Minimoog D Osc 3

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mattrobertson
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Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by mattrobertson » Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:03 pm

Hi all!

I have a minimoog D and Osc 3 is REALLY low when not in kybd control mode. Even when I turn it up to 2' it still sounds like its only 20Hz or so. In kybd control mode it works fine, and sounds fine at the expected pitch, but when I go into non kybd cotrol mode, osc 3 drops but lots of octaves! Can anyone hint at what this might be?

Also...... any idea what kinda of lubricant I could use on some sticky key bushings?

Many thanks!

Matt

LaxSlash1993
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by LaxSlash1993 » Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:28 pm

Is there any change if you change the frequency?

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thealien666
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by thealien666 » Fri Feb 10, 2012 3:33 pm

mattrobertson wrote:Hi all!

I have a minimoog D and Osc 3 is REALLY low when not in kybd control mode. Even when I turn it up to 2' it still sounds like its only 20Hz or so. In kybd control mode it works fine, and sounds fine at the expected pitch, but when I go into non kybd cotrol mode, osc 3 drops but lots of octaves! Can anyone hint at what this might be?

Also...... any idea what kinda of lubricant I could use on some sticky key bushings?

Many thanks!

Matt

What is the serial number of your Minimoog D ? Or do you know what version of the oscillator board is in there ?

As for lubricating the bushings (and the little clear nylon caps on the switch lever), I suggest Dow Corning 7 silicone based lubricant.


Note: NEVER use anything that contains petroleum distillates, or petroleum byproducts as this will damage the bushings making them swell up.
Moog Minimoog D (1975)
DSI OB6
DSI Prophet REV2
Oberheim Matrix-6
Ensoniq SQ-80
Korg DW8000
Behringer DeepMind 12
Alesis Ion

mattrobertson
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by mattrobertson » Fri Feb 10, 2012 5:35 pm

thanks for the replys!

Its serial 12004 - so the later osc boards. The frequency does change when I change footage and / or frequency pot, it just never goes very high when im not in kybd control mode.

I did just get some Dow Cornings 7 and it works brilliantly! perfect.... thanks!

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Portamental
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by Portamental » Fri Feb 10, 2012 7:00 pm

thealien666 wrote:I suggest Dow Corning 7 silicone based lubricant.
I'll second that. I did not reply to this post because I did not remember the name or company of the product but now seeing in writing, that's the one.

One of my friend and moog aficionado (he refurbishes lots of vintage Moogs) strongly warned me against using anything else. He provided me will two full sets of bushings for the poly and the D, already lubed up with that stuff.

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thealien666
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by thealien666 » Tue Feb 14, 2012 9:41 pm

mattrobertson wrote:...Its serial 12004 - so the later osc boards. The frequency does change when I change footage and / or frequency pot, it just never goes very high when im not in kybd control mode...

Sorry for the late reply. For what it's worth, on my Minimoog D (old OSC board) when I switch OSC 3 CONTROL off, with the Oscillator-3 tune knob at center, I get a pitch of about an F note. And it switches octaves when rotating the Range switch (except in the LO position where it is very low). So I'm getting about 700, 350,175,87,44 Hertz for 2',4',8',16',32' respectively. The Tune knob has a range of about -3 to +3 octaves when OSC 3 control is in the OFF position.

I suppose it should behave about the same way with a newer OSC board ? I don't know... Anybody else with a Minimoog D who could confirm that ?
Moog Minimoog D (1975)
DSI OB6
DSI Prophet REV2
Oberheim Matrix-6
Ensoniq SQ-80
Korg DW8000
Behringer DeepMind 12
Alesis Ion

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Kevin Lightner
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by Kevin Lightner » Tue Feb 14, 2012 11:22 pm

It sounds like a later oscillator board was installed in an earlier Mini without taking into account the resistor across the top octave selector switch.
One cannot simply put a new VCO board in an older Mini.
A resistor needs to be added or changed first.
Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime. - R. Pupkin

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thealien666
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by thealien666 » Tue Feb 14, 2012 11:52 pm

Kevin Lightner wrote:It sounds like a later oscillator board was installed in an earlier Mini without taking into account the resistor across the top octave selector switch.
One cannot simply put a new VCO board in an older Mini.
A resistor needs to be added or changed first.
Ah yes. That's probably it. R59 (90.9 Ohms) to be removed on SW3 (OSC 1 rotating octave switch) in the back of front panel, when new oscillator board is installed.
Thanks for pointing that out, Kevin. :D
Moog Minimoog D (1975)
DSI OB6
DSI Prophet REV2
Oberheim Matrix-6
Ensoniq SQ-80
Korg DW8000
Behringer DeepMind 12
Alesis Ion

mattrobertson
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by mattrobertson » Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:20 pm

Great - thanks for all the replys!

regarding a new board in an old mini.... its serial 12004 which i though meant it would have always had a new board? Am I missing something?

Many thanks!

Matt

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Kevin Lightner
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by Kevin Lightner » Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:37 am

Unless you've owned a Mini since new and know its history of service I wouldn't immediately assume it's stock.
It's not unheard of to find a later Minimoog downgraded for use with an older VCO board.
The later VCOs can sell for a premium, yet many users prefer earlier boards.
I've witnessed or coordinated several trades of boards. Filter boards also.
Better to be king for a night than schmuck for a lifetime. - R. Pupkin

mattrobertson
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Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:55 pm

Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by mattrobertson » Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:58 am

Hi all,

having been away from the mini for ages, I have come back to find that my problem of the low freq of osc 3 is something to do with the mod wheel (?)
Sometimes I will push the mod wheel up, and hear the osc 3 mod start really slow, and then over a few seconds go up to the "correct" freq. On the other hand, sometimes it gets stuck at the incorrect low freq.
So it seems like there's some kind of interaction going on between the mod wheel position and the freq of osc 3.

Hmmm - any ideas? its beyond me :)

Many thanks

Matt

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thealien666
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Re: Minimoog D Osc 3

Post by thealien666 » Sun Oct 28, 2012 11:03 am

Remove the wheel assembly (two screws on top), and clean the connector from the wheel to the harness that goes back to the synth. More often than not, this Cinch-jones connector pins become oxydized or dirty and don't make proper contact.
Moog Minimoog D (1975)
DSI OB6
DSI Prophet REV2
Oberheim Matrix-6
Ensoniq SQ-80
Korg DW8000
Behringer DeepMind 12
Alesis Ion

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