Emulator II in need of repairs & needs to be made as new

[rokuez]

thanks for the information Elmbeatz.   I still have to do some reading on macs, & I have to hold off on purchasing the mac for right now.

Here is a little tutorial on how to refurb  your buttons. 

First pop off the plastic top with a small flat heat screw driver and having your finger on the opposite side of the button.  The button is made out of plastic and will deform and pop out with pressure.  See pic and imagine your finger pressing against the other side of the button to squeeze it and make it deform enough to pop up and out.

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/popoffbutton.JPG


Here is an image of a dirty EII button

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/dirtybutton.JPG

Here is an image of the worn out aluminum dome underneath.  When you press down on the button this metal dome depresses and makes contact with the contact pieces below.  I discarded all the old aluminum domes and put in new ones.  The button comes back with much more force.

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/dirtyaluminumdome.JPG

Here are two images of the dirty contacts, the large contact in the center and the thinner one in the upper right hand corner of the button's plastic frame.

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/dirtycontact1.JPG

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/dirtycontact2.JPG

To clean the contacts you take a q-tip and cut off the cotton part.  then buff off the dirty oxidization/dust whatever that stuff is and the contact should look bright and clean.  For the middle contact buff starting at the bottom left hand corner and go upwards diagonally.  For the thinner contact buff starting in the upper right hand corner and go downwards towards the left hand corner.  I did this because I didn't want to risk catching the contact and have it bend.  After you see black residue appear on the q-tip from buffing the contact cut off that little bit of the q-tip and buff it again until you stop seeing black residue.

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/qtipclean.JPG


Here is an image of clean contacts

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/cleancontact.JPG

Here are some new images of the cleaned up EII with refurbished buttons

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/eiiback.JPG

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/eiileft.JPG

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/eiimiddle.JPG

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/eiiright.JPG

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/eiiback.JPG

An image before i cleaned it up

http://eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/IMG_0294.JPG

Same view but after the clean up.  I used that blue windex stuff to clean the plastic and front panel.  It worked well for getting the grime off I think.

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/eiitopfront.JPG

I may be able to fix this key w/o ordering a new one but we will see after my friend looks at it another time.  Unfortunately the C end key at http://www.senso.dds.nl/ is sold out.  If anyone finds another for sale let met know!

I am waiting on the scanner diagnostic test disk and the testing eprom should be here in two weeks.  I still need to replace the backlight, put some new legs on this thing one of them is cracking a bit.  Very happy that it's working and sounds fine.

Has anyone ever oiled their sliders or done anything to refurbish them in anyway?


argh an update it was working last night and sounds where coming out of it.  Then when i got it home I didn't have the fuse in all the way when I turned it on and it didn't power up.  I checked the fuse by pushing it in and it popped in and out i saw a spark or two.  Now when I power it on it says Boot In Progress automatically all the lights flash for a brief second.  and it stays that way saying boot in progress

I put a disk in and I can hear it spin but it doesn't load and continues to say Boot in Progress.  I hear no clicking sounds at all.  If I boot it up with a disk it still says Boot in Progress.



According to the EII Diagnostics Manual I have Problem 3 and have a main CPU problem need to have eprom , check the clock signal etc

[Elmbeatz]

Hey Rokuez!

Don't Panic!

1. The original fuseholders of that E-Mu 1st / 2nd generation gear are crappy (as you witnessed last night...)

I replaced mine with some similar to these:



There's no soldering or so, there's only plug contacts, so this is very very easy.


2. I also had the same problem with "boot in progress" and stuff.... , disk drives not clicking but turning and so on.

Try this:  Open the EII and disconnect / reconnect the power cables of the disk drives, maybe clean their contacts, too. Perhaps you should disconnect / reconnect the drives data cables, too.

After I did this, everything was okay again.

BUT:  After some time, the same bug, or other bugs occured....

Believe me ( I mean it...    - if you want to use your EII in a RELAXED and sophisticated way (I mean without prayers each time before turning it on...), you have to dedicate some time to its guts as you did to its buttons. As I said - pull out ALL chips, clean their contacts and their sockets, do the same to all cable connections. Be VERY careful (chip - pins ...) and STAY GROUNDED.

I tell you: Ever after I did this (about half a year ago) the machine works PERFECTLY. It didn't give me stress in any way a single time!

I'm serious - you'll have to do it (look at the black dust in the buttons - this type of corrosion is on the ICs contacts, too. Use an electric toothbrush with isopropyl alcohol to clean their pins and sockets. You do not need to do it as properly as you did it with the buttons. Just a little will be enough.


P.S.:  By the way: Your button cleaning tutorial is DEAD HANDY!!!!  Thanks a lot for it, G R E A T !!!!!!

[rokuez]

I'm a little worried to do all that work because it would take a good while and I'm not sure if it would fix the problem. 

Before I accidentally pushed in the fuse while the power was on the EII was working fine, loading up discs, playing sounds etc.

Then after I pushed in the fuse while the power was on saw the blue sparks, etc it went to Boot In Progress and never got past that screen.  I can start it with a disc inside and it hangs on boot in progress, I can start it w/o a disc put one in and it spins the disc (no clicking sound) but stays on Boot in Progress.  When it starts all the lights flash then it goes immediately to boot in progress stays silent too until i put in a disc it will just spin the disc for a while.

According to the EII Diagnostics Manual which can be found here http://www.emulatorarchive.com/Archives/Samplers/E2Overview/e2overview.html  under the Manuals Section on the right it looks like I have Problem 3 from page 5. 


SYMPTOM:
1. The disk won't load
2. The display shows;
***Emulator 2***
Boot in progress
3. The disk drive doesn't click and its light doesn't flash.
doesn't change. The display
BACKGROUND
:
The Scanner CPU is working since the sign-on message is on the display.
This is a main CPU problem. The Main CPU Z80 requires a clock to work, and
generates a synchronizing signal (Ml) at every opcode fetch cycle.

So based on this accurately describing my scenario and them saying i need to check the processor and clock I figured I would need the Eprom to diagnose it and fix it?

Elmbeatz your sure your EII was giving you the exact same issue as described above ^^^  Did your EII come this way or did you pull a putz-mcgee move like myself and push in the fuse while the power was on ?
 & if you had the same problems you just did the cleaning process/ reconnecting things and it got past the Boot in Progress stage? To me from the diagnostics manual it looks like I'll need the eprom.

 I just want to make sure because popping out the chips from the IC sockets will cause undue stress, that I would like to avoid.  Also when this EII was working it gave me no problems so I kinda assume the chips in the IC's might be good for now.

thanks for the headsup about the fuse too, curious to see if yours for sure had the same exact problem and your fix worked for the same problem.  I'm thinking your Boot in Progress issue may be due to a different problem then mine.  There are a couple of different scenarios where it will hang on Boot in Progress but so far it seems like your Boot in Progress scenario and mine are the same but with possibly two solutions which confuses me.

[Prometheus]

I had the exact same problem with mine when i got it. I cleaned the Z80:s and it works fine, exept for the voice problem. I cleaned with contac spray, no toothbrush needed. So pull out them chips and it will probably start up  fine.

[rokuez]

awesome thanks elmsbeatz and prometheus now it's up and running again!!  sounding epic, the voices seem to be good.

When I had it open i took a look underneath the keybed and it was super dusty.

When I look at my keys dead on they all seem kind of tilted to the right a bit.



I'd really like to take apart this keybed put in new springs get the dust out still hoping someone will post who has done this b4 but i'm guessing not.  the action feels really light, and gives too easily I think the springs need to be replaced.

I also took a closer look at the digital board and it's a revision 0 , 1984. 

There is a much smaller board, smaller then the memory board above the digital board connected to the computer interface port.  Is it safe for me to assume I have the additional board so that I can hook this EII up to a mac for sound designer?

[Elmbeatz]

There is a much smaller board, smaller then the memory board above the digital board connected to the computer interface port.  Is it safe for me to assume I have the additional board so that I can hook this EII up to a mac for sound designer?

Hi!
Maybe that's exactly the Mod that wintermute built for his EII. Why don't you take a pic of it (you seem to be good in macro-photography ?

Well, congratulations on your success in powering it up proberly again! So what did you do? Reconnect the discdrives or what?

You asked me if I had EXACTLY the same bug as you... well I can't tell for sure. BUT I remember that I accidentally pushed on the fuseholder while also pushing the power button to turn it on...

You're right, its a pain in the ass to do all the ICs, and you might skip that if your machine works fine.
Thing is, that I had several ghosts in my machine. Sometimes, I had voice problems, sometimes there was no input level, sometimes my drives didn't work and so on...

So I decided (after I was given the hint to do so in the EII yahoo group) to take three evenings off and clean that dam thing from bottom to top. Glad I did it though. It sounds AND looks brandnew.

Greetz,
Elm.

[Emax]

I am jealous of that EII

Congrats rokuez

Emax.
(DX5)

[rokuez]

thanks Emax , I hope you find your part you are looking for in the for sale section.

Elmbeatz all I did was disconnect the power chords coming from the PSU to the different boards, and pop out the z80 processors and put them back.

When I powered it back up it said insert disk, loaded the info, and played the patch.  If I start to get ghost or random problems like you I will do the IC cleaning procedure.

I gotta do more research and find out how to refurbish this keybed, i guess first take it off the metal frame, take the keys off clean them and replace the springs.  I need to have the parts b4 I do this tho.  & I've never refurbished a keybed/keyboard.  After that is done then the backlight, then recapping, then hook it up to a mac.  then after eii is done i'll feel comfortable working on eiii.  I got another EIII rack (2 total) with the HD300 (external 300 mb harddrive unit they made for eiii).  New EIII is much better condition but that's for another thread.


Here are some images of this small board so that revision 0 digital boards can work with macs.  maybe wintermute can chime in if he has a chance.

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/IMG_0454.JPG
http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/IMG_0455.JPG
http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/IMG_0458.JPG
http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/IMG_0459.JPG



Here is an image showing the wires gong from the small board to the computer interface port.

http://www.eiiiforum.com/picsfromusers/eii/IMG_0457.JPG

[Elmbeatz]

Good!

I think it's very very likely that what you got there is the expansion to establish a mac connection (as "Mac" is even printed on top of it..)

Cool!

[roginator]

KEY wich you need is not broken as I see it just need a spring !!!!!!

all springs are same on poly 800, polysix, EII, OB-8, Memorymoog, prophet 600.... I will try to find you as I promised you over skype!!!! and Vintage planet parts aka sendso has them also.

our search for emus II really worth...have fun with eII and congratulationd on drumulator 

[Prometheus]

KEY wich you need is not broken as I see it just need a spring !!!!!!

all springs are same on poly 800, polysix, EII, OB-8, Memorymoog, prophet 600.... I will try to find you as I promised you over skype!!!! and Vintage planet parts aka sendso has them also.

our search for emus II really worth...have fun with eII and congratulationd on drumulator 

My key looks the same, and it's defenetly broken, the spring is fine. Are the keys same to? that would be really cool since some of the Poly 800 Mark I:s came with reversed-colored keys. Imagine that, a EII with a reversed colored keyboard........

[esynthesist]

O yes, and if the EII is painted in black like Jim Stout's one, this reverse keyboard would even be more cool !

[Prometheus]

And print a Black & white front label! "Darth E-mu"! "Emulator strikes back"!

Hey Rog, you know if the keys are the same?

[Elmbeatz]

And print a Black & white front label! "Darth E-mu"! "Emulator strikes back"!

Hey Rog, you know if the keys are the same?

HAH HA HAHAHAHAHH  PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!

[Prometheus]

And print a Black & white front label! "Darth E-mu"! "Emulator strikes back"!

Hey Rog, you know if the keys are the same?

HAH HA HAHAHAHAHH  PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!

Well first we have to confirm that the polys keys fit. And then i have to find 2 poly800 with reversed keys and find a way to print the label. And then paint the EII Black.  So no photos this week

But if i were Jim Stout i definetly would! He's already halway there.

I think there exist a black (original) Nord lead 2x with reversed color keys, made by one of the guys who owns/works at Clavia. Imagine having that Nord with a Black reversed EII.

.....YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE!