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Hi Everybody,
This is my first post to the forum. I have searched assiduously through the forum threads for posts on the topic of MIDI'fying an FX-20. If I have missed any relevant material from the various contributors, then my apologies in advance.
I have had the good fortune to have been able to intercept a Yamaha FX-20 when it was literally being taken to the rubbish tip.
With the help of some engineer colleagues here where I live in Australia, and the gracious assistance of “Tuscon Dave”, I have been able to repair and restore the instrument to something approaching its former glory. The problem that had stopped it in its tracks was the failure of the main output amplifier package. A little circuit tracing and the subsequent on-line purchase of the appropriate package sorted that issue. I also took the opportunity to take the trouble to source and fit replacement belts for all those the motor-driven gain controls.
Having come to “get close up and personal” with the innards of this instrument, what is really impressive is the build quality of this 1983-model Yamaha. Clearly, there are many more years of life in the keyboards and pedal-board of this wonderful instrument. I am repeating what many others have already said in these forums about the FX, (and other), series of Yamaha organs merely to endorse what has already been said: if you have access to one of these instruments, then please look after it, please keep it going.
For this reason alone, it makes perfect sense to equip these old Yamahas with a MIDI (or better?) interface and to enable it to be used with a fast PC as a Virtual Organ Console. With this in mind then, I had started to trace the signal flows. Searching these forums, I have learned that such as contributor “fredy2” and Tim Singer have already completed the task. I have of course accessed Tim Singer's write-up on his impressive “midification” (see: http://www.tsstech.org/electronics/fxmidi.html ), and have had a useful discussion with Tim. I have attempted to contact “fredy2”, but so far without success. Not wishing to reinvent the wheel, and being extremely time-poor, I would very much like to learn from “fredy2”'s experiences, and, depending on which way I decide to go, to be in a position to purchase one of his interface converters, if that is yet possible. I note the glowing reports at such as “Ormly”'s (coment #7) at:
http://www.organforum.com/forums/sho...and-LESLIE-720 , as to the new lease of life into the present state-of-the-art that “fredy2”'s conversion to the FX-20 enables.
Is anyone reading this post able to put me in touch with “fredy2”, or to point me in the direction of sourcing one of his converter boards, or, if all that is not now possible, where I might obtain the information as to how best to decode the signals available at the MDR-1 40-pin connector?
Thanks in advance, and thanks to to all those contributors that make the OrganForum such a valuable resource of information of all things to do with Organs.
Best regards,
Paul
This is my first post to the forum. I have searched assiduously through the forum threads for posts on the topic of MIDI'fying an FX-20. If I have missed any relevant material from the various contributors, then my apologies in advance.
I have had the good fortune to have been able to intercept a Yamaha FX-20 when it was literally being taken to the rubbish tip.
With the help of some engineer colleagues here where I live in Australia, and the gracious assistance of “Tuscon Dave”, I have been able to repair and restore the instrument to something approaching its former glory. The problem that had stopped it in its tracks was the failure of the main output amplifier package. A little circuit tracing and the subsequent on-line purchase of the appropriate package sorted that issue. I also took the opportunity to take the trouble to source and fit replacement belts for all those the motor-driven gain controls.
Having come to “get close up and personal” with the innards of this instrument, what is really impressive is the build quality of this 1983-model Yamaha. Clearly, there are many more years of life in the keyboards and pedal-board of this wonderful instrument. I am repeating what many others have already said in these forums about the FX, (and other), series of Yamaha organs merely to endorse what has already been said: if you have access to one of these instruments, then please look after it, please keep it going.
For this reason alone, it makes perfect sense to equip these old Yamahas with a MIDI (or better?) interface and to enable it to be used with a fast PC as a Virtual Organ Console. With this in mind then, I had started to trace the signal flows. Searching these forums, I have learned that such as contributor “fredy2” and Tim Singer have already completed the task. I have of course accessed Tim Singer's write-up on his impressive “midification” (see: http://www.tsstech.org/electronics/fxmidi.html ), and have had a useful discussion with Tim. I have attempted to contact “fredy2”, but so far without success. Not wishing to reinvent the wheel, and being extremely time-poor, I would very much like to learn from “fredy2”'s experiences, and, depending on which way I decide to go, to be in a position to purchase one of his interface converters, if that is yet possible. I note the glowing reports at such as “Ormly”'s (coment #7) at:
http://www.organforum.com/forums/sho...and-LESLIE-720 , as to the new lease of life into the present state-of-the-art that “fredy2”'s conversion to the FX-20 enables.
Is anyone reading this post able to put me in touch with “fredy2”, or to point me in the direction of sourcing one of his converter boards, or, if all that is not now possible, where I might obtain the information as to how best to decode the signals available at the MDR-1 40-pin connector?
Thanks in advance, and thanks to to all those contributors that make the OrganForum such a valuable resource of information of all things to do with Organs.
Best regards,
Paul
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