[sdiy] Seiko ds-250/310/202

[Scott Nordlund]

> I have acquired several of these synthesizers in good working order after many years of searching, and wonder if anyone on the list (in the San Francisco Bay Area) with some experience at this sort of thing might be interested in disassembling one of them with me to get an idea of how it ticks, and what mods might be useful/possible, voltages and pinouts of the interfaces (where the synth module and the sequencer module and, according to the manual a computer can be connected) 
> 
> - Joel

I've had interest in things like that in the past, I found a few "under the radar" type synths, Keytek CTS-2000, Wersi MK-1/EX20, Casio HT-6000 and stuff like that.  My conclusion is that while they are all uniquely brain damaged in their own very interesting way, unsurprisingly they don't end up being essential instruments.  I had the opportunity to buy some of the Seiko stuff before, but I decided I'm not trying to run a museum...

I'm probably no help since I'm on the wrong side of the continent, but I'd love to see what comes out of it, if anything.  And sound samples too!  I think there's an interesting (though probably not very happy) history behind them (the Basyn Minstrel).  Supposedly there's a patent on the technology but I haven't been able to find it.  Is there a patent number listed on the case?