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

Hi,

I bought an EII from switzerland, but I knew it was broken, but I thought I will try my best, especially as I got it for 500€ with 100 floppies and even with the original factroy box.
The seller assured me that only the front panel doesn't work, but after having received it today, there are a few small other things that don't work.

Nevertheless I'm quite happy, because I noticed that it has been upgraded and has a second floppy drive. It also has the memory board plus extension and the display works.

1) Actually the EII doesn't want to boot, because the floppy drives simply don't start to work. The display just says "Insert Disk". But the LEDs on the floppy drives light alternately.
2) The second thing is that the control panel doesn't work according to the seller, but the display itself does. I could imagine it's just a damaged cable...(?)

Do you know what could be the problem here?

Thanks for your help!
Freddy

If I was you, I'd reseat every chip and connector that you find inside, then switch it on again and check.

Hello

What kind of floppy drives in it?
Possible misalignment of the replaced drive (jumpers)
Try only one "original" drive (ID0!! and termination)
It is possible that both floppy poor him!

If this does not help, then I think there are serious control problem.
The LCD, buttons and LEDs floppy and elsewhere are controlled. (CTC, PIO, SIO)

The LEDs light up?

Laszlo

And of course check your power supply. My EII was not making sound and the disk drive was not working, even thought the red LED would turn on.

It had a bad power supply -the voltages were too high. (Even with this, the the digital side of it was still working.)

I replaced the PSU with a modern unit and it works fine.

Kirk

Hi,

after having reseated every single chip and every cable, nothing has changed.

I think I forgot to tell you that it fully worked before I got it shipped from switzerland apart from the control issue, but the seller said that loading disks worked flawlessly.

Basically I think the major issue is that the floppy drive motors don't start to do anything, but the LEDs light up alternately.

Any suggestions? :(

Thank you soo much!

Hi!

I read a couple of threads in the meanwhile and I found out that a miscalibrated psu may cause problems. Accroding to the thread above (by hideawaystudios) I checked the voltages (DC).

Pin 1 (red): 16,2V
2 (yellow): 19,6V
3 (yellow): 19,5V
4 (green):14,6V
5 (green): 14,6V
6 (blue): 16,6V
7: unused
8 (black): ground(??)

These values look very strange to me as they differ so much from the ones written in the thread above. If they are wrong which calibrating screws to I have to turn and how do I have to proceed in general?

UPDATE: This guy seems/seemed to have exatly the same problem... http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/emulatorII-list/message/2959

Thank you very much for your help!!

Hello

These values ​​are very bad.
The +5 V instead of so much destruction can be made ​​in many IC.
I claim a maximum of +5 V to +6 V.
The rest have not tried much bigger.
Most SN74xxx IC +7V or +8V over the burn.
Try to repair the power supply.

Laszlo

Hi Freddy,

I don't know anything about calibration screws. The capacitators on the psu are used to store energy and most likely one or more are faulty (leaky) and therefore pass higher voltages on the psu. You can feel on the capacitators if there really hot (faulty). When they are cold, most likely not operational anymore and needs replacement. You have to recap those on the psu in order to find out if the voltage has caused more damage to the chips on the mainboard etc.

Kind regards,
Frank

Hello

Need me again measure the voltage!!!!
I do not think a good place to GND!
Look at this: http://eiiiforum.com/index.php?topic=370.0

GND: green cable: J101 pin 4-5

If +5 V instead of +19V, it would all board go in the bin.
All ICs have been destroyed.

Laszlo

Hi,

thanks for your reply. I already suspected that this cannot be true, particularly because it would have fried every chip

Pin 1 (red): 1,6V
2 (yellow): 4,8V
3 (yellow): 4,8V
4 (green): 0V
5 (green): 0V
6 (blue): 0V
7: (unused): 15,05V
8 (black): -14,64V

Are these tolerances normal and fine or do I have to change something. If so, how?

Thank you!!!

Best regards,
Freddy

Hello

It would be good to bring up +4.8! (+5.1)

PIN1 is not good! The good: 13.4V
This can be a major problem!
I do not think it can be set up:(
Increasingly possible categories that need to be improved

Careful!!!

+5V adjusted: R116 trimmer

+13.4V adjusted: R134 trimmer

You did not have the floppy drive type numbers!
They can be bad jumpers!

Laszlo

Hi
thanks for your support!

After having read some troubleshooting pdfs (diagnostics, service manual) and guided by your advices I found out that the PIN 1 voltage is dramatically wrong and I could track the problem down even in the floppy drives. I guess it is a faulty capacitor or what do you think. If there was a short or an open circuit somewhere the machine would't work at all

Hello

It is possible that only one capacitor.
Look at the diagram.
This schematic is very simple.
Measure the voltage at the input of the LM350:
Pinout:
http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm350-n.pdf
Must be greater than 13.4. (I think: 18-25V)

If not much, then proceed backwards.
Somewhere you will!
Replace all parts that have followed.
If the output of the transformer is good, you can pick out the first diode. (CR11?)
If so there is no voltage, the transformer is bad.

Laszlo

Hi!

Good news!! (?)

I resoldered a couple of bad and old looking solder joints on the PSU. Then the voltage was suddenly 13,2V (pin 1 - black) again. I adjusted it via the the potentiometer and now it's 13,41V again.

Do you think it's a problem that the Pin 8 (black) displays only -14,64V instead of -15V; I simply cannot adjust it via the 4 potentiometers?

The floppy drives are now loading and working, but nevertheless the sampler still doesn't fully work. Now the display stucks at "This will take a while" and the floppy drives stop to operate after approximately. 20 sec. This does not change.


Thank you for your help!!!!

Maybe your boot disk is bad? Do you have another disk you can boot from?

No, I tried 10 different ones. They are ok....  ???

Do you have two floppy drives? If so, swap them so drive A is drive B and vice versa.

Also, make sure there isn't something obstructing your drive read/write head. I went to copy some disks recently with a Kryoflux and a drive and the drive would not work at first. There was a ribbon cable on the drive itself that had slipped down into the path of the read/write head and stopped the head from moving much past track 40 or so.

Kirk

Hi,
I just changged them, but still no change..

Thanks to you all for your help!

Reseat the cable a few times where it connects to the mainboard?

The floppy drive cable, that is!

Hello

+15V need audio section! 14.6V no problem.

Try another disc! Another OS version.
And atray on which there is no sample banks.

If these do not help, you can be bad:
OS or scanner ROM
more logical IC...........


An oscilloscope is needed!
Many components and very much are times.
Or it is necessary to force it into a service.
Is there somebody, who repairs one like this, at you?
We are two people in Hungary:)

Laszlo

Hi Kirk!

Further Good News! I reseated the floppy cables a few times again aanndd suddenly it worked and the preset name could be seen in the display!

But more than that wasn't possible. I couldn't hear a sound (but a plop so the audio board isn't dead), but that's something to talk about later....

I guess I will have a closer look at the cables and the connectors. I have already ordered a bottle of isopropanol. Do you guys know the special names of the flat cables that are used in the EII because I'm not familiar with these things. I think I will and should replace them all...

Thanks to you all and especially to Kirk!

Btw... It did work only once that it fully started



Hi Laszlo,
Thanks for your answer! I'm optimistic that it isn't that bad. It's already fantastic we were able to repair thanks to you guys !!! I will have a closer look at the cables and clean some problematic contacts.
If I simply don't find a solution I think a have a few guys to contact.

Thank you!!

They are "ribbon cables" - or just plain "floppy drive cables". They are 34-pin  - similar to the 40-pin IDE cables used with old hard disks.

The ones in the EII are rather long - long enough that I've never been able to find premade ones that would reach the drives in an EII. You can buy ribbon and the 34-pin cable connectors and a tool to crimp the connectors on the cable for not a lot of money, but I've yet to make one. Also, keep in mind that the floppy cables have some of the wires "twisted" to address the drive A and B.

Hi,

ok after some extensive research I found these ones and they are long enough if I lay it over the analog board
http://www.ebay.de/itm/36-inch-Universal-Floppy-Drive-Ribbon-Cable-for-3-5-or-5-25in-Drives-FF-002-/390551711664?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item5aeeb22fb0 (http://www.ebay.de/itm/36-inch-Universal-Floppy-Drive-Ribbon-Cable-for-3-5-or-5-25in-Drives-FF-002-/390551711664?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item5aeeb22fb0)

Can someone confirm if this one will work? Thanks, I'm not familiar to these kind of cables and their functionality!



BTW.: Can I use this one as a replacement LCD as mine is very dimmed and i heard somewhere that these work fine?: http://www.ebay.de/itm/2-stk-HD44780-1602-LCD-Display-Module-Anzeigen-2X16-Zeichen-blau-Rucklicht-Neu-/400423676443?pt=Bauteile&hash=item5d3b1c6a1b

Another thing; does anyone know a good slider or (radial) potentiometer replacement? Furthermore mine came only with one correct knob for the poti. Is there a source for a new one?



Thank you for your help!!!!

If you have only one drive, then that should work.

But it you have two drives, then the end of the cable will still reach the furthest drive, but the connections for the second drive will not reach.  The second drive uses one of the connections between the 21 inch and 11 inch lengths of the cable.

Hello

Floppy cable and LCD NOT compatible!!!

Laszlo

God , what a pain to find these simple spare parts ....

Well concerning the cable: The direct distance between the first floppy drive and the mainboard connector is ~20 inch, I could imagine that it works... maybe...it is described that the distance between the first two connectors is 23 inch...
If it works principally then I think I will give it a try..

Or do you know someone who can build these cables?

What's wrong about the display? Here someone says that it works with his SP12 (http://www.gearslutz.com/board/geekslutz-forum/544454-emu-sp12-display-replacement.html)

Hello

The LCD size is not good!
Correct size: 84x44x12mm
( I have mor piece  ;D )

You can easily build the cable!
I have made ​​this before :)

Laszlo

Ok, I just ordered the parts though I'm sceptical that it will solve the problem. At least ta cable damage can be excluded then
Just in case it won't solve the problem. What should I check next?


Which new display do you recommend? I would like to keep the original style (blue backlight)

I just came from building a new cable, but obviosuly that didn't help. I would say in one of 20 times the sampler entered the "Main Menu" displaying something like "Preset 00 - DISK READ ERROR".

Any ideas what causes the problem? What should I try to do next?

Thank you very much!
Best regards!

Have you done the "reseating procedure" already?

Yes, I have already reseated all the chips. Hopefully that did help...  :-\

Thank you for your help!!