[sdiy] Repairability of modern analog synths

[David G Dixon]

Well, I've got a broken JX-8P collecting dust behind my workbench in the
garage.  My problem with broken digital synths isn't that I'll have to fix
the microcontroller.  My problem is that I'm very scared to even start
looking at it with a view to fixing it.  With analog gear, I'm generally
pretty confident that I'll find the problem quickly, because I understand
how it works.

What I'm trying to say is, it's a ME thing, not really a DIGITAL thing.  As
far as the "lazy mechanic" analogy, that would be true if I actually did
this stuff for money, but since I only do it for shits and giggles, I don't
think it really applies.  Life's too short to do stuff you don't enjoy.


-----Original Message-----
From: Synth-diy [mailto:synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org] On Behalf Of
Gordonjcp
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 6:04 AM
To: synth-diy at synth-diy.org
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Repairability of modern analog synths

[CAUTION: Non-UBC Email]

On Mon, Oct 19, 2020 at 03:42:34PM -0700, David G Dixon wrote:
> It would seem to me that one big problem with "modern" synths is 
> replacing programmed chips.  I can't speak for other people, but when 
> I open up a broken synth and see microcontrollers, I close it back up 
> and leave it where I found it.

Why?  It's never the microcontroller.

That's like all the crappy garages that used to go "oooooh, can't fix that,
it's got a computer, it'll be the computer that's faulty, that's expensive
and needs dealer tools".  Does it hell, it needs a set of tyres put on, you
lazy tit.

If you see a modernish synth with a fault, it's going to be the power supply
or one of the much-maligned 405x MUXes.  The closest I've got to a faulty
microcontroller in a synth is doing the DSP in MS2000s - funny I've never
seen a Microkorg with a dead DSP!

--
Gordonjcp

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