Minimoog D keyboard tuning

[boxcolony]

Hi to all,

I'm about to purchase a Minimoog D that wasn't used for a long time, when we turned on the unit, the keyboard only plays one pitch on the entire keyboard range (no scale at all).
What seems to be the problem? Do I just have to calibrate the tuning?
The unit's serial is above 9000.
Can you give me advice on how to fix it. The unit is in very good cosmetic condition and the offer to me is also tempting.

Thanks in advance to any help you can give.

[thealien666]

Hello and welcome!

It could simply be the keyboard connector that is making poor contact, or it could be something wrong with the keyboard CV generating circuit, or even something wrong on the oscillator board... It could be many things... That Mini would have to be checked thoroughly, because that might not be the only problem with it, electronically...

And to be perfectly honest, if you do not have any idea of what could be wrong with that Mini (and wrongly think it just needs to be retuned), I'm sorry to say that you most probably do not posess enough knowledge about the Minimoog D to fix such a device yourself. Also, if you can get it a fairly low price because it's faulty, you will have to take into consideration the expense of having it fixed by a qualified tech.

In your case, maybe it can still be worth it, I don't know. But if I were you, I'd be looking for a Minimoog D in good working condition instead.

[boxcolony]

Thanks for the advice thealien666, you got a point there.
I just checked the unit again and yeah, I think I'll just have to pass on this. I might end up spending as well on the repairs if I get it.

-prog on!

[americankiwi]

Is the unit over priced?...

what are they asking for it?

if the asking price is reasonable/fair...it might still be worth picking it up!..can you haggle the price down knowing it needs some TLC?...you have to keep in mind ...numbers are limited on the MiniMoog.

the hardest/trickiest part to fix on these, really is the keyboard mechanism, not so much in price, but in labor time, and you can do it yourself...as i am working on mine (2 units) right now, and i have never worked/touched a Pratt & Read keyboard before!..or a synth for that matter....my main hobby is collecting silver face vintage audio from the 1960-70's..so it isnt much different to that with electronics wise

the PCB's have nothing that cant be replaced with cheap parts (apart form a later VCO Fairchild "uA726HC" transistor, real ones are like rocking horse sh!t ) cheap ones/copies are on that big auction site..i got one, and it does work

Im sure our friend Kevin Lightner can chime in here..lol

to date my price in parts has'nt topped $40 yet..im doing the key bushings right now and also hand polishing the key-tops...

funny thing...i ordered a 44 key bushing set/pack...i guess someone at the website i got them from can't count...as i have enough to do both mini's!!!...in total i think the 2 mini's i own will cost me $200-300 in parts (if all work done by myself and this also includes buying a new faceplate with 2 badges) i know i do need a old type VCO board looked at and Kevin gave me a very fair repair price, i hav'nt accounted that into the cost yet.....as Kevin gave me a ballpark not a firm repair cost ( i wont state what it is, Keven can do that if he likes)

plus..if you still feel its too much for you to take on...pass the offer/details on to others on here....someone might like to buy it for a project

[Kevin Lightner]

the PCB's have nothing that cant be replaced with cheap parts (apart form a later VCO Fairchild "uA726HC" transistor, real ones are like rocking horse sh!t ) cheap ones/copies are on that big auction site..i got one, and it does work

Im sure our friend Kevin Lightner can chime in here..lol

Actually there are a few hard to find parts on Minimoogs.
Tempco resistors, dual FET transistors, certain pots, switches, etc.
But unlike you and me, he may not have any desire to work on gear.
That's valid to me.
It's far worse to have someone perform technical work with no experience or motivation to learn skills well.
I've seen synths where the owner could have saved money by not trying to do work they had no aptitude for.

[thealien666]

...you have to keep in mind ...numbers are limited on the MiniMoog....

Yes they are. But on the other hand, they've produced a little over 12,000 of them ! Out of those, let's assume that 11,000 are still around in working condition (or not so good working condition). That is still a very large number. That's enough to provide 56 Minimoog for every single country on the planet today (196).

So his chances of finding a Mini in relatively good working condition are good. As for finding one at a reasonable price, well, that's another story...

[americankiwi]

56 minis for each country...lol...with over 300 million people in the USA alone...those are good odds...lol...jk

i wasnt trying to be a smart ass or a know all in my posting...because i know i still have a lot to learn about MiniMoogs ...it was more a case of, dont be put off so fast with a purchase if it needs some work.

i got my 2 Minis as a pile of parts/bits...took me one day to have #4714 up and running again, and i'd never touched a synth in my life

@ Kevin here is a pic of the chicken head knobs from #5xxx serial range we spoke about

[thealien666]

I simply wanted to point out that there are still a lot of Minis out there... Of course they don't need 56 Minis in Vatican City (which is actually a country with a population of...770 people).

To prove my point, you already have two yourself ! Ok, maybe not in working condition, but nonetheless, that leaves only 10,998 for others. Make that 10,997 since I've got one too

And, although you seem to be learning quickly yourself how to go about fixing these (congrats BTW), not everyone without experience might be as gifted as you at it ?

[americankiwi]

Thanks for the compliments...the mechanical and material side seems to come easy to me..the electronics i leave to the experts..lol

[SirLanceALot]

Curious about what those extra chicken knobs do.
In the 70's I added tuning LED's to my mini's. Good cosmetic job I'd say, because everyone asks me if they were a Minimoog Model E. Its a real simple circuit. I added them because they have the early Osc board and I needed know they were in tune when playing live, without having to play an embarrassing out of tune note. But even more for things like playing Hoedown or Aqua Tarkus where you had to retune from 5ths and other tunings back to unison during the song.

[americankiwi]

Hi SirlanceAlot
Sorry to confuse you
Those knobs are not installed onto the unit..i just sat them there so Kevin could see the 2 types i have...as according to info on the internet and Kevin, Moog used some different types of selector/chicken head knobs(i have #5372 & #4714) and i posted them too see if thay are the original alternative ones, these are applied with set-screws (Minimoog only had set-screw knobs)...not the other push-on half shaft type they talk about, as those are not original
here is the info i found from the site
they had a link to a photo of the knobs but that is no longer working (damn it..lol)
http://minimoog.monsite-orange.fr/page1/index.html
PS can anyone confirm if they are?

[Kevin Lightner]

Those weirder knobs were common in that serial number range for whatever reason. (supply, cash flow, etc.)
However all Minimoog D knobs used setscrews.
The Voyager has knobs that look the same, but are push-on.
Early Minis had setscrews that required a hex wrench.
Later ones use a standard slotted screw head.

[americankiwi]

Hi Kevin..so these are the right ones!..i'll go check to see if they are hex or flat-head screws
Update...these are the Hex head type set-screw
i like them...as they make my later mini look just that little bit different, but still original