ELP71 Posted August 17, 2002 Posted August 17, 2002 Hey! I have a '72 Minimoog (I think the serial is #1541). She needs help. All three oscillators not only drift, but suddenly gliss upwards about five octaves. This does not occur on all keys. I saw a Minimoog 'oscillator card' on Ebay for around $100USD - it looked like a PCI slot card with some extra squiggles. Is this what I should look into getting? I feel pretty comfortable cracking her open, and honestly would be leery of anyone else doin it. Also, there is some static/bad stuff in the filters. Is there a resousrce for doing work on a Mini? Any input is appreciated ELP71 Weasels ripped my flesh. Rzzzzzzz.
humannoyed Posted August 17, 2002 Posted August 17, 2002 I think the glissing problem is key contacts. I used to have to clean mine regularly. My mini is old and thick' too(mid-70s). It is more than I can do to repair and might send it to the right place if I knew where. Anybody know who does good repair work? Day "It is a danger to create something and risk rejection. It is a greater danger to create nothing and allow mediocrity to rule." "You owe it to us all to get on with what you're good at." W.H. Auden
ELP71 Posted August 17, 2002 Author Posted August 17, 2002 Thanks for the tip. I don't think my Minimoog has been serviced since 1980. Anyone with recommendations on a good tech (within 500 miles of eastern KY, preferably)??? Weasels ripped my flesh. Rzzzzzzz.
JulieY Posted August 18, 2002 Posted August 18, 2002 The glissing is probably the key contacts, as humannoyed suggested, especially if it's only happening on certain keys and not others. The "static/bad stuff" in the filter could be a number of things, but dirty front panel switches is a good possibility(particularly if it's a somewhat intermittent or random problem). The panel switches on the Mini are open frame, and their design is really susceptible to picking up lots of nasty gunk. You might just try working each switch back and forth a few times. Sometimes you get lucky and that's enough to knock a bit of the junk out of them. The oscillator on Ebay definitely is a Mini oscillator card (and if the seller is who I think it is, you can trust him when he says it's in good working order). But, you might only need a good cleaning of the whole thing (and a calibration perhaps) to get everything working nicely for you. Sorry, can't recommend a tech in Kentucky. If you want to send it to LA, Kevin Lightner always does very nice work (although I don't know if he's available for tech work at the moment). Or, there's always ....me dB can vouch for my qualifications. Good luck, Julie
Dave Bryce Posted August 18, 2002 Posted August 18, 2002 Originally posted by JulieY: Or, there's always ....me dB can vouch for my qualifications.Indeed I can. Julie is an awesome tech. She's designed and tested designs for a plethora of different products for several manufacturers, Alesis among them (Julie played a pretty major role in Andromeda's existence). In fact, in addition to being the person who keeps pretty much everything in my studio functioning, she is also in charge of service for ADAM USA. Glad to see you here, Devil Woman! dB P.S. My Mini had that same problem with the runaway glissandos caused by the key contacts as well... ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network
Pim Posted August 18, 2002 Posted August 18, 2002 My Mini has the same glitches every now and than. To play the keys helps a lot - and is fun to do! JulieY: a legendary name and fame... Welcome! My Music I always wondered what happened after the fade out?
Peake Posted August 19, 2002 Posted August 19, 2002 Yeah! Julie! Welcome and regards. Pim and Dave, another of our Andromeda cohorts has a Mini with bad key contacts and he keeps it that way as well because the results are fun :-) If all three oscillators are moving around at once in the same amounts, the problem is probably prior to the oscillator board, and could be in the keyboard electronics or most highly likely as mentioned here, in the key contacts. You can remove the board(s) and wipe the edge contacts with a dry Q-Tip too. I've heard that recommended to wipe off any accumulations of gunk or grit. Give me the ANALOG and no one gets HURT
JulieY Posted August 19, 2002 Posted August 19, 2002 Originally posted by peake@pacificnet.net: Yeah! Julie! Welcome and regards. You can remove the board(s) and wipe the edge contacts with a dry Q-Tip too. Regards to you too, Mike, thanks for the plug dB, and for the welcome, Pim. It won't hurt to try wiping the edge contacts with the Q-Tip if you're comfortable taking your Mini apart. Just be careful when putting it back in to make sure the card edge is aligned with the connector. It shouldn't seem like you're having to really force the card into the connector. Better to use a foam-tipped swab than a Q Tip, though (like you can get at Radio Shack or someplace similar for cleaning tape heads). Sometimes a Q Tip can leave little "threads" and bits of fluff floating around on the contacts, which won't happen with the foam. If you use a Q Tip, use a can of compressed air to blow off anything left over before you reinstall the card. A bit of denatured alcohol on the swab would probably be better than a dry one, or use a small amount of contact cleaner made for that purpose. I've actually cleaned edge connectors in an emergency situation by rubbing over them very lightly with a(new and previously unused) pencil eraser (then blowing off the left over eraser bits), but I wouldn't normally recommend doing that. If there is a problem with the edge contacts, even just pulling the card out and reseating it carefully could take care of the problem. Julie
ELP71 Posted October 7, 2004 Author Posted October 7, 2004 OK - its been two years and I've done nothing. But now I really want to, and am going to. Could someone tell me where to send my baby??? ELP71 PS - PMs welcome... Weasels ripped my flesh. Rzzzzzzz.
Dave Bryce Posted October 8, 2004 Posted October 8, 2004 Julie still does all the work on my synths. jy@mok.com dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network
capnzoot Posted October 10, 2004 Posted October 10, 2004 OK, nobody looked, so I went in the garage and found the stuff. Cramolin. There's some newer stuff available called Deoxit that works really well for cleaning pots, rails etc.
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