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

I'm a new user here on the forum, but I've been doing synth and sampler mods and repairs for a while now. Some of you might be familiar with my work on the DSS-1 upgrade.

I recently picked up a used EIII on eBay. It was in pretty rough shape but after a bit of TLC it's working great. First of all, I replaced the display with an OLED model (Newhaven Display #NHD-0420DZW-AY5 (98mm x 60mm)). I removed the inverter so no more annoying whine from the display. Second, I re-switched the whole front panel as one of the previous owners had spilled <something> and some of the switches weren't working. The switches are available new from Digi-Key, part #EG2548-ND. E-switch is the manufacturer.
The EIII wouldn't power up at first, the power supply would just "clunk" about once a second. I sent it to Nyco Systems who still repair them, but when I got it back, it still wouldn't fire up. Turns out the voltage selector switch was bad. The switch will connect two wires on the PSU when set for 120V, so mine was expecting 220V since the switch wasn't making contact. I just connected the wires together on the PSU itself and it fired up right away.

I've attached a picture of the new OLED display. I chose yellow but they have it in green too. It's very thin and fits perfectly, which is good since the LED backlit ones are thicker and probably wouldn't work.

Hi and Welcome!

That looks just amazing!!!!
Congratulations!!!!

That OLED looks stunning on the EIII.
Was it a 1:1 fit or did it need some adjusting?

It just dropped right in, no problems at all. Even easier that putting in an LED backlight one. Didn't have to mess with resistor values for current limiting or contrast either.

does it fit in the keyboard even?

I would also be interested to know if this would work the same way in the keyboard version. :)

I don't see why it wouldn't... It's just as thin or thinner than the original display. If I could see a close up picture of the EIII keyboard LCD from inside, I would have a better idea.

I just ordered one of these OLED displays for an EIII keyboard. I will update the forum in a week or so when I receive the new display and have time to install it.

Great ! - i'll stay tuned.

very interested to see pics :))

Well, IT WORKED!!! Yes, that's right, the OLED display installed by xuulan in his EIII rack also fits perfectly in the EIII keyboard.

I wouldn't say installation was a "breeze", however if you are technical and have good (de-)soldering skills it's really not that hard.

The Newhaven NHD-0420DZW-AY5 OLED is pin-compatible, however you need to leave pin 3 (contrast) N/C to the OLED. Contrast is irrelevant with OLED display anyway, so now I have a superfluous contrast knob on my EIII :)

Next up: replacing the aged Quantum ProDrive 230S with some kind of CF reader. Looks like the AztecMonster is the best internal option right now? I can't believe how the prices on the ACARD AEC7720U have skyrocketed! I bought one for my Emax HD for $40 a couple of years ago!

-Dave

I have it working in my EIII KB now.
As stated it fits perfectly -
The new display has 16 connector pads as opposed the old one's 14
- just connect 1-14 ( except 3 - contrast, leave that unconnected )
The old display had two extra wires connected, just desolder them from the front panel pcb.

That's AWESOME! Looks great :)

Man that is beautiful. I am going to add one to my old beast next!

BTW: here is a shoot of a EIIIx Display waiting for OLED replacement  ::)
PIN 15 & 16 are still unused from factory

(http://www.uzz40.de/IMAGES/EIIIX_DISPLAY_01.jpg)

Update: it looks like Newhaven now have a blue version of the display available, part number NHD-0420DZW-AB5.

Ooooh, that looks pretty. I kinda like the yellow (which I have both in my Emax Rack and my EIII KB), but the blue would be more authentic.

-Dave

OK I am guilty of necro-ing this thread

I've recently found time to put a yellow OLED in my EIII after buying it a couple of years ago.  Damn, I should have done that sooner!  Don't delay, do this mod now.  It somehow makes the EIII more immediate, you can see the cursor, the display paints faster.  Just do it, you won't regret it.  If you are not experienced with soldering and solder removal, get someone to do it for you.  Be careful with the screw lugs on the back of the top panel, the plastic (?) surrounds get brittle, and things break off.  These can be repaired with a good epoxy glue and patience.  Still, all well worth doing.  I wish I had the skill to fix my 3 bung voices, but 13 voices ain't too bad.