Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

My method:

Find an old junk computer and take out the CPU cooling fan. Now find and old "wall wort" - a 9 to12 volt step down transformer/external power supply from something that you don't need. Hook that up to the old computer fan. Find some way of fastening the fan to the heat sink. I used expanding wall fasteners between the fins. From then on you will enjoy a very stable VFX/SD-1. 

Eric 

--- On Sun, 11/8/09, somethingkillingyou <somethingkillingyou@...> wrote:

From: somethingkillingyou <somethingkillingyou@...>
Subject: [Ensoniq-VFX-SD] Re: ...what happened to my SD-1?!?
To: Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, November 8, 2009, 12:55 PM







 



  


    
      
      
      ...of course I'd like to spend the less possible to get it fixed!

how should I proceed!? can you give me more infos?! 

like I said, I'm not in good terms with electronic stuff :)



--- In Ensoniq-VFX- SD@yahoogroups. com, "David L. aka UCanDream" <u_c_dream@. ..> wrote:

>

> I totally agree with Eric.

> 

> Most Ensoniqs were notorious for getting hot. I have owned 5 Prophet 5's and none of them got nearly as hot as my SD-1. My VFX-SD was the same...hot hot hot! We all know that heat is an electronic component killer! I cannot stress the importance of getting a small fan ($5) and rig it to your VFX. That's right, jerry-rig it in some way. Don't make excuses, don't wait another day, don't spend $100 (or however much they are) on the 'special Ensoniq coolers' (total rip!). I have a 3-tier keyboard rack and the SD sits on top. A $5.00 fan from WalMart leans against the heat sink and runds whenever my studio is on. The sink never even gets warm. When I bought my SD in the early 90's the heat sink would get almost too hot to touch.

> 

> If you want a pic of my 'jerry-rigged' fan I will be glad to post it. Don't spend more than 5 or 10 bucks on this problem. It's a super simple fix. Nothing complicated. Not $100. No- we aren't going to Scotch-tape a fan to our Ensoniq. Let me know if I can't be more clear...lol.

> 

> Kind regards,

> UCD

> 

> 

> 

> 

> ____________ _________ _________ __

> From: somethingkillingyou <somethingkillingyo u@...>

> To: Ensoniq-VFX- SD@yahoogroups. com

> Sent: Sun, November 8, 2009 11:14:44 AM

> Subject: [Ensoniq-VFX- SD] ...what happened to my SD-1?!?

> 

> Â  

> hi guys (and girls?! are there girls here?! don't know...),

> I was jamming in my studio; after two hours circa I heard a 'boom' through my studio monitors, and guess what!?, my sd-1 display was black...

> I turned the power off and on again to see what was going on, and the display was working again, so I played 2/3 notes just to be sure it was still making sounds, then I switched it off because I was a bit scared by what had just happened...

> 

> of course the zone near the psu was hot as hell (just the way it always is), so I guess I should not let it powered on unless I really need to use it (I wasn't even playing it today...)

> 

> so, what did happen?! a fuse blown?! 

> 

> I have yet to open it, so I guess I should be looking for something in particular, given the facts I just described... 

> I'm no technician at all, but I think I could easily change blown fuse(s)

> 

> greetings

> 

> Fabio

>