NEW new digital board

Tips and techniques for Minimoog Analog Synthesizers
theglyph
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NEW new digital board

Post by theglyph » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:49 pm

I just recieved the V3 digital board which was on back order. It appears to be smaller than the origianl digital board and the first V3 release, requiring only four screws instead of the six on the other two. The new installation instructions also indicate that the 7 banks are preloaded on the board. Has anyone else seen this version?

Also, I notice that there will now be some extra space inside the Voyager (not sure about the RME) after the installation. I wonder if Moog will release something which will occupy the new space!

monads
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Post by monads » Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:44 pm

Huh? Not really sure. I remember swapping out boards but they looked the same size and presets were pre-loaded on the 7 banks (which I wiped out). Maybe someone else can put up pictures or something of the board you're talking about and the old V3 to compare acutal sizes.

theglyph
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Post by theglyph » Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:56 pm

The new board is smaller!

The V3.1 CD which came in the package has a new istallation instruction PDF which shows pictures of the new smaller board being installed into a voyager (not the RME). I don't have a digital camera to take a photo to post but Moog may have posted the new install inst. on this site. It must have been re-engineered.

Very interesting indeed! You can see the free space inside in the new install PDF.

I was very surpised myself when I recieved it in such a small package.

gd
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Post by gd » Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:53 am

I never noticed it either when I installed mine last month, when I tested the voltage it was fairly close to 1.65, didn't know where the trim pot was to adjust anyway.
Mini D, P'08 ..

theglyph
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Post by theglyph » Thu Jan 26, 2006 9:54 pm

I finally found time too install the new V3.1 hardware upgrade and much to my surpise it does NOT fit in with my Voyagers design SN: AE0374.

The cables which connect to the new board are too short to reach the proper connections. The worst offender is the power supply cable which is about 2 inches too short and that sucker's wires are soldered directly to the power supply.

Also, the hold-down for the backlight cable which connects to the center screw (left screw on the new board) presses down on the edge of one of the boards ICs when properly screwed down.

Did they forget about the dimensions/lenght of wire on older Voyagers?

What a bummer. I hope they don't ask me to pay for more shipping to remedy this problem! I understand that they are a small company, BUT!

Please be aware of this problem if you are planning on ordering the field upgrade anytime soon. I'll repost as soon as I hear back from Moog's tech support. :cry: :cry: :cry:

monads
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Post by monads » Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:08 pm

That just doesn't even make sense. 1st would they go with this new smaller board? 2nd, to not supply you with the right cables needed to hook it up? I'm AE0070. Wonder if they changed something in these later AE versions.

theglyph
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Post by theglyph » Thu Jan 26, 2006 11:28 pm

monads wrote:That just doesn't even make sense. 1st would they go with this new smaller board? 2nd, to not supply you with the right cables needed to hook it up? I'm AE0070. Wonder if they changed something in these later AE versions.
Are you calling me a liar!! Just kidding. :)

I posted the Revision 1 installation instructions at Squarewave under:

Files - Voyager Reference Pages (It should be at the bottom).

You can see the new board there. It looks like it may be cheaper for them to produce.

Wolly
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Post by Wolly » Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:01 am

theglyph wrote:You can see the new board there. It looks like it may be cheaper for them to produce.
Absolutely! The board is roughly 60% of the original board's size (of which an additional 10% could be removed if the socket positions did not have to remain in their current positions!) The board is now surface-mount devices (SMD/SMT) instead of the traditional through-hole type. The components are mostly the same parts in new packages.

Someone over on the Analogue Heaven mailing list is claiming his bass response is slightly reduced with the V3 upgrade; if this isn't just your typical "zOMGWTF MY REV SOUNDS DIFFERENT THAN YOURZZZ!!!!" idiocy, I'd be inclined to "blame" it on the new digital board. Judging from the brief glance I gave the board before it went in my system, I would expect slightly altered electrical performance just due to the lack of parasitic capacitance.

That said, it looks exceedingly well designed and thought-out, and I am in love with the new features and expanded patch memory.

theglyph
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Post by theglyph » Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:23 am

Wolly,

What Voyager model do you own? I don't know if you read my earlier post but some of my cables don't fit on the board properly preventing me from installing it.

Also, i wouldn't think the new digital board would have much impact on the sound or at least i hope it wouldn't.

monads
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Post by monads » Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:29 pm

You guys are lying! New board :lol: Well this new reduced size board shouldn't change the sound but I'm no engineer. I just don't understand how they could slip up on cable lengths with this new board and voyager versions. That like me selling a new car and offering a new upgraded engine. But the cables for the old engine aren't the proper length to allow installation of the new. I sold the car to begin with. Kinda funny when you think about it. But not funny for glyph :wink:

theglyph
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Post by theglyph » Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:50 pm

According to Steve Dunnington,

"One advantage of going smaller was to move the CV inputs further from the power supply which means less noise on the CV inputs to the digital board. In terms of what you hear when playing, I doubt this makes a difference, but it means you may have better resolution when it comes to finely tweaking a preset."

Interesting!

And damn monads, are still calling me (and now Wolly) a liar! I feel like James Frey. :shock:

Just kidding monads. :wink:

Gump
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Post by Gump » Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:56 pm

I did the upgrade and I'm happy with it. But it was not without problems.
Wolly wrote:The board is roughly 60% of the original board's size (of which an additional 10% could be removed if the socket positions did not have to remain in their current positions!) The board is now surface-mount devices (SMD/SMT) instead of the traditional through-hole type. The components are mostly the same parts in new packages.
I was a little disappointed by that, a retrofit should FIT first. I would have preferred a board the same size with all the ports in exaclty the same place, even if that means half the board would be blank and cost a few bucks extra.
monads wrote:But the cables for the old engine aren't the proper length to allow installation of the new.
Yeah I had a big problem with the cables too. The cables they use in the photos must be longer (?), I was not able to fold them like it said in the install PDF. The 50 conductor ribbon BARELY reached.

Here's a joke from the install PDF:
"Step 24: Switch the Voyager off and remove the power cable. Slowly close the back
panel, observing the cables as you lift the back panel (figure 23). Ensure that no cables
are pinched as the back panel is shut.
" :lol: :lol: :lol:

I really did my due dilligence, the best I could get it was "a little pinched".

The other thing I noticed was that on bank 6, patches 66 and above are all "Preset Default PROG". Is this correct or do I need to reload bank 6?

Again, despite the complaining I do recommend the upgrade.

Gump
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Post by Gump » Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:12 pm

theglyph wrote:The cables which connect to the new board are too short to reach the proper connections. The worst offender is the power supply cable which is about 2 inches too short and that sucker's wires are soldered directly to the power supply.
I had to do a bit of tugging to get that one to reach, as I recall it was about 2" off. You just have to be a little brave. I have the electric blue, the innards of other models may be a little different.

The ribbon cables are more of a concern for me, I wish this upgrade included longer ribbon cables. I would be willing to pay the extra cost.

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GregAE
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Post by GregAE » Fri Jan 27, 2006 3:57 pm

<< The other thing I noticed was that on bank 6, patches 66 and above are all "Preset Default PROG". Is this correct or do I need to reload bank 6? >>

Bank 6 is the Signature Edition bank, which only contains 65 patches. The remaining patches in that bank are default progs.

You can get a chart of all six factory banks on the SquareWave site:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sq ... ges%20%2A/

The file is called "Voyager OS 3.X Sound Chart.zip"


- Greg

theglyph
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Post by theglyph » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:09 pm

How does one post pictures in these posts?

I would like to post a photo of how pinched my 50 pin cable is when properly installed. :roll: [/img]

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