Switching on the "Batcall" for Mr. Lightner

[Spitfire]

Dear Kevin,

Rather than ask this question by PM - as it may be of interest to other Moogheads on this forum - I will take the liberty to ask you this here.

I recently read a post on this section of the forum where Alien added a mod to his Minimoog D based on your design and it got me thinking. Since you work on Moog synths and offer modification options for several models, I was wondering if you modify Little Phatties as well. Each of my Moogs is part of a limited edition, so I am hesitant to modifying them. However, if you indeed have options for the LP, I might be willing to consider modification of the original design.

FYI, the LP I might consider for modification is a Redback LP Stage II with CV Outs.

Let me know whenever you have the chance. Thanks in advance.

--Spitfire.

[Kevin Lightner]

Thanks for thinking of me but almost everything I see is 25 years old or more.
I've never touched a Lil Phatty.
That doesn't mean mods couldn't be done, but it would mean experimenting on a client's synth without schematics.

[thealien666]

...without schematics and with a synth made using SMD technology, there's little chance to be able to mod one easily. As working with SMD (Surface Mounted Devices) requires a few specialized tools (very fine soldering iron), and extremely steady hands as well as good close-up vision. Have you ever tried soldering a discrete SMD transistor by hand ?

At the Chinese factory, where the Little Phatties circuit boards are made, a robot glues each part in place guided by a laser, then applies a special paste on each legs of components, then the whole board goes thru an oven at a specific temperature high enough to transform that paste into solder that melts and adheres to metal. And voilà, all the parts are soldered in one shot. The board is then tested using JTAG edge detection technology (to locate possible bad solder joints). Nobody has to physically work on that board until assembly back at Moog Music in the states where it is installed.

Here's a close-up view of one of the board, and below that the whole insides of a Little Phatty :






Not exactly inviting for tinkering with it...

[Spitfire]

You're welcome, Kevin. It's a shame you wouldn't be able to work on the LP... I'm sure that with the schematics and such, you would take Dr. Moog's designs to a whole new level! In fact, have you ever thought of working for Moog? I'm sure that with your skills, you could persuade them to be their next "Custom Modifier" or consultant working on a contract basis.

Thanks for the explanation regarding the assembly of an SMD-based board, Alien. Nice turtle! I often learn something new here. Fascinated by technology as I may be, I was never much of a math guy; thus, I went to work in the marketing and PR field. Looks like you know your way around an LP... one needs to have some courage to circuit bend an LP to find unexpected mods. I'll mess around with battery powered Casios (and maybe one day a Novation Bass Station keyboard running on batteries), but not something running on mains power.

Anyway, thanks guys.

--Spitfire

[analogmonster]

Uuuuh, how much layers does it have? Try to do a mod on layer 4 of 7

[Kevin Lightner]

one needs to have some courage to circuit bend an LP to find unexpected mods.

If I was to try modding a Lil P, I'd want the schematics and owners manual first.
I'd want as much upfront knowledge as I could get.

True circuit bending is essentially guessing, which knowledge inherently eliminates.
The most courageous circuit benders tend to know the least about electronics.
They gamble an instrument's life upon unknown possible outcomes.
Therefore "courage" to me if I was a circuit bender would be to fill an instrument with ball bearings and steel wool.
High on the art aspect, but very low on engineering.

The more one knows about electronics, the less courage is needed.
I just couldn't gamble someone's instrument on an uninformed guess.
And as Alien pointed out, surface mount designs are very difficult to mod.

[Spitfire]

Kevin,

I hope my comment didn't come across the wrong way. What I meant by "needing some courage" is that I, personally, am quite afraid of electrocuting myself working on something running off mains power. I thought I would clarify just in case you thought, "hey, is this guy being a wise guy?"

Regarding how circuit benders gamble a unit's life on an expectation or guess, I could certainly attest to that. I have - once or twice! - overpaid on Ebay for a battery-powered Casio used by the likes of German band "Trio" and others to see what I can come up with. Essentially, after trying to connect a "big blue cylinder" with a "bratwurst-looking thing with some stripes down the middle" I basically fried the thing. After going to Radio Shack and buying a whole bunch of electronic components, potentiometers, knobs etc, I thought it would be easy to do once I watched some pretty well-made YouTube videos on that stuff. Ha, if I ever had a knack for electronics, I wouldn't be working in marketing!!! Like Petronius mocked Nero and his so-called "skills" on the violin, I laughed at myself after thinking I could "Moog" up a Casio. Instead, I "Fooged" it up.

Once you get an instrument worthy of a ball bearing and steel wool treatment, please post the before and after pics here!

--Spitfire

[Kevin Lightner]

All good. Thanks.
And no, I wasn't trying to be a smart ass.
We're really on the same page since we both draw the line between Casios and Moogs.

[Voltor07]

I changed the LED's in my LP's wheels. That's as far as I go when modifying my LP. To do anything else would be sabatoge.

[Benjamin AM]

I've modified the LP's Mod CV out to always be an unattenuated signal, that is: pre-mod wheel. If you would like information on how todo this, let me know. It requires soldering onto a A SMD component.