[sdiy] synthi A webpage update

[steve thomas]

Hi everyone..yes I think I tend to agree with what seems the majority
feeling that
clones in the end are not what would hurt a comapny like EMS. What would
hurt them
would be a downturn in the interest in analogue synths. Also about the
schemos issues. Well
in some sense EMS are not keeping these secret as you can easily purchase a
synthi
service manual off  Robin Wood that has the schematics. I think he wouldnt
like us to post them
because the manual costs 25 uk pounds, not because he thinks the world will
start cloning synnthis.
cheers steve

----- Original Message -----
From: patchell <patchell at silcom.com>
To: steve thomas <s.thomas at qmw.ac.uk>
Cc: <synth-diy at node12b53.a2000.nl>
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2001 3:13 PM
Subject: Re: [sdiy] synthi A webpage update


>     I think there are two issues here:
>
>     <flame suit on>
>
>     1. Making Clones
>
>         I don't really think this is too much of an issue.  I don't know
how
> many hours you have in your clone.  I have easily got several hundred
hours in
> my current synth project.  Clones are going to happen, no matter what.  Do
the
> hurt anybody?  Hard to say, but I would say that more than likely, the
person
> building a clone would probably not buy one anyway.  I build because it is
fun.
> Even if you have only 200 hours of work into the project, if you think of
your
> time as being worth about $100/hr, you are probably talking about
something that
> you could never sell and make a living at.  I seriously doubt that any
body on
> this list would be giving EMS any competition.
>
>     2. Posting Schematics.
>
>     This one is a little more dicey.  But, lets look at.  Because of the
above,
> I
> don't think you are going to have a rash of people building clones.  And,
if the
>
> idea is to keep the circuits out of the hands of competators (like the one
who
> is a favorite subject from time to time here), I don't think that would be
> effective anyway.  If company D wanted to clone the Synthi A, I am sure
they
> could just pick one up and go to work on it, without any help from any of
us.
> On the otherhand, I would be the last to post somebody elses work if it
was of
> any value.  Legally, I don't think there is much anybody could do to stop
> someone from posting a reversed engineered schematic.  Morally, well,
maybe that
>
> is another story.
>
> < flame suit off>
>
>     I have also met a lot of strange people over the years.  One fellow
wanted
> to know how to market his invention, but, he would not tell me what it
was,
> because, it was so simple, anybody could make one.  I worked with another
person
> who would copyright his used toilet paper.  Another company I worked for
was
> sued because we "infringed" on a patent.  What was funny was it looked
like they
> copied the thing right out of an RCA CMOS data book (they dropped the
suit).
> What some people consider to be IP is rather silly.  I try to respect even
the
> silly ones.
>
>     Enough ramblings....
>
>     -Jim
>
> steve thomas wrote:
>
>     <snip>
>
> >  But even so I think  there is still the moral question of whether we
should
> >  make clones even in this situation.
> >  I wonder what people on the list think?
> >  Certainly I admit that at some stage I felt a bit uncomfortable with
the
> >  fact that my clone looks quite like ..well,  a synthi A. Even this
aside
> >  there is the more delicate issue of  use of schemos etc.
> >  Anyway I certainly dont want to put you on the 'spot' ..but  your
synthi
> >  clone has been influential to me. I defintely have NO intention of
putting
> >  any EMS schemos on the web that aren't there already!
> >  But I guess these are all serious issues. Perhaps ultimately we need
Robin
> >  Wood to tell us what he thinks on this subject?  I did ask him some
time
> > ago
> >  what he thought about me making some of the circuits from the
> >  service manual. He said he wasnt that happy ..but that if it was for
> >  personal use ..it was ok. I am not sure what he would think of my
clone.
> >
> >  best regards, steve
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: jh. <jhaible at t-online.de>
> > > To: S.Thomas <S.Thomas at qmw.ac.uk>; <synth-diy at node12b53.a2000.nl>
> > > Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 9:24 PM
> > > Subject: Re: [sdiy] synthi A webpage update
> > >
> > >
> > > > > It goes without saying that my original motivation
> > > > > to build this was in no small measure down to Juergen Haibles
> > > > > remarkable efforts in building his synthi A clone,  as well as
> > > > > all the great help from colleagues  on the  synth-diy list!
> > > >
> > > > Hey, your front panel graphics look awesome ! Congrats !
> > > > I just read about your matrix - so you really made your own from
> > > > tiny jacks at last (;->).
> > > >
> > > > I saw your mention of my name on your page, which is more than I
> > deserve,
> > > > as reluctant as I have been in encouraging others to build a clone.
> > > >
> > > > Seriously: Let's not spread out all the information from EMS,
please.
> > > > You have a clone now, you can be proud of it, but *please* do not
> > > > make circuits available for the masses. This is not like publishing
Korg
> > > > or Roland analog circuits (who have long lost interest in analog
> > synths).
> > > > I would be very sad if my building a clone would be the beginning of
> > > > an chain that leads to serious trouble for EMS in the end.
> > > >
> > > > Best Regards,
> > > >
> > > > JH.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
>
>