Just got EIII and it fried plastic after 20 minutes

[nadafarms]

I just bought a EIII that had been sitting for years, I plugged it in and it worked great for 20 minutes.

then suddenly outputted static sounds, then the smell of burning plastic.

I'm terrified that it can't be fixed now and this thing is fried?

Can anyone help me? I'm not a tech and can't find one, I'm in California does anyone know what I should do?

It was the most amazing 20 minutes, the sampler had awesome string sounds and I'm so saddened.

Hopefully it just needs a new power supply? Everything was working!!!!!!! then bam...

[ditabeardmemo]

Hi Nadafarm:

Sorry to hear about your EIII woes! I've been in a similar situation.

While I don't know anything about the specific problem you're experiencing, you may want to phone a technician named Bruce Forat of the Forat Bros. in Los Angeles. Forat is mainly known for his work on Linn series drum machines, but I know he also works on the Emulator II and SP-1200, so he may be able to help with an EIII.

Bruce worked on my LinnDrum, and I can say without hesitation that he's one of the most fastidious technicians in the business. His bench rate isn't cheap, but if he works on one of your pieces, you can rest assured it will function as intended for many years to come.

Best of luck with your repair!

[dr.c]

I was the Linn service manager in France and the Forat brothers are four, we used to call them "Four rats", selling Linn 9000 parts more that 50 times the price they bought them from Roger Linn when he went out of business.

As far as I feel, its certainly a capacitor somewhere wich burned out. Just to be cutted away if its a decoupling capacitor. Do not restart your machine. If you have no experience, dont try to do anything, but if you've got a TV rapair technician in your neighborhood, he can fix it easy. He just has to look at the cards and even better, smell around in the machine, you will find the burned place !

Let us know.

[nadafarms]

thanks so much dudes, that is super awesome news!

My normal synth tech said he would take a look at it and he is super good with vintage synthesizers, but he said if it was anything other than the power supply he wouldn't know what to do. So is that capacitor part of the power supply?

I'll make sure to warn him not to power it on, and don't worry I'm not an idiot and will not power it on no matter what now! I ran over to the unit and turned it off as soon as I smelled burning plastic.

I actually just got this thing pretty much free and after hearing it for 20 minutes WOW I'm even thinking it will replace many of my analog synths. So I don't mind pouring cash into it and now will start the process of trying to buy another for back up 

I also contacted that main emu service website in florida and the guy said he could work on it but just a round trip shipping cost alone is going to be a couple $100 to get it there and back.

ANyone have experience with that guy?

[ditabeardmemo]

That's pretty funny about the "Four Rats"! I'm certainly not surprised given their bench rate. That being said, I had a good experience with them when I purchased a LinnDrum that was in rough shape. They even found a wiring fault that dated back to the factory and was drawing extra power from the battery throughout the machine's lifetime.

Just a suggestion to the moderators: Maybe we should start a sticky list of synth technicians who we know can work on EII's and EII's, sorted by country and city?

[dr.c]

No experience with the guy in Florida.
I wrote them an email telling that it would be nivce if they had a network of techs around tyhe world, that I could be a part of their adresses and as well, I know a few people in europe, this for THEIR clients on tour.
Never had any answer.

For the capacitor, please have your super tech look at the boards and around, find the plastic burning part, and make a picture. I hope its not a trought metallized hole in a board wich went to short circuit (it happened to me twice on processor boards) and there vey little to do except drill a hole in that please to clean the burn like awe do for a damaged tooth, hoping it will work again after.

Let me know...




 Maybe, the Forats have changed the shoulder for their rifle (wich means in France, change of strategy) because they really had a very bad reputation.

I don't know.

[nadafarms]

would it be a good idea to open it up myself and take some pictures for you before I send it to the tech?

it definitely smells like the burnt plastic for sure, I can smell it more out of one side on the back more than the other.

[dr.c]

[would it be a good idea to open it up myself and take some pictures for you before I send it to the tech?

I can't believe that question... SURE !!!!!!

it definitely smells like the burnt plastic for sure, I can smell it more out of one side on the back more than the other.

Just find where, if you don't know how to take the boards away, don't do it yourself. I told you, a goof television repair tech will be perfect.

[nadafarms]

Dang I just dropped it off at the tech, will let you know what he says. I told him everything you guys said, hopefully he is as good as any TV  repair guy 

Really appreciate the help and support from you guys, I'm head over heels in love with the EIII sound now... it's a curse I tell ya!

[dr.c]

What do you means by : " I'm head over heels in love" ?

Send us a picture....

[Elmbeatz]

...
it's a curse I tell ya!
...

curse?
Whaddaya mean?! Curse of the black pearl?!

[dr.c]

 

[nadafarms]

Lol ok I only spent 20 minutes with it, but I could tell it was "THE" sound I've been looking for.

So ever since last week when it fried I've been obsessing about getting a working EIII and it's not a very practical thing to do. Luckily I'm only 6 hours from LA and eventually I'll find one there if this one can't be fixed up....

So it's a curse because it's not going to be easy or practical to always have a working EIII at my disposal, actually will be quite a pain to lug around now that I'm moving in my little crappy honda civic with a ton of modular synth gear and vintage analogs, and hopefully the new place I'm moving to won't be too small.

 

So yeah I can't waaaait!

Was wondering are there any good demos of the eiii in actions outside of youtube? i've watched every video on youtube. thanks