Rhodes Chroma Polaris

I think this falls in my area of expertise as I'm been doing prototype 
HW design and research for the last 10 years for several fortune 50 
companies...  

The problem is that the layout of the polaris would require lots of 
membrane area.  Costs go up with area, so in the end the switch panel 
replacement would probably cost close to $500 for qty <400.

There are 2 alternatives:
1)  Non-form factor switch box (like a roland PG-xxx) which would be as 
small a possible to save on costs, but would compromise the user 
interface of the instrument (which is part of its character).

2)  Which I have done successfullyand posted about on this list is to 
drill out the panel and replace w/mechanical switches.  This requires 
removal of a few IC sockets for clearance on the rigid boards under the 
panel.  I'm getting pretty good at it, and using a thermal tweezer wire 
stripper, its possible to avoid cutting and stripping 150+ wires to 
make all the connections.

#2 sounds bad-- but nothing compared to what is done on some hammond 
restorations.  

I'm not looking to start a business, so please don't be offended by the 
commercial nature of the following, but I would be willing to drill and 
replace membrane panels for $300 (or more for higher quality switches-- 
prices range from $.30-$5.00 each!) and I have a spare so it could be 
done as an exchange to minimize down time.

-Ben

--- In chromapolaris@yahoogroups.com, "spistrich" <wasteking@...> wrote:
>
> Would there be enough demand for an electronics manufacturer to make 
a 
> run of replacement switch panels for the polaris? Membrane switches 
> are basically cheap, thats probably why they were used rather than 
> better components. These could  be sold with a set of replacement 
> ribbon cables, would this be lucrative for some small elec 
> manufacturer to invest in? How many bad polarises are there, and do 
> they ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS? They are mostly just thin pieces of 
> plastic and a little metal. The technolgy is not complicated compared 
> to the true innards of the polaris. but the configuration would have 
> to match. Any comments? am I nuts?
>