Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

I performed the Analog tests on my VFX-SD earlier and the battery voltage says 138.  Is that a good number?  If not, what should it be?

Grace, 
Harry

When I performed the tests, the battery voltage kept going between 138 and 139.  I assumed that it meant 1.38 and 1.39 and that it did not show that way in the display.  

Yes, the batteries are 3v DC.  I do not have the nickel-sized battery in mine, but rather the cylindral one.  It is the big yellow one, so when I replace it, I have to replace it with that one.

I was going to replace it anyway, since when I bought the board in 2006, the guy was not sure that it had ever been replaced.

No worries, just wanted to get an idea from other users in the know who have knowledge on it too :)  I've done research online about the cylindral battery.  From what I've read, they recommend that you use the same battery to replace that one and not the coin-sized 3v ones that everyone talks about.  

It looks really simple to replace.  All I really have to do is order the new battery, unsolder the old one and put in the new one.  I may not even have to remove the board from the synth to replace it since the battery has tabs on each side.  Just heat up and push it through :)

Any additional thoughts or ideas?

Grace, 
Harry

--- In Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com, STEPHEN PRATT <alto.sax@...> wrote:

>
> You sure you don't mean 1.38?
> 
> The standard nickel size backup batteries are 3 Volts DC.
> 
> 
> 
> On Oct 22, 2013, at 9:28 PM, musicwithharry wrote:
> 
> > I performed the Analog tests on my VFX-SD earlier and the battery voltage says 138. Is that a good number? If not, what should it be?
> > 
> > Grace, 
> > Harry
> > 
> >
>

You can replace the battery you have with a socket and a standard CR2032 or equivalent.  There is no harm in doing this as long as the install is done carefully.  The replacement batteries will only cost a couple of bucks and you can buy them at Walgreens, Radio Shack, or a million other places since they are used in most modern keyboards and on all motherboards.  You need to be careful when buying online because you don't know how old the batteries are and their shelf life starts when they were manufactured.

Cheers,

Gary

From: Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of musicwithharry
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 7:42 PM
To: Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Ensoniq-VFX-SD] Re: VFX-SD battery Voltage



When I performed the tests, the battery voltage kept going between 138 and 139. I assumed that it meant 1.38 and 1.39 and that it did not show that way in the display.

Yes, the batteries are 3v DC. I do not have the nickel-sized battery in mine, but rather the cylindral one. It is the big yellow one, so when I replace it, I have to replace it with that one.

I was going to replace it anyway, since when I bought the board in 2006, the guy was not sure that it had ever been replaced.

No worries, just wanted to get an idea from other users in the know who have knowledge on it too :) I've done research online about the cylindral battery. From what I've read, they recommend that you use the same battery to replace that one and not the coin-sized 3v ones that everyone talks about.

It looks really simple to replace. All I really have to do is order the new battery, unsolder the old one and put in the new one. I may not even have to remove the board from the synth to replace it since the battery has tabs on each side. Just heat up and push it through :)

Any additional thoughts or ideas?

Grace,
Harry

--- In Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com>, STEPHEN PRATT <alto.sax@...<mailto:alto.sax@...>> wrote:

>
> You sure you don't mean 1.38?
>
> The standard nickel size backup batteries are 3 Volts DC.
>
>
>
> On Oct 22, 2013, at 9:28 PM, musicwithharry wrote:
>
> > I performed the Analog tests on my VFX-SD earlier and the battery voltage says 138. Is that a good number? If not, what should it be?
> >
> > Grace,
> > Harry
> >
> >
>

You are right about the shelf life of the batteries.  I was just cautious on replacing the battery with a direct replacement because I read how they needed to be that way and that the cylindrical battery was more of a slow drain than the CR2032.  Of course, with a battery holder, I can replace the batteries more often and more easily....

My only concern is that when I attempted to install a battery holder in my SQ2/32 that I've been restoring, it would not work, but when I went to Batteries Plus and had them stamp a CR2032 and put lead on them, I brought it home and installed it and it works like a charm.

I will likely wait until at least next month to do the replacement on the VFX-SD because I plan on buying another one for use as a backup since I still use the sequencer in the VFX-SD for my show.  

Grace, 
Harry


--- In Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com, Gary Brumm <gabru@...> wrote:

>
> You can replace the battery you have with a socket and a standard CR2032 or equivalent.  There is no harm in doing this as long as the install is done carefully.  The replacement batteries will only cost a couple of bucks and you can buy them at Walgreens, Radio Shack, or a million other places since they are used in most modern keyboards and on all motherboards.  You need to be careful when buying online because you don't know how old the batteries are and their shelf life starts when they were manufactured.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Gary
> 
> From: Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of musicwithharry
> Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 7:42 PM
> To: Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Ensoniq-VFX-SD] Re: VFX-SD battery Voltage
> 
> 
> 
> When I performed the tests, the battery voltage kept going between 138 and 139. I assumed that it meant 1.38 and 1.39 and that it did not show that way in the display.
> 
> Yes, the batteries are 3v DC. I do not have the nickel-sized battery in mine, but rather the cylindral one. It is the big yellow one, so when I replace it, I have to replace it with that one.
> 
> I was going to replace it anyway, since when I bought the board in 2006, the guy was not sure that it had ever been replaced.
> 
> No worries, just wanted to get an idea from other users in the know who have knowledge on it too :) I've done research online about the cylindral battery. From what I've read, they recommend that you use the same battery to replace that one and not the coin-sized 3v ones that everyone talks about.
> 
> It looks really simple to replace. All I really have to do is order the new battery, unsolder the old one and put in the new one. I may not even have to remove the board from the synth to replace it since the battery has tabs on each side. Just heat up and push it through :)
> 
> Any additional thoughts or ideas?
> 
> Grace,
> Harry
> 
> --- In Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com>, STEPHEN PRATT <alto.sax@<mailto:alto.sax@>> wrote:
> >
> > You sure you don't mean 1.38?
> >
> > The standard nickel size backup batteries are 3 Volts DC.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Oct 22, 2013, at 9:28 PM, musicwithharry wrote:
> >
> > > I performed the Analog tests on my VFX-SD earlier and the battery voltage says 138. Is that a good number? If not, what should it be?
> > >
> > > Grace,
> > > Harry
> > >
> > >
> >
>