Dave Smith Instruments SYNTHESIZERS

Hey, thanks so much!  Let me ask you a few more questions...

After you replaced them they worked perfectly?  Any issues at all?
Do you think it's necessary to use the 12's?  Could I use all 24's?
How do you like having detented for parameters you might want to adjust live like filter frequency and resonance? 

Thanks

--- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, "colossalhoagie" <colossalhoagie@...> wrote:
>
> I just dug up my receipt and found the following parts numbers:
> 
> --For the ALPS 24 detent/pulse encoders try:   EC12E24204A9
> --For the ALPS 12 detent/pulse encoders try:   EC12E1220405
> 
> I suggest you go to the mouser website <http://www.mouser.com>  and
> search for those part numbers just to make sure.  There should be links
> provided to the relevant data sheets as well.  If you search around you
> might be able to find some without detents, if that is something you
> prefer.  What ever you get be sure to watch out for shaft length so you
> don't get encoders that are either too long or short.
> 
> If you go this route, good luck!  I thought it was a lot of tedious work
> but sooooo worth it.  I'm still glitch free since the switch and still
> happy with the results.  I you need any more info or help let me know.
> 
> 
> 
> --- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, "Ray" <ray@> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm thinking about replacing all the encoders on my PEK with better
> quality ones.  Would it be possible to let us know which Alps encoders
> you used when you did your MEK?
> >
> > --- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, "colossalhoagie" colossalhoagie@
> wrote:
> > >
> > > Sorry this turned into such a long winded response on this matter. 
> Hopefully it is helpful
> > > to someone experiencing encoder frustrations.
> > >
> > > I too recently had trouble with multiple encoders on a MEK and ended
> up laboriously
> > > replacing every single one with a slightly different type of encoder
> (i'll get to that in a
> > > minute).  Here are my +/- two cents.
> > >
> > > 1.  I hate to say it by I doubt that the issue you are having is
> some type of system wide
> > > problem.  I too was hoping for the same thing.  It just seemed like
> there were *way* too
> > > many of the encoders that were not working properly.  Now that all
> is said and done I
> > > realize that it was just a ton of degraded encoders.  I get the
> feeling that the encoders
> > > that come of the MEK could be of much better quality. 
> Internet/forum searching seems to
> > > indicate a fair number of difficulties and/or failures.
> > >
> > > Probably 10 of mine were "bad" and 10-13 more that were
> "occasionally glitchy" and then
> > > a few more that would on rare occasions jump.  To qualify the term
> "bad" I'll just say that
> > > there was no way I would have used my MEK live.  It would have been
> embarrassing.
> > > Crazy jumps in value would happen causing very noticeable changes in
> audio.  I would
> > > turn knobs up and values would go down...bass vibrations would cause
> value jumps.
> > >
> > > If you are under warranty you could contact them and they should
> offer to do a board
> > > swap (they did for me).  Very, very easy to do.
> > >
> > > 2.  When trying to diagnose the issues with my MEK and isolate which
> encoders were
> > > junked I am almost certain that I stumbled onto a bug in v. 1.3 of
> the MAIN OS for the
> > > MEK.  I don't know if it applies to my particular revisions of PCB
> or to all out there.  I'm
> > > actually dying to know if any other MEK users out there are
> experiencing the following:
> > >
> > > When I would run v. 1.3 of the MAIN OS the "param 1" and "param 2"
> knobs were nearly
> > > impossible to use.  When I reverted back to v. 1.2 which I found
> here the "param 1" and
> > > "param 2" encoders were again usable.  I swapped out OSs about 10
> times to make sure it
> > > wasn't just a fluke.  Totally repeatable.  If you are on 1.3 you
> might try reverting to 1.2 see
> > > if it fixes any of your encoder touchiness.
> > >
> > > At one point I had mentioned this bug to DSI support in an
> email...I'm not sure if anything
> > > ever came of it on DSI's end.  It was actually the two encoders
> mentioned above that
> > > prompted my requesting a board swap.  Once I reverted to 1.2 and
> things were slightly
> > > better I told DSI to just forget about it for now and just deal with
> it...
> > >
> > > 3.  At some point I decided--warranty be damned--that I was going to
> replace every
> > > encoder with brand new, totally different encoders.  I was pretty
> dissatisfied with the ones
> > > that shipped with the unit and I was convinced that even with new
> boards that I would run
> > > into the same issue down the road.  So I dug around, did some
> measuring with calipers,
> > > read some stuff about encoders and decided to order a fleet of Alps
> encoders from mouser
> > > electronics (if anyone wants the part #s I'm more than happy to dig
> them out).
> > >
> > > I went with 24 detent/24 pulses per rotation for the majority of
> encoders and 12
> > > detent/12 pulses per rotation for the param 1 & 2 as well as for the
> two misc param knobs
> > > (for those sensitive adjustments...).
> > >
> > > It was a long, tedious job that I wouldn't recommend unless you have
> a solid amount of
> > > soldering/desoldering experience, some patience, and some good
> tools, solder, etc...
> > >
> > > Now everything works perfectly (better than when it first showed up
> at my door IMHO) and
> > > I really, really, really enjoy playing my MEK now.  Oh, and the bug
> mentioned above still
> > > persists.
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, "J Lesser" <j.doerck@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hmm... I guess I'm having a hard time believing its an encoder
> since
> > > > it seems to be happening across ALL the knobs... Is there any
> > > > possibility this is a system-wide issue?
> > > >
> > > > --- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, "dankselly" <dannyjive.u5@>
> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > I contacted DSI tech support and was told it was a bad encoder.
> I
> > > > > ...
> > > >
> > >
> >
>