MOD: Soundmaster memory rhythm SR-88

[playthatbeat]

Hey man.. sorry, no schematics AFAIK.. the packageing on the various models i have seen was minimal - only the leaflet attached here, with various takes on spelling etc.

i might have pictures of the componant side somewhere, i will look.. not so keen on opening it up again to photo it, it was hard work getting the board in with all that extra crap on the track side, but if you are desperate i can look for You.

Why the interest in the resistor? is Your's missing? what are the symptoms of your problem with the 88?

[playthatbeat]

here's a zoom into that area on my board from the pictures i took before messing with it.. I think it's GREEN/BLUE/ORANGE, so should be 56k? cannot really see properly from that angle..

[terrydactil123]

Schemo request

Hi Playthatbeat and all
I wonder if you know a source for some replacement play/stop switches and button tops-both my SR88 and STIX are unwell
Also desperately need a schematic as my SR88 is totally unstable,ie, the metronome LED just wanders randomly on playback, with nothing at the o/p, also-in prog mode (by the way the SR88 play/stop switches on this one are OK) the snare just has the noise component-no oscillator part.
The STIX 305 has a missing cymbal sound on both the programme o/p and the individual out


Thanks in advance

[playthatbeat]

Hi Playthatbeat and all
I wonder if you know a source for some replacement play/stop switches and button tops-both my SR88 and STIX are unwell

mine were replaced with newer non-standard ones, attached to a piece of plastic, then offered up to the holes in the case.. You will have to just get something near to the size and experiment, the direct replacement is unlikely.

Also desperately need a schematic as my SR88 is totally unstable,ie, the metronome LED just wanders randomly on playback, with nothing at the o/p, also-in prog mode (by the way the SR88 play/stop switches on this one are OK) the snare just has the noise component-no oscillator part.

nothing on the outputs, yet you can hear how the snare sounds? i'm not with you there.. is it making any noises? but, all of this sounds like some of the transistors have flipped out.. it happend to me alot when i was poking around. the cluster near the edge of the board by the play/stop buttons, around the memory chip - change them out and see if You get your regular tempo back again.. same for the sound of the snare, follow the snare trigger line on the board and swap out the transistors along the way..

It's a very simple machine, just be gentle with the de-soldering and you can probably change out every componant on the board in a day if you have to..

The STIX 305 has a missing cymbal sound on both the programme o/p and the individual out

well that should be easier - just trace the wire from the CYM out jack, and follow it along the circuit board - it's bound to involve some transistors or a broken track or whatnot, you can deal with that, again, it's probably something simple...

don't be afraid, these devices are really simple, and everything in them (bar the memory) is cheap as f*ck on ebay in bulk..

[Escape Velocity]

Thanks PTB!
Awesome mods!
Just been given one of these (saw the Cocteau Twins at the ICA back in early 80's, and they were using one) and was searching out the manual, which lead me here.
I look forward to reading your posts

[playthatbeat]

Nice one, welcome to the transistor sound

It's mad how many people owned these in the 80's! they were sold by guitar shops i think was the key to it, and to have an actually programmable rhythm machine for like £49 was a dream for alot of people.. So, for the same price as a cheapo fuzz pedal You could sound like Kraftwerk or Fad Gadget! EPIC! This must have slotted in nicely to the lineups of the experimental futurists at the time..

I'm not seeing many of these changing hands these days, and the other clones using the same design are now totally gone from fleabay.. Sometimes You see a broken Stix, but the Soundmaster, JSH and so on are really fading fast now.. Oh, you can still see people taking the pi$$ asking hundreds for a Roland/Boss DR55, adn even badly made examples of the budget Kit version roland did - what was the brand? Anadek? Anatek? Whatever - NOT worth $300.

STILL never see the CLEF veriation though.. So want to see the 3rd generation machine - the BAND BOX, which seems to expand on the Stix by adding some musical stuff too.. I have a feeling it's epic, but probably just includes one of the N.E.C. chips Casio were exploiting at the time for their home organs..

[Escape Velocity]

I had the orange Amdek Distortion pedal, cost me about £10-20 IIRC.
Can't remember soldering anything so must have just been kit to assemble. Used that for years, along side two Electro Harmonix pedals which would now cost a fortune, but at the time, you couldn't give them away! (the Clone Theory & Little Big Muff Pi)
Seem to remember same with Roland 303's... worthless for years, now look at them

[playthatbeat]

so it was AMDEK then? i remember the ads on the back pages of kit magazines of the day, the font was suspiciously like the ROLAND one, and the colourscheme and so on smacked of their press ads.. They did have a good lineup of the basics i remember.. So no soldering in the kit? that's interesting.. so they were saving a tiny amount by not assembling them? sounds like they needed a product at a lower price point, but didn't want to bother developing something new, so they just put the last stage of the assembly into the hands of us!

lol the 303 really was a sad state of affairs.. i remember the soho soundhouse (later turnkey) had the 606 and 303 for £99 each, or £149 for the pair with a free DIN lead. they were the kings of knocking out the end of line at the time! The same visit to the store (in late 1988) i resisted the temptation to pick up a Mattel Synsonics drum machine for (wait for it) £29 NEW.

Obviously, all this is a cause of great discomfort to me now, and i think i may go an have a little cry now about it.

[playthatbeat]

Really minty SR-88 in the latest Vemia auction: http://www.spheremusic.com/Bargaindtl.asp?Item=10358

No bidders yet, but looking like starting @ £130!

Make Sound Master
Model SR88
Description A really nice little drum machine, in good condition, complete with its box, user manual, and sample rhythm sheets. Very well made, and with its eight programs and extra fill-ins a lot more powerful than the Boss DR-55. Comes with four batteries included, which we think are needed to maintain programs. Can be run from a power supply, not included.
Sound
Age n/a
Weight 0.77 kg
Condition Good
Location Uk (Item is at Vemia Uk)
Vat Not from a VAT-registered business. But VAT / duty may be due if importing from outside your trade bloc.
Quantity 1 item is available from the owner
Options User manual : Yes
Service manual : No
First owner : No
Original boxes : Yes
Plug type Plug not required
Voltage type Power supply not needed
Status Item is still available
Sale type The item is on the auction rooms
Ending on 10/11/2012
Category
Serial number 203888
Sphere reference # 10358
Start price 130 GBP
Converted price (1) 163.4 EUR
Shipment International or local shipment to pay
Packing costs 0 EUR
Payment Full pre payment needed
Auction bid step 10 GBP
Auction highest bid 0 GBP
Converted highest bid 0 GBP

i wonder will it sell?

[Wolf]

Thanks!

I also joined this forum for the SR-88 manual. I purchased one for €80.
So now my bassdrum has lift off

[playthatbeat]

I see another SR-88 has appeared in the latest sphere/vemia auction.. http://www.spheremusic.com/Bargainrslt.asp (ending nov 5 2015) but, it looks like this one is 'sold as-is', so it's likely not working properly.

It's been a while since i say a dr55 or an sr88 for sale.. back in 2013 there was always one or the other on ebay, and the STIX was the rare one you never saw.. now the STIX is a ghost, and the other 2 are thin on the ground.

[playthatbeat]

2 Variations spotted in Japan this month - the the DR55 we all know & love, BUT, the full retail kit - boxed, stickers, leaflets etc. - stunning

boss-dr110-kit.jpg


Also, the AMADEK ripoff, which we *think* was the kit version, also sold by Roland..
amadek-dr110-clone.jpg

Both in Auctions on Amazon.co.jp, but easily gettable via www.buyjapon.com - looking like < 200eu to Your door, which is WAY over the odds, but f*ck it, it is what it is.

[Xtina]

Thanks!

I also joined this forum for the SR-88 manual. I purchased one for 80.
So now my bassdrum has lift off

Can someone help me understand why the bassdrum (BD) and snaredrum (SD) settings aren't firing? Bought an adapted version with 9v battery replacing the 4 x AA original, and use this along with a 9V adapter (not a 6V). I'm worried the mod has affected these settings as they don't fire or playback as expected (or hold to memory either). Not sure what the user in the quoted post saw in the manual to fix their own bassdrum setting...

[playthatbeat]

I think the original unit has what LOOKS like a 9v connector, but this is for the battery holder of 4 x 1.5v batteries. If You have tried to run it with 9v it may be too much for it. 6v is needed, as most of the electronics are 5v.

If you cannot change the memory contents, this is a problem with one of the transistors near the memory chip, I killed mine like this looking for memory glitch bends. Replacing the transistors fixed it. This is no big deal, and not expensive to do. Swap out the transistors one by one until the memory functions again.

If You cannot change the memory contents, this could be why the sounds are not working. You cannot trigger the sounds manually, although You can hear them in WRITE mode.

My guess is You have fried something with a 9v switching PSU, likely pushing 12+ V. You need to stick with batteries to be safe, and unless someone added a 5v regulator as a mod, You need to stick with 6v.