Found Sounds

An example of saving discarded musical equipment for future use

Summary:
This particular synthesizer is not well known but was introduced as a base model for an
experimental line of digital organs in the 90’s and is nonetheless quite interesting with an array
of features.

With a positive prognosis it’s now great that someday (hopefully soon) this can be put back into
service for anyone to learn and experiment rather than rust and corrode in the earth, which is a
common resting place for musical equipment that has become an inconvenience.

The Re:gear library project seeks to emphasise that there are many dimensions to the
experience that an individual can encounter with any item we work with. Not everyone may be
interested in music, but can interact on their own level. For example, the road to servicing an
item involves problem solving, repair, research, design, communication and many other aspects
that can be compartmentalised into workshops that adjust and grow with a community lead
approach.

Details:
While taking my daughter to the park we found a Yamaha Electone synthesiser that was being
thrown out. We knocked on the door to check and then brought it back to the home workshop.
Cosmetically it was grubby inside and out. Two keys were snapped, but they can easily be
printed and replaced for a few dollars.
After a few hours it was established that while audio could be seen coming out of the main
circuit, it stopped at the component that amplified the signal to power a speaker box or
headphones.

This is done using a common diagnostic tool called an oscilloscope that visualises electrical
signals.
The way I came to this conclusion was fairly straightforward. I could tell there was no sound, so I
moved one step backward in the circuit from where the headphone cable connected and
checked whether the sound was present on the input of the main amplifier component (it was)
and whether it was present on the output (it wasn’t).

This looks complicated but in person it’s just a procedure that’s more like solving a puzzle by
eliminating the sources of the fault. Sometimes it can take several attempts, often involving
research in the interim.

First I searched the model number and the term “service manual”

Which returned this result:

https://elektrotanya.com/yamaha_hs7_6_5_4_sm.pdf/download.html#dl

On the face of it the schematic looks confusing - this was a small part of one of the 5 pages:

But I was only searching for one part:

With the “P.AMP.” component replaced everything will likely return to normal. A much faster
solution is to chop the green input and the red output signals and ignore the failed circuit
entirely, then rewire the green signal into to a cheap module that powers headphones and a few
speakers inside the unit:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001456565838.html

Featuring a spring reverb, arpeggiator and array of drum and synth tones. While it’s potentially overweight
(40+ kg) for the functionality nowadays, these designs were meant to be parked in a home and feel
sturdy. We can build and attach a keyboard stand with wheels..

Additional notes:

What is interesting about the schematic is that the base model (HS4) is mono, while the most
expensive version (HS7) also had stereo output for a more immersive sound.

What is apparent from the schematic is that all the same stuff exists on the main board, while
the difference is that the stereo version had two identical amplifier circuits on the output amplifier
board (i.e. one each for left and right), where this synthesizer has one circuit and the left+right
channels were combined prior to this.
It’s common with mass production to make different model versions using the same circuit
boards because it’s cheaper and more flexible with stock to manually configure a board to have
limited options than to build four different versions (HS4,5,6,7) with more than one production
line.

What this means for this project is that by using the cheap stereo aliexpress linked module
above, the signal can be split apart where it’s been combined for mono signal and converted to
stereo, effectively improving the synthesiser for no additional cost.