[sdiy] Organ circuits & Mini-Korg K-2

[jhaible at t-online.de]

>It is called 
> an "ACE TONE."  If anyone knows anything about this 
> instrument that would 
> like to share, please do. 

I think Ace Tone was the brand name of the company that later became
Roland. Trivia goes that Ace Tone was too close to Acetone (or acid ?)
to be a sucessful name, so they did some more resarch for a name that
had a positive connotation in the western world.

> I cannot imagine anyone wanting to use the 
> instrument as is. 

I've never seen one, but given it's status as a very early Roland
product (even their first, maybe ?) it might have some value
as a collectors item. I'd check that if I were you, before doing any 
modifications. 


> That is where the DIY part comes in.  Restoring this 
> keyboard to original 
> seems like a waste.  The sound sucked when new, and that 
> has not changed. 
> What seems like it might be more fun is using the parts 
> for something else. 
> Certainly, the keyboard mechanism night find a good home 
> in someone's 
> project.

Cheezy organs can be exactly the right source for all sorts
of weird tape echo experiments. I have no idea how this
Ace Tone compares to a Farfisa - but we all know what
kind of outer space sounds a cheezy Farfisa could produce
in the hands of Rick Wright ...

I would hook it up to a handfull of MOTM modules - modulated
filters, modulated VCAs - and a tape echo, to see what I can 
get out of it.

 
> The other Keyboard is a Univox MiniKorg K-2  This looks 
> like a nice little 
> Monosynth that in sound design reminds me somewhat of the 
> Korg 770 I had 
> years ago. 

Now that's a little gem you got here. The 770 reference is close.
Actually, It predates the 770. It's either a 700 or a 700S
as far as I know. Probably a 700S. (If it has a 2nd VCO left to
the keyboard, and a ring modulator.)
I sold my 700S some years ago, and I did regret it. Later, I included
some of the 700S' features into my JH-720 project, such as the 
diode ring VCA, the saw-divider VCO, and the rather unique autoglide 
circuit.
There are schematics for the 700 on the web somewhere. (If
you don't find them, I can mail them privately.) I've never seen
schemos for a 700S, but I suppose it just has a board with a second
VCO added.

JH.