E-mu Emulator Sampler User Forum for the EIII EII EI and EIII XP

I ordered a Noritake Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) for the EII that I am sure
it will fit and work.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/monolism/DSCN0433.jpg)

You can see Noritake on top and the original EII display with frame.


I have a couple EII's now that I can play with. The Noritake's are not cheap though. I paid $82 with shipping for mine from Noritake directly. I believe Mouser and Digikey carry them also. The regular color is green. Now if you want the characters to be blue to kinda match the EII, then you will have to buy the blue filter that Noritake sells and is put over the LCD. Well here is the rub.. you can't just buy one. You have to buy 150 of them at a time and they want $3.21 each. Great, so now I have $450 worth of blue filters laying around. I have pushed back and forth with the LA and Chicago offices about this, and they are sticking to their
guns on this one. I just don't get it.  It doesn't make any sense to me. They said the filter manufacturer has it set up this. You would think they would just break a
pack open you know and sell them for $10 each and make some money. Nope. And
they won't budge.

So they sent me one blue filter for evaluation. See pic. I'll be getting the
filter installed in a couple weeks. My tech has my Sequential Studio 440 and is
fitting this LCD in it. And then I will order another one for one of my EII's
and see how it comes out. With the blue filter of course. They actually used a
sharpie marker on the filter so I could not in fact "use it". I used some
rubbing alcohol on it and it came off and has this backwards "F" on it. See
pic. But that was part of the writing that read part # F3-01-03. Everything
came off accept the F. See pic.

The Noritake LCD seems to line up exactly from back to back. At least the holes
do. The EII, SP-12, and 440 share the same LCD.  Here is a picture of one installed in a Sequential VS.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FMBJEkaC8Lw/RjELpaEqLdI/AAAAAAAADgs/spJh4gt7iL0/s1600-\
h/IMG_1377.jpg

and a closer image of one in a Studio 440.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FMBJEkaC8Lw/Rizwx5eL86I/AAAAAAAADW8/6g7d-s9OVhs/s1600-\
h/IMG_1368_2.jpg

I think it would look really nice in our EII's. But the blue filter thing is
gonna be a bitch. I should have mine done in a couple weeks and I will post
pics.

James

*update. I just ordered another one to fit in the EII. 
Pics in a couple weeks.

these look great!

I am going to LA tomorrow to pick up a bunch of Rosco filters in every color ever.

(http://blog.photoshelter.com/ROSB.jpg)

Screw Noritake's silly filter system. I do like their LCD's though.   They wrote back today and they said $150 for 50 blue filters, not $450.  Still way overpriced.  You can buy the Rosco filters by the sheet for like $20 or maybe even use the ones in the sample book.  They come in different millimeters.  The Noritake filters are 1 mil thick. So I will stick to either 1 or 2 mil in thickness in blue.

Rosco filter idea works. 

Noritake VFD with blue Rosco filter in a Studio 440.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v13/monolism/studio440withnoritakevfd.jpg)

Next is the EII. 


Shit, all I do is win.

I just installed NORITAKE in it in first EII!!!!

WORX PERFECT!!! WOOOOHOOOOOO!!

SOME PICTURES !!!

quick shot with my phone :)
(http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/238204d1307059029-emu-ii-pimp-up-eii-noritake.jpg)
(http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/238205d1307059029-emu-ii-pimp-up-eii-noritake-2.jpg)
(http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/238206d1307059029-emu-ii-pimp-up-eii-noritake-3.jpg)

Yeah! Great!!!

Can someone post a link to the specific Noritake model that fits in the Emulator II?

Aside from removal of the original LCD and soldering in the VFD, are there any other modifications that need to be made to the EII for this to work?

YES noritake model = CU16025-UW2J


TAKE CARE !!! to me everything  works perfect if IC 25 on cpu board is HD74LS04P

I tried few other 74xx04 ... non workked correct !!

hope this helps a bit!!!

D

Thanks Roginator!

This question might belong in another section of the forum, but I'll ask here since we're on the subject. Are there Noritake displays from this same family of products that will work with the:

 - Emax I rack
 - Emax II rack
 - Emulator III keyboard
 - Emulator III rack

Emax I rack and EIII IN A WEEK !!  ;D 8)

That's great news Roginator!

When you have Noritake part numbers that are confirmed to be compatible with the Emax I and the Emulator III, please post them.

ofcourse!!

How do you sleep at night with highjacking my thread?

"I just installed NORITAKE in it in first EII!!!!

WORX PERFECT!!! WOOOOHOOOOOO!!"

Is this some type of contest to you?  Who installed it first?

If you're gonna take over my thread keep the gayness down to a minimum.
There is no need to be so over the top with your stupid exclamation points.
We get it already.   I'm curious.  Did you get the Noritake before or after I posted this?
Last time I remember you were using little gay ass $5 blue units from Ebay.
All of a sudden you're jockin Noritake's?   Weak, bud.

  

WTF  ???  :o

really cool!

looks cool!

Keep it like it is!

Excellent work James. How was their customer service besides the filter horseshit?
Shipping quick and reasonable?

Jay

Thanks bro.

Yeah Casey at Noritake is alright.  Shipping takes about a week and the VFD's come out of the Chicago office.  Not the LA office.   I think Digikey carries some of the models but not all of them.   You have to fax a form they send you and it's very formal sales transaction. No online shopping cart on their site.   Like $75 with tax and shipping.

Think I will take the plunge then. Are there procedures to it or is is pretty straight forward?
What was the model number again?

Jay

Jay,

Part # CU16025-UW2J

Some report jibberish after installing the Noritake.  There is a Z80 sub chip or something that needs to be changed.  Contact me off line and I will send you in the right direction.

Hi there

I could only find VFD CU16025-UW6J

The only difference I can figure out is that its a slight different size (PCB). But I managed to get it to fit.

All jumper settings as default.
No mod's done to EII other than removing old EL backlight Inverter.

Now, it is almost perfect, but see pic'; I get a couple of odd characters. Once the software loaded I get more odd characters.

So, it kind of works, (ie wiring is OK) - but - something not right, noise, timing.

Can any one suggest a solution?

Do I need to change any thing on the EII? Like an IC or something?

thanks!!

Tom, you need to change the HEX inverter. I had the same issue with my retrofit. The info is on the EII yahoo site.
If you can't find it, let me know.

Jay

U25 is the 74HCT04 that drives the display. On-line it says replace it with a 74LS04 (I do not know about the Noritake, but this has not worked for me where I have been fitting LCD's from Jameco with a blue background and white chars and I have needed to go for a 74AS04 as it is faster and higher power. The chips are cheap so buy some variants and see what works for you).

that was my next plan to try.

I know the display is wired and interfaced correctly. Just seems subtle noise, or tiny timing issue,

but I will try changing the hex inverter and hopefully will work. I will report back!

 :)
success - 74LS04 works! I will post pix soon