Fwd: [sdiy] Starting synth repair business. What IC's to stock up on & gener

[Michael Ruberto]

Another thing to think about is rework tools. You'll find that many 
instruments will need repairs to the PCBs themselves. This is especially 
true of modern instruments which tend to all have cheap epoxy PCBs. On 
modern synths it seems the largest source of failures is the PCBs that hold 
the panel controls. From vibration and improper handling these PCBs crack 
and traces are cut. Repairing these problems takes alot of patience and some 
specialized tools. A rework station is an expensive but wonderful item to 
have in your arsenal. I have gotten by for years without one so I always 
made sure I had a good supply of the following items.

Manual solder suckers - small and large.
Eyedroppers and syringes.
Small forcepts and scrapers.
conductive ink pens.
30 guage wire.
a range of different sized solder wicks.
15 watt iron with fine tips.
Plenty of cleaning agents e.g. flux remover, 100% alcohol, turpentine
rubber erasers.
glues and epoxies.
nail polish.
ESD protection gear

Sometimes older instruments can be a real handful to disassemble. I once 
serviced a Synthacon which looked as though it was constructed by cavemen. I 
actually needed a prybar and wrenches to get it apart. Then I needed some 
woodworking tools to reassemble it. Buy a wood chisel or 2. Hammers, 
prybars, and tin snips can be handy with older instruments at times.

In working on synths it's not uncommon to go from delicate operations such 
as PCB trace repair to bending metal and chiseling wood. Be prepared for it 
all.

M. A. Ruberto



>From: klosmon <klosmon at sbcglobal.net>
>To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>Subject: Fwd: [sdiy] Starting synth repair business. What IC's to stock  up 
>on & general advice.
>Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 08:49:18 -0800
>
>Steve wrote:
>
>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>I am seriously considering starting up a synth repair business. Where
>>I live there is a need, and I have a number of contacts that would
>>send business my way as they currently have to tell people they don't
>>know anyone that can help.
>>Anyway, what would you stock up on, as far as IC's transistors opamps
>>etc. that you think will become hard to find in the future,  but are
>>available to some extent now (I am guessing the 3080 and 3280 recently
>>discussed would be good to stock.)
>
>Hello --
>It would depend largely on what synthesizers you are going to be working 
>with.
>For example, I repair a lot of Sequential Circuits machines -- this has 
>required me to keep a large stock of CMOS DIP on hand (4051, 4016 & 66 
>switches, etc).  TL082 opamps, 311 comparators, 74XX regulators, one HELL 
>of a lot of 2.2uf/50 volt electrolytics. etc etc etc.
>
>Just look at the schematics, think about the work you've done over the 
>years, and you'll have some idea.
>
>As for keeping in stock everything you need -- not necessarily a good idea, 
>unless you have a lot of funds & space available.  I've found that orders 
>from Jameco, Mouser, etc can arrive within a couple of days (even with 
>minimal shipping charges).  As for custom & obsolete chips:  once again, 
>depends on what you expect to be servicing.  I once purchased a number of 
>Yamaha custom ICs, thinking they'd come in handy somewhere down the line;  
>after performing service on my 100th machine, I realized only ONE of them 
>was a Yamaha, and it didn't need a custom IC replaced.  I've since sold 
>those chips...
>
>As for your "general advice" questions -- I could go on for days.
>Simplest advice is:  get your feet wet, try working on a few machines, see 
>what you need for parts & equipment (I've been repeatedly surprised at how 
>LITTLE, aside from schematics & the ability to read them & reason from them 
>is required to make dead machines live again).  You'll be able to see 
>fairly soon what YOU need for your situation.
>
>Good luck --
>
>~GMM
>http://www.analogsynthservice.com/
>
>PS  the only thing I can say for certain about dealing with musicians is 
>that they NEVER EVER EVER show up when they say they will -- don't cancel 
>your dinner plans because one says he'll be there at 7:00.
>
>
>
>
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