came with an extremely experienced and gifted tech that provided awesome consulting throughout the whole project. Not sure how many "Help Me HEINZ" emails I sent over the last couple of months but thank you Chuck and Heinz!

 

First thing was replacing the power supply. Removing the old transformner was extremely difficult due to the original "locktight" like goo used on the bolts and nuts.UGGHHH!

 

 

Original power supply caught in rare photo (i.e.while not smoking or on fire)

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010601_zpszgveypo9.jpg

 

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010603_zpssth6bjbh.jpg

 

Good riddance 8 pounds of headache

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010610_zpssly0wz9n.jpg

 

 

 

New Supply - Easy Install

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010609_zpsu1ogpzsh.jpg

 

Next up was replacing the 8 character display that lost 1 character about 8 months ago. For years these displays were unobtainium. About 5 years ago I bought some parts from a guy off Ebay and turned out he knew someone that had bought up Moogs assets when they went bankrupt. I was able to get 3 spare complete display modules (circuit board containing large 2 digit and small 8 character display). About 2 years ago I also found someone on Ebay selling just the 8 character displays for cheap. Bought 16 of them. Surprisingly they weren't compatible with what turned out to be an older style display module in my Memorymoog (didn't know this until I pulled the display during this refurb). Fortunately I had the newer modules in hand. In the future I can just replace the display itself- not the entire module.

 

Original old Display Module with 8 char display removed

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010624_zpsl0k0mcms.jpg

 

New module with old display on lower left and spare display on lower right

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010627_zpsq4xocy25.jpg

 

Speaking of displays, with all those spares I decided to wire up a second display and install it on the inside of the memorymoog to make calibration so much easier. No more standing on my head trying to read the front panel while turning pots.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010635_zpstigiwhvq.jpg

 

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010634_zpsnc7zrsye.jpg

 

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010632_zpsmdha7pau.jpg

 

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/IMG_0190_zps8evcqtsf.jpg

 

 

Note- continued below

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Thanks again ( And Moe thinks I have "spare energy" let alone functional brain cells?) :wacko::laugh:

 

Where was I?

 

 

Cleaned under the keys and took care of some flaky contacts.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/IMG_0174_zpsbkslq9hq.jpg

 

Also cleaned the keys (duh)

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/IMG_0176_zps7evzfjed.jpg

 

Changed out about 300 parts - mostly headers, IC/ribbon cable sockets and trimmer pots as well as all ribbon cables - now sized properly.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/IMG_0186_zpsihc7wxlm.jpg

 

Performed circuit modification to the voice cards that Heinz suggested to make oscillators more stable - works great.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010686_zpscv3qm74k.jpg

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/P1010684_zpsbc6tj05b.jpg

 

Well that's about it other than several head scratchers with ulcers after thinking I destroyed the new power supply (blew a fuse), lost all tuning values (blew a part), lost polyphony (only worked in mono - I was sure Prof D or Paolo sabotaged me this weekend :laugh:) and a few other tough problems to troubleshoot. Again real happy to have Heinz watching my back.

http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t490/Markyboard/IMG_0185_zpsqcif5ay8.jpg

 

 

 

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I'm glad to see this testimonial to Heinz and his supply. That supply is the best thing one can do for their Memorymoog.

Heinz is presently filling a rush of order's for the supply, building for MM's, Prophets, Chromas, Jupiters and others. And as seen, Heinz supports his buyers. Anyone wishing to order a supply should email me rather than pms at chuckwagner1954@gmail.com as I don't check forums regularly.

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Well that's about it other than several head scratchers with ulcers after thinking I destroyed the new power supply (blew a fuse), lost all tuning values (blew a part), lost polyphony (only worked in mono - I was sure Prof D or Paolo sabotaged me this weekend :laugh:) and a few other tough problems to troubleshoot. Again real happy to have Heinz watching my back.

Hilarious. :laugh:

 

Nah mayne, having seen the MemoryMoog on the operating table, you have our total support in resurrecting it. Thank goodness for retirement. :wave:

 

While Heinz is watching his back, in his own regard, Mark is a beast when it comes to electronics. :thu:

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the MemoryMoog will be right when it's all buttoned up. Hopefully, I'll get to touch, er, play it. :D:cool:

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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Heinz is presently filling a rush of order's for the supply, building for MM's, Prophets, Chromas, Jupiters and others.

 

Love those threads !

 

Who´s Heinz and is there any link I can watch/read about his PSUs ?

 

A.C.

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Heinz is presently filling a rush of order's for the supply, building for MM's, Prophets, Chromas, Jupiters and others.

 

Love those threads !

 

Who´s Heinz and is there any link I can watch/read about his PSUs ?

 

A.C.

 

Hi Peter-

 

Here's the Link that will get you to some of Chuck's (Atomic synth) pictures and his email if yo want more info.

 

 

 

 

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What a project... It has been quite a long while since I've had my hands on one of them to test it out, and it was too expensive...

 

T.

 

Agreed Theo - For me it's a labor of love, not one I would wish on anyone. :hitt:

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Heinz Weierhorst is an expert on vintage synths who lives in Germany who designed the new supply. Here is the info. Please note this is rev. 2 of the same supply Heinz designed when he was a partner in Synthtaste. Heinz is now on his own and selling the supply direct to end users at less than half the cost Synthtaste charges. Plus Synthtaste only sells to approved service centers and not to end users.

 

The supply is built in Germany. It is 250 plus shipping. They are built individually per order and previous orders are presently being filled as payment is received. In advance to the designer/builder Heinz Weierhorst is preferred but one can be built upon 50% advance and remaining due prior to shipment.

 

The supply is going in many other synths besides Memorymoogs, ie: Prophets, Chromas, Polymoogs, Jupiters as Heinz adapts the supply per specific synth.

 

In the Memorymoog, no more fan, heatsink, transformer or fuse. The new switching supply is SMD design, state of the art and will outlive the synth.

 

Installation instructions ship with the supply. If you've worked inside your synth you can do it or defer to a tech. Four holes do need to be drilled in the synth chassis.

 

The digital board of the Memorymoog is modified in a few places on the top side of the board as the supply actively controls the reset circuit of the synth, fully protecting the ram, CPU and Curtis devices. The supply eliminates heat since the old oven of a power supply is gone. The synth is much more stable given the precision of the new supply which arrives fully assembled, calibrated and will have been burnt in under load for a week prior to shipping.

 

From switching on under load for one hour, deviations are only

 

+5V 0.05%

 

+15V 0.004%

 

-15V  0.002%

 

Outstanding specs! Power comsumption is 45.5W only; approx half of the original supply.

 

If you intend to order I'll forward your intent to buy on to Heinz who will contact you directly regarding payment and build time in queue.

 

Because the heat sink will be gone you'll need a perforated aluminium panel to cover the heat sink space as the ventilation is recommended even though the supply runs literally hand warm.

 

You can order one from Heinz at modest addtl cost or secure one on your own.

 

Direct photo links.

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/6UKBtkqQ08/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/55BWduKQ7o/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/5WGgCdqQ7S/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/4PtWf5qQ4w/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Peter-

 

Here's the Link that will get you to some of Chuck's (Atomic synth) pictures and his email if yo want more info.

 

Thank you Mark !

After reading the name "Heinz", I already thought there might be germans behind these inprovements.

 

Found their shop and my hidden question is also answered now,- they also make new PSUs for Oberheim Xpander and Matrix-12.

Synthtaste.de

 

Good to know !

 

A.C.

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Nice work ! A Memorymoog was my first programmable polysynth; unfortunately I had one of the very first ones to come into Chicago in 1983. Great concept, horrible execution. My MM sounded glorious, but only about 20% of the time. Though it was returned and replaced with something else, I still have great memories of that sound; one former bandmate still talks about it.

Looking forward to reading further of the progress with your Memorymoog, Markyboard; my 80's self will be living vicariously through the process :cool:.

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nice work ! A Memorymoog was my first programmable polysynth; unfortunately I had one of the very first ones to come into Chicago in 1983. Great concept, horrible execution. My MM sounded glorious, but only about 20% of the time. Though it was returned and replaced with something else, I still have great memories of that sound; one former bandmate still talks about it.

Looking forward to reading further of the progress with your Memorymoog, Markyboard; my 80's self will be living vicariously through the process :cool:.

 

I feel that the Memorymoog and OBX are the high points of polysynth development.

 

The Moog and Oberheim SEM filters coexist very well. Not much overlap in sounds.

 

Owned my Memorymoog since 1985. I learned a lot of sound design tricks and it has many features that make it a very good jack of all trades for an analog synth. Can't think of another vintage polysynth with both a sequencer and arpeggiator. The sequencer has a cool monosynth sequencer separate from the polysynth where the sequence CV/trigger can be routed to en external synth while keeping the polyphonic section on the Memorymoog free. For a long time the Memorymoog served my needs well for a polysynth and monosynth.

 

It wasn't until 2000 that I heard an OBX in person. It may not be as flexible as the Memorymoog but its organic color really appealed to me. Alas they can also be a restore job like the Memorymoog, but the effort is well worth it.

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Nice work ! A Memorymoog was my first programmable polysynth; unfortunately I had one of the very first ones to come into Chicago in 1983. Great concept, horrible execution.

 

I have a very similar story Alan. Bought mine in Apr of 1983 from Nadines in LA, spent the next 6 months hauling it back and forth for repair probably once/month as they had a very good tech on premises. But eventually he gave up - just couldn't solve the tuning issue. In parallel I was studying the schematics and circuit descriptions learning how the thing worked. Moog eventually replaced my unit after about 8 months of ownership; the new one was much more stable since they improved the auto tune logic. Still a pretty flaky and temperamental board. I did gig with it back then. Probably the loudest sound I was ever exposed to was when the power transistors shorted and blasted through my JBL 4628 cabinets at ear level just a few feet on either side of me. Fortunately they came out with a mod for that as well.

 

Can't think of another vintage polysynth with both a sequencer and arpeggiator. The sequencer has a cool monosynth sequencer separate from the polysynth where the sequence CV/trigger can be routed to en external synth while keeping the polyphonic section on the Memorymoog free. For a long time the Memorymoog served my needs well for a polysynth and monosynth.

 

I haven't used the sequencer in years. After the issue I had last weekend where I lost all polyphony (hey ProfD :cop:) I eventually did a RAM reset by shorting one of the caps. This not only fixed the polyphony but also put it into sequencer mode by hitting button C twice and enter. I know I've done that several times unintentionally before while calibrating and I now realize that the RAM was probably scrambled for several year affecting this and maybe some other functions as well.

 

Anyway, you da man Michael (along with Heinz) when it comes to Memorymoogs and I appreciate all the documentation you provided for allowing this massive improvement.

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I feel that the Memorymoog and OBX are the high points of polysynth development.

 

The Moog and Oberheim SEM filters coexist very well. Not much overlap in sounds.

 

It wasn't until 2000 that I heard an OBX in person. It may not be as flexible as the Memorymoog but its organic color really appealed to me. Alas they can also be a restore job like the Memorymoog, but the effort is well worth it.

Yep, the OB-X had a very organic and distinct sound. A friend and mentor, Tom Howard ( a composer / keyboardist, late of the Nashville studio scene) used one all over his first two albums; and I fell in love with the sound. The OB-Xa also intrigued me; it had a similar mojo, but with a few additional tricks up its sleeve. An OB-Xa 8 voice - retrofitted with MIDI - is what replaced my Memorymoog. I used that OB for many years as my main 2nd tier synth - on top of either a DX7 or Korg SG-1, depending on the gig.

 

I have a very similar story Alan. Bought mine in Apr of 1983 from Nadines in LA, spent the next 6 months hauling it back and forth for repair probably once/month as they had a very good tech on premises. But eventually he gave up - just couldn't solve the tuning issue. In parallel I was studying the schematics and circuit descriptions learning how the thing worked. Moog eventually replaced my unit after about 8 months of ownership; the new one was much more stable since they improved the auto tune logic. Still a pretty flaky and temperamental board. I did gig with it back then. Probably the loudest sound I was ever exposed to was when the power transistors shorted and blasted through my JBL 4628 cabinets at ear level just a few feet on either side of me. Fortunately they came out with a mod for that as well.

Similar story here as well, though much shorter. In 1983 my techie skills were all but non-existent, and my patience even less so. After a couple of in-warranty technician visits and a few more months of continued wrestling with the tuning issue - plus other random flakiness - I was ready for a more tried-and-true solution. Plus there was an immediate stage need for something stable (I'd already sold a Yamaha CS-50 and Arp Quartet, my only synths at the time - other than a Sequential Circuits Pro 1, on long-term loan from a friend.).

Still I missed some of the things that Memorymoog could do. While there was some fascination with super-stacked lead sounds (six Minimoogs under the hood ! ), I was more enamored with the pads and poly-textures. There was a string pad at patch # 21 in my MM that I could get lost in. I've managed to recreate it well in Diva, but on each of my hardware pieces there's at least one patch that pays homage to that sound.

 

Check out 13:53 - 15:20 in this video:

[video:youtube]

 

 

 

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Peter-

 

Here's the Link that will get you to some of Chuck's (Atomic synth) pictures and his email if yo want more info.

 

Thank you Mark !

After reading the name "Heinz", I already thought there might be germans behind these inprovements.

 

Found their shop and my hidden question is also answered now,- they also make new PSUs for Oberheim Xpander and Matrix-12.

Synthtaste.de

 

Good to know !

 

A.C.

 

Synthtaste is Heinz's former partnership. Heinz is who designed the supply that company sells. Heinz's supply is in Rev. 2 since he severed from Synthaste and went out on his own. He sells direct to end users at less than half the cost. Synthtaste only sells to service centers at double cost.

 

 

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... It has been quite a long while since I've had my hands on one of them ...

 

T.

 

Agreed Theo - For me it's a labor of love, ...

 

Reading some more of these posts reminded me what I tried out once was not a memorymoog, but the monophonic Moog source. And it might have been broken in store where I sometimes tried stuff. I bought enough equipment over the years at the time that I could have traded for one of these, but I suppose it didn't cross my mind: I rather had the various digital and analog stuff for the money it must have cost in Europe in say '85. Maybe the management of Moog will learn how to integrate the sound electronics into cheap chips and small mass produced boards and come out with an (improved) Memory Moog one day.

 

T.

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Check out 13:53 - 15:20 in this video:

 

Great sound !

 

Memorymoog is a great synthesizer when in good working condition, but unfortunately they weren´t in that condition even when new in 1982 and until MOOG discontinued the synth.

 

I´m a big MOOG fan and when my 1st Minimoog D got stolen in feb 1982, the production of Minimoogs was history already.

So I had to buy a MOOG Source and didn´t get much familiar w/ it.

I hated the only 3 oct size and quality of it´s action as well as the digital control which was needed to make it´s sounds storeable in a preset system.

I recognized steps when trying to fine adjust the OSC beating or when sweeping the filter or other parameters ...

 

Now I was after used Minimoog Ds and bought 2 ...

 

Because of the experience w/ the Source, I ignored the Memorymoog which was insanely expensive in germany anyway because of the dollar vs. DM ratio, but that was not the main reason ´cause I made enough money w/ music especially in the late 70s and 80s.

But another fellow in town bought one and he had nothing than trouble w/ this synth,- so I decided to pass and forgot that synth for many, many years.

 

Then, another fellow bought one for cheap in the U.S.,- it was halfway trashed.

When I asked him why he did that, he said: "I´ll send it to Rudi Linhardt making it a Lintronics Advanced Memorymoog. When you want that too, don´t buy the Memorymoog Plus, the LAMM will be cheaper when the base is a defect standard Memorymoog".

 

Well, the result was an excellent polysynth and the 1st Memorymoog I got my hands on being stable and reliable.

But then, I never got the chance to buy a used Memorymoog for cheap.

 

When I had a Memorymoog and because I´m in germany, I´d ship it to Rudi.

 

[video:youtube]

 

A.C.

 

 

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Synthtaste is Heinz's former partnership. Heinz is who designed the supply that company sells. Heinz's supply is in Rev. 2 since he severed from Synthaste and went out on his own. He sells direct to end users at less than half the cost. Synthtaste only sells to service centers at double cost.

 

Good info, thx a lot.

So,- how to contact him when in need for a new PSU.

Please shoot me a PM w/ his email addy when you have it.

I couldn´t find in the other thread,- maybe I overread it, dunno.

I´m not in a hurry, but when I have been moved and my gear will be set up again,- which will need some time,- I´ll also move on overhauling my gear.

 

A.C.

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First good thread I've seen here in a long time.

 

One thing I wasn't clear on...is it all zipped up back together and working order? How's it holding up and can you give a little more (quantitative) review on things like tuning stability compared to before the upgrade, etc.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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