Hello! I hope someone out there can help me out with this. I recently obtained a Taurus II that was advertised in working condition (and I have no reason to suspect false reporting). It looks to be in great condition. Downloaded a pdf of the original manual and followed the instructions (not difficult). Now, admittedly, I'm new to synthesis and am learning tons of new things quickly, and I could just be overlooking something...but...
The foot controller doesn't seem to be working correctly, in that it does not change notes when you move to a different pedal. The thing SOUNDS beautiful, but only plays one note. You can hold down a pedal and change/adjust sounds all day, which is wonderful for droning and texture experimentation, but playing one pedal produces the same sound as any other pedal. In other words, all of the pedals 'work', but they all play the same thing without pitch variation. What do I need to do to get the pedal board to play chromatically (not just mono-chromatically! ha!)? Might the cord be faulty? Might something have been knocked loose in the pedal board during shipping? Is there some adjustment I can make myself, or should I take it in to the shop?
Any ideas and/or help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much for reading this far.
Cheers,
Kurt
Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Hello Kurt,
Now the very first question is if your unit had been stored for a while without using. Try to contact the previous owner.
The very first thing you have to check are the contacts of the pedals. It's very likely they have been oxidating so you have to clean them thoroughly.
Clean also the connectors of the cable with the diode connectors and also the jacks of the pedal board and the detachable unit.
This problem you've described now I had too many years ago and it can also derive from warping from all the metal parts and bars after misusing.
People make often the bad mistake to put s.th. under the both feet on the edges (coins, leather-flakes, etc.), as the pedals bend down the cross bar in the middle part they are fixed at after heavy using.
So when doing this the whole system is so much warped that the contacts can't work any more properly.
You have then to unscrew the whole component and look at if the cross bar of the pedals isn't straight any more.
It can be bent back easily as all metal parts are pretty mellow. BUT PLEASE DO THIS CAREFULLY ! as the function can be worsened from this.
My final personal advice is now: Don't place your pedal unit on a carpet !!! Just use it on a plain stable floor.
And DON'T put s.th. under the feet on the edges to set the unit higher when the pedals in the middle don't work !!!
BTW Congrats to you purchase. You have now a beautiful-sounding instrument that is completely underrated.
When s.o comes and states it sounds much better than a "D" there's anything to oppose......
And for more stability and avoiding warping of the whole unit you can fix in the frontpart nearby the pedals an additional rubber-foot in the middle to prevent from bending down. Then I think the unit will be stable enough to be played even on a carpet.
Now the very first question is if your unit had been stored for a while without using. Try to contact the previous owner.
The very first thing you have to check are the contacts of the pedals. It's very likely they have been oxidating so you have to clean them thoroughly.
Clean also the connectors of the cable with the diode connectors and also the jacks of the pedal board and the detachable unit.
This problem you've described now I had too many years ago and it can also derive from warping from all the metal parts and bars after misusing.
People make often the bad mistake to put s.th. under the both feet on the edges (coins, leather-flakes, etc.), as the pedals bend down the cross bar in the middle part they are fixed at after heavy using.
So when doing this the whole system is so much warped that the contacts can't work any more properly.
You have then to unscrew the whole component and look at if the cross bar of the pedals isn't straight any more.
It can be bent back easily as all metal parts are pretty mellow. BUT PLEASE DO THIS CAREFULLY ! as the function can be worsened from this.
My final personal advice is now: Don't place your pedal unit on a carpet !!! Just use it on a plain stable floor.
And DON'T put s.th. under the feet on the edges to set the unit higher when the pedals in the middle don't work !!!
BTW Congrats to you purchase. You have now a beautiful-sounding instrument that is completely underrated.
When s.o comes and states it sounds much better than a "D" there's anything to oppose......
And for more stability and avoiding warping of the whole unit you can fix in the frontpart nearby the pedals an additional rubber-foot in the middle to prevent from bending down. Then I think the unit will be stable enough to be played even on a carpet.
"Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fu** the prom queen." —Sean Connery to Nicholas Cage in "The Rock" (1996)
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Hey there!
Thank you very very much for all the ideas, advice and help. I'll get to work on all of this and let you know what happens. I really appreciate you taking the time to write this thoughtful and informative reply.
Have a great day,
Kurt
Thank you very very much for all the ideas, advice and help. I'll get to work on all of this and let you know what happens. I really appreciate you taking the time to write this thoughtful and informative reply.
Have a great day,
Kurt
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
You're welcome 
Please note also that no rubber-foot under each pedal has got lost, because otherwise the foot pressure wil warp the whole unit as well. You have to replace EACH at any rate !!!
Don't know what your previous owner had done before but the electronics of the synth unit should be removed as well and cleaned, exspecially the sliders, as originally the ancient MOOG company had the "genious idea" to put foam between the PCB and the housing. This foam rodded through the decades and very likely dropped into the sliders. See if sliders are working without much resistance.
Good luck
Please note also that no rubber-foot under each pedal has got lost, because otherwise the foot pressure wil warp the whole unit as well. You have to replace EACH at any rate !!!
Don't know what your previous owner had done before but the electronics of the synth unit should be removed as well and cleaned, exspecially the sliders, as originally the ancient MOOG company had the "genious idea" to put foam between the PCB and the housing. This foam rodded through the decades and very likely dropped into the sliders. See if sliders are working without much resistance.
Good luck
"Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fu** the prom queen." —Sean Connery to Nicholas Cage in "The Rock" (1996)
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Talked to my tech yesterday about your issue and for clarifying and finding out what's the reason for your problem it should be better to ask first a skilled tech who knows well about Vintages.
The electronics in the pedal unit should be checked first, as an OP amp could also have been blown and cause the faulty....
And before start bending any metal parts the problem of false contact-making could be recognized already by viewing.
There are two crosswires and every key has two springs, whe I remember correctly. For one crosswire there's a resistor array with one resistor for each key, and this wire must be touched FIRST from one spring of each key. This is for adjusting the pitch. After receiving contact then the second spring comes into action and must touch the second crosswire. This is for triggering the Contours, etc. and pitch "storing".
When you're pressing ALL keys slowly down and every key does what I've described above, everything's o.k. so far and you have to look for the failiour elsewhere.........
Ah yeah, check also the interconnecting cable with the diode-connectors as from getting now very old they become more and more stiff and hard and the small wires inside can also break after steady using, this could also cause your problem..........
The electronics in the pedal unit should be checked first, as an OP amp could also have been blown and cause the faulty....
And before start bending any metal parts the problem of false contact-making could be recognized already by viewing.
There are two crosswires and every key has two springs, whe I remember correctly. For one crosswire there's a resistor array with one resistor for each key, and this wire must be touched FIRST from one spring of each key. This is for adjusting the pitch. After receiving contact then the second spring comes into action and must touch the second crosswire. This is for triggering the Contours, etc. and pitch "storing".
When you're pressing ALL keys slowly down and every key does what I've described above, everything's o.k. so far and you have to look for the failiour elsewhere.........
Ah yeah, check also the interconnecting cable with the diode-connectors as from getting now very old they become more and more stiff and hard and the small wires inside can also break after steady using, this could also cause your problem..........
"Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fu** the prom queen." —Sean Connery to Nicholas Cage in "The Rock" (1996)
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Excellent!
Thank you once again. I'll tread lightly...I definitely don't want to make anything worse!
I'll let you know what happens. Again, I really appreciate your time and help.
Cheers,
Kurt
Thank you once again. I'll tread lightly...I definitely don't want to make anything worse!
I'll let you know what happens. Again, I really appreciate your time and help.
Cheers,
Kurt
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Hi Kurt,
I've to welcome myself to the "Broken Taurus Club", as my machine started showing last night a new failiour too.
Pitch dropped at every time when releasing any key. Phone to my tech and after ten minutes we had the broken part found.
As it also could be the reason for YOUR problem I'll show you now a pretty easy checcking procedure:
Take a stereo plug connector unscrew the housing so that you can see all three pins. Take an aparatus for voltage measuring and set it to 20V DC. Now plug the connector into "Keyboard IN" hold the black measuring pin on the long GROUND pin and the red first on the very short (HOT)of the connector.
Begin now with the lowest key (C) and press it down. Now get up the tone ladder key by key and watch the display what it shows up. If the value increases key by key upwards and the same when measuring the second short pin (COLD) your pedal seems to work properly and the faulty must be searched in the electonics and probably the same OP amp Chip is broken like mine.
Good luck
I've to welcome myself to the "Broken Taurus Club", as my machine started showing last night a new failiour too.
Pitch dropped at every time when releasing any key. Phone to my tech and after ten minutes we had the broken part found.
As it also could be the reason for YOUR problem I'll show you now a pretty easy checcking procedure:
Take a stereo plug connector unscrew the housing so that you can see all three pins. Take an aparatus for voltage measuring and set it to 20V DC. Now plug the connector into "Keyboard IN" hold the black measuring pin on the long GROUND pin and the red first on the very short (HOT)of the connector.
Begin now with the lowest key (C) and press it down. Now get up the tone ladder key by key and watch the display what it shows up. If the value increases key by key upwards and the same when measuring the second short pin (COLD) your pedal seems to work properly and the faulty must be searched in the electonics and probably the same OP amp Chip is broken like mine.
Good luck
"Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fu** the prom queen." —Sean Connery to Nicholas Cage in "The Rock" (1996)
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Wonderful! You've given me a ton to check out, and I can't wait to get to it. I've gotta wait 'til the weekend, but I'm really grateful for the ideas, possibility, and help.
What is NOT wonderful is that yours broke down, too. I'm glad it turned out to be such a quick fix!
Thanks again,
Kurt
What is NOT wonderful is that yours broke down, too. I'm glad it turned out to be such a quick fix!
Thanks again,
Kurt
-
Portamental
- Posts: 888
- Joined: Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:53 am
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
It looks to me like a contact problem.
There is no circuitry inside the pedal board itself, only contacts and a resistor array. The fact that that your pedal triggers a note means that the ground, 12v supply and trigger are ok. Keyboard trim should be no issue. That leaves only the CV line. I would start by checking continuity on the cable, namely pin 5 which carries the pitch CV signal. Then check the soldering of pins on the DIN 5 like connectors in both the pedal board and main unit. You might want to replace both DIN connectors as these particularly don't like 40 years of oxidizing.
Another possible problem is the long wire harness from the Din connector to the low end of the resistor array PCB. It is very easy to cut a wire, pinching it against a sharp metal edge of the frame if not careful reassembling the unit.
If that does not solve the problem, while you're there, check the connector to the resistor array (low end) of the pedal board.
If everything checks OK, next step is finding a tech. Good luck.
(Owner of an un-broken Taurus II)
There is no circuitry inside the pedal board itself, only contacts and a resistor array. The fact that that your pedal triggers a note means that the ground, 12v supply and trigger are ok. Keyboard trim should be no issue. That leaves only the CV line. I would start by checking continuity on the cable, namely pin 5 which carries the pitch CV signal. Then check the soldering of pins on the DIN 5 like connectors in both the pedal board and main unit. You might want to replace both DIN connectors as these particularly don't like 40 years of oxidizing.
Another possible problem is the long wire harness from the Din connector to the low end of the resistor array PCB. It is very easy to cut a wire, pinching it against a sharp metal edge of the frame if not careful reassembling the unit.
If that does not solve the problem, while you're there, check the connector to the resistor array (low end) of the pedal board.
If everything checks OK, next step is finding a tech. Good luck.
(Owner of an un-broken Taurus II)
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Haha!
Thanks very much...tomorrow night the fun begins. You've given me a great place to start. With your help we'll bring this bovine back to health!
I'll report back when the dust has settled. Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I'm fairly new at this sort of thing and I live in a pretty isolated area--NO ONE within a few hours would know a thing about it, probably. If it's simple, and with all the ideas and advice I've been getting, I hope to do it myself (but I really won't do anything to further damage it...my hubris does not run that far), and if it's not...I'll have a nice field trip to the shop. Either way, this T2 WILL work again!
Thanks again,
Cheers,
kurt
Thanks very much...tomorrow night the fun begins. You've given me a great place to start. With your help we'll bring this bovine back to health!
I'll report back when the dust has settled. Thanks very much for taking the time to reply. I'm fairly new at this sort of thing and I live in a pretty isolated area--NO ONE within a few hours would know a thing about it, probably. If it's simple, and with all the ideas and advice I've been getting, I hope to do it myself (but I really won't do anything to further damage it...my hubris does not run that far), and if it's not...I'll have a nice field trip to the shop. Either way, this T2 WILL work again!
Thanks again,
Cheers,
kurt
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
This thread would be much more useful and efficient were it to be moved to the Taurus and Minitaur Forum...
Stephen
.
Stephen
.
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Duplicate...
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Hi,
Well, yeah, I gave a lot of thought to where I might post this, and, ultimately, the moderator posted it both in this forum and the Taurus Forum. But this was the one I wanted to put it in...I've done a lot of cruising here, reading tons of stuff, and the Taurus Forum really doesn't have much about the Taurus II at all. With the General Topics Forum, I thought that maybe the post would be seen by folks who not only had an interest in this particular synth, but also a really broad, general knowledge of technical aspects of synths in general. And, after all, the Taurus II is different from all other Tauruses (Taurii?) in that it's a Rogue engine with a CV foot controller. Plus which, "conventional wisdom" generally looks down upon this particular synth, and I don't see a lot of love for it online anywhere...and some of the worst bashers seem to be owners of other Taurus models (don't get me wrong...I also own a T3 and a Minitaur, and I love them, too).
So...let me put it more succinctly: I wanted it posted here 'cause I was looking for the knowledge and experience of any/everyone who might have such from any angle in the (vintage) synth world, not just Taurus users. The Taurus Forum seemed too limited a field. And my hunch proved correct: I have had some very, very thoughtful and detailed responses to this thread, while there has been only one response (it came in just tonight, and was a brief [if helpful...thank you!] suggestion to check my cable) from the Taurus Forum.
I think it WOULD be useful to cross-post this entire thread to the Taurus Forum, but I would have to say, for the purposes of answering my query, posting the problem here in General Topics has BY FAR proven the most useful and educational, and it has coaxed that much more detailed, useful advice into a widely-accessible place. I have learned a ton from the folks who put thought into my question and took the time to write in, and I'm filled with gratitude.
Thank you all!
I'm humbled.
Well, yeah, I gave a lot of thought to where I might post this, and, ultimately, the moderator posted it both in this forum and the Taurus Forum. But this was the one I wanted to put it in...I've done a lot of cruising here, reading tons of stuff, and the Taurus Forum really doesn't have much about the Taurus II at all. With the General Topics Forum, I thought that maybe the post would be seen by folks who not only had an interest in this particular synth, but also a really broad, general knowledge of technical aspects of synths in general. And, after all, the Taurus II is different from all other Tauruses (Taurii?) in that it's a Rogue engine with a CV foot controller. Plus which, "conventional wisdom" generally looks down upon this particular synth, and I don't see a lot of love for it online anywhere...and some of the worst bashers seem to be owners of other Taurus models (don't get me wrong...I also own a T3 and a Minitaur, and I love them, too).
So...let me put it more succinctly: I wanted it posted here 'cause I was looking for the knowledge and experience of any/everyone who might have such from any angle in the (vintage) synth world, not just Taurus users. The Taurus Forum seemed too limited a field. And my hunch proved correct: I have had some very, very thoughtful and detailed responses to this thread, while there has been only one response (it came in just tonight, and was a brief [if helpful...thank you!] suggestion to check my cable) from the Taurus Forum.
I think it WOULD be useful to cross-post this entire thread to the Taurus Forum, but I would have to say, for the purposes of answering my query, posting the problem here in General Topics has BY FAR proven the most useful and educational, and it has coaxed that much more detailed, useful advice into a widely-accessible place. I have learned a ton from the folks who put thought into my question and took the time to write in, and I'm filled with gratitude.
Thank you all!
I'm humbled.
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Perfectly !kurtido wrote:Hi,
Well, yeah, I gave a lot of thought to where I might post this, and, ultimately, the moderator posted it both in this forum and the Taurus Forum. But this was the one I wanted to put it in...I've done a lot of cruising here, reading tons of stuff, and the Taurus Forum really doesn't have much about the Taurus II at all. With the General Topics Forum, I thought that maybe the post would be seen by folks who not only had an interest in this particular synth, but also a really broad, general knowledge of technical aspects of synths in general. And, after all, the Taurus II is different from all other Tauruses (Taurii?) in that it's a Rogue engine with a CV foot controller. Plus which, "conventional wisdom" generally looks down upon this particular synth, and I don't see a lot of love for it online anywhere...and some of the worst bashers seem to be owners of other Taurus models (don't get me wrong...I also own a T3 and a Minitaur, and I love them, too).
So...let me put it more succinctly: I wanted it posted here 'cause I was looking for the knowledge and experience of any/everyone who might have such from any angle in the (vintage) synth world, not just Taurus users. The Taurus Forum seemed too limited a field. And my hunch proved correct: I have had some very, very thoughtful and detailed responses to this thread, while there has been only one response (it came in just tonight, and was a brief [if helpful...thank you!] suggestion to check my cable) from the Taurus Forum.
I think it WOULD be useful to cross-post this entire thread to the Taurus Forum, but I would have to say, for the purposes of answering my query, posting the problem here in General Topics has BY FAR proven the most useful and educational, and it has coaxed that much more detailed, useful advice into a widely-accessible place. I have learned a ton from the folks who put thought into my question and took the time to write in, and I'm filled with gratitude.
Thank you all!
I'm humbled.
That's what I also thought about and didn't comment at the end as I'd let in the authority of the moderator.
You're absolutely right
But as for myself I would have noticed you in the Taurus Forum too ....... you wouldn't have got lost
But yes, here's also a good place too......
"Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fu** the prom queen." —Sean Connery to Nicholas Cage in "The Rock" (1996)
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
I've never seen any real prom queen here in my country, but if we had some they'd
**** with everyone.
Re: Taurus II Foot Controller Question
Cool, I thought the Taurus Forum was better managed than your report tells us. No problem posting here, just thought that things were different 'over there'.kurtido wrote:Well, yeah, I gave a lot of thought to where I might post this, and, ultimately, the moderator posted it both in this forum and the Taurus Forum.
Stephen
.