eml synthesizers

Hi everybody! I joined this group in hopes of finding out more about this EML Electrocomp 500 synthesizer that I've owned since the early 1980's. I've posted some pictures of it in a photo album on this site. There is no company logo or model number screen printed on it, but the controls appear to be the same as on other 500 models that I've seen pictured on the web. Is this a prototype? An early production model? Any information that you can provide will be helpful.

Rich Lawler

From: ricky620@... <ricky620@...>
Subject: [emlsynth] EML Electrocomp 500
To: emlsynth@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 6:07 AM

Hi everybody! I joined this group in hopes of finding out more about this EML Electrocomp 500 synthesizer that I've owned since the early 1980's. I've posted some pictures of it in a photo album on this site. There is no company logo or model number screen printed on it, but the controls appear to be the same as on other 500 models that I've seen pictured on the web. Is this a prototype? An early production model? Any information that you can provide will be helpful.

Rich Lawler

No serial number is not unusual for EML. Also worth noting that serial numbers did not seem to be chronological and did not imply the number of pieces manufactured.
It could be a prototype yet there could be many other reasons why there is no brand or model name. EML made many changes to their line and they encouraged clients to order custom builds and mods.

--- On Sat, 3/21/09, ricky620@... <ricky620@...> wrote:

From: ricky620@... <ricky620@...>
Subject: [emlsynth] EML Electrocomp 500
To: emlsynth@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 6:07 AM

Hi everybody! I joined this group in hopes of finding out more about this EML Electrocomp 500 synthesizer that I've owned since the early 1980's. I've posted some pictures of it in a photo album on this site. There is no company logo or model number screen printed on it, but the controls appear to be the same as on other 500 models that I've seen pictured on the web. Is this a prototype? An early production model? Any information that you can provide will be helpful.

Rich Lawler




Internal Virus Database is out of date.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.233 / Virus Database: 270.11.1/2001 - Release Date: 03/14/09 06:54:00

Rig,

Of course I'm no expert but don't think that my 500 has been modified since it left the factory. What do you mean by "a more decorative case"? Were some painted rather than stained and finished wood? It's hard to tell from the photos that I've seen. The style of a wood case with a brushed aluminum face plate was common to electronic equipment in the 1970's. It was still thought of as furniture back then.

Rich

--- In emlsynth@yahoogroups.com, bill bigrig <billbigrig@...> wrote:
>
> Howdy,
>  
>  I have one too. Bought in the early 90s for $20. The only differences are, mine has multi colored slider caps. It has a metal backplate with a large EML 500 label on it, and 4 boltheads instead of the 2 large screw heades on the back of yours. Mine has no apparent serial number either. It also has clips to wind the power coed around. It would seem that yours is either an early model with a more decorative case but uniformly colored control knobs, or, a unit that someone modified to ive a nicer appearance and not advertise the unit while onstage. May have been custom modified for that, or, it's a very early model without the glitz of multicolored buttons and the garish advertisement on the back. Just my $.02
> Rig
>
> --- On Sat, 3/21/09, ricky620@... <ricky620@...> wrote:
>
>
> From: ricky620@... <ricky620@...>
> Subject: [emlsynth] EML Electrocomp 500
> To: emlsynth@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 6:07 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi everybody! I joined this group in hopes of finding out more about this EML Electrocomp 500 synthesizer that I've owned since the early 1980's. I've posted some pictures of it in a photo album on this site. There is no company logo or model number screen printed on it, but the controls appear to be the same as on other 500 models that I've seen pictured on the web. Is this a prototype? An early production model? Any information that you can provide will be helpful.
>
> Rich Lawler
>

Mike,

Is there a way to date my 500? I've read somewhere that "pot codes" are a way of dating electronic equipment. what are they? Can you direct me to a site that explains this?

Rich

--- In emlsynth@yahoogroups.com, Mike DB <digiboy@...> wrote:
>
> No serial number is not unusual for EML. Also worth noting that
> serial numbers did not seem to be chronological and did not imply the
> number of pieces manufactured.
> It could be a prototype yet there could be many other reasons why
> there is no brand or model name. EML made many changes to their line
> and they encouraged clients to order custom builds and mods.
>
> >--- On Sat, 3/21/09, ricky620@... <ricky620@...> wrote:
> >
> >From: ricky620@... <ricky620@...>
> >Subject: [emlsynth] EML Electrocomp 500
> >To: emlsynth@yahoogroups.com
> >Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009, 6:07 AM
> >
> >Hi everybody! I joined this group in hopes of finding out more about
> >this EML Electrocomp 500 synthesizer that I've owned since the early
> >1980's. I've posted some pictures of it in a photo album on this
> >site. There is no company logo or model number screen printed on it,
> >but the controls appear to be the same as on other 500 models that
> >I've seen pictured on the web. Is this a prototype? An early
> >production model? Any information that you can provide will be helpful.
> >
> >Rich Lawler
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Internal Virus Database is out of date.
> >Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> >Version: 8.0.233 / Virus Database: 270.11.1/2001 - Release Date:
> >03/14/09 06:54:00
>

At 11:33 PM 3/23/2009, you wrote:

Mike,

Is there a way to date my 500? I've read somewhere that "pot codes" are a way of dating electronic equipment. what are they? Can you direct me to a site that explains this?

Rich

Sorry I don't know about the pot codes. The codes would probably only tell you when the pots themselves were made. They could have been sitting in the parts bins at the factory for a while before being used so it wouldn't be an exact way to date.
   You can see one EML 500 in the photo section with a very different paint design on the control face, altho the control layout is the same. I think that's a later version, maybe from not long before they closed down. Yours has the more typical design (except for the missing brand name) that was more commonly seen from the beginning.
   As far as I can tell, the slider cap colors have little or no significance either. They likely used whatever was on hand and might run out of one color or another before ordering more of them. I've seen a few of the sequencer models (which use a lot of sliders) with multi colors, black only, blue only, a mix of black and blue. I don't think it means much.
   Sure would love to find a stash of spare slider caps somewhere, I could use a whole bunch.

By the way
"Pots" refer to potentiometers, usually  rotary controls with round knobs.  On the 500 there is only that one "Mic Vol" that uses a rotary pot. You'd have to get inside the unit and look at the part that the rotary knob is attached to underneath, that's the pot. You would look for a number code.

If you find the code, you could try here:
http://www.guitardaterproject.org/potcodereader.aspx

 
It could have been sitting around for a year or more before being installed, and it also could be a later replacement since they do tend to wear out. So it doesn't really tell you very much about when that particular 500 was made.

> Is there a way to date my 500? I've read somewhere that "pot codes"

are a way of

> dating electronic equipment. what are they?

Many ICs also carry date codes, often in the format "yymm", eg 7923
would suggest
an IC was made in the 23rd week of 1979. ICs may have been made a
year or two
before they were built into the synth, but if you read the date code
from as many ICs as possible and find the latest one made (assuming it
hasn't been replaced), that'll give you a clue. Not very accurate,
but better than nothing.


Steve

I opened up my EML 500 to see if I could find any clues as to the date that it was made. I've documented my exploration by adding pictures to the photo album of it on this site.

A look at the microphone potentiometer did yield a code (see picture) but when I plugged it into the search function of the site that Mike suggested, it didn't find anything. It seems that there are widely varying formats for this code, and this one didn't fit.

A look at the other electrical components proved to be more fruitful (see circuit board picture). Here's a list of the numbers that I found on the bigger parts: USA7417H, 7410, 7330, 7426H, 7413L. If these fit the format that Steve suggested of yyww, the earliest would have been made the 30th week of 1973 and the latest the 26th week of 1974.

Since the synth couldn't have been made before the latest component (7426) and the dates seem to be within a year of each other, I would estimate that this unit was finished in late 1974 or perhaps early 1975. Thank you Mike and Steve for your suggestions.

Rich

--- In emlsynth@yahoogroups.com, Mike DB <digiboy@...> wrote:
>
> By the way
> "Pots" refer to potentiometers, usually rotary controls with round
> knobs. On the 500 there is only that one "Mic Vol" that uses a
> rotary pot. You'd have to get inside the unit and look at the part
> that the rotary knob is attached to underneath, that's the pot. You
> would look for a number code.
>
> If you find the code, you could try here:
> http://www.guitardaterproject.org/potcodereader.aspx
>
>
> It could have been sitting around for a year or more before being
> installed, and it also could be a later replacement since they do
> tend to wear out. So it doesn't really tell you very much about when
> that particular 500 was made.
>