- KORG POLY 800 INTERNAL BATTERY MOD
- KORG POLY 800 INTERNAL BATTERY MODS
- KORG POLY 800 INTERNAL BATTERY CRACK
I closed the synth up, left it off for a few hours, powered it back on, and my presets were still intact. A flatter holder would probably be better but this was what I had, and there seemed to be enough clearance there at the back of the synth for it. I used a coin battery holder so it could be replaced easily down the line, and some double-sided tape and Velcro to hold it down.
KORG POLY 800 INTERNAL BATTERY MOD
The mod involved clipping out a resistor and diode near the power supply and soldering wires onto the legs that are still protruding from the board. In the end I decided to leave it, since a far more convenient method for saving patches would be to put in the coin cell battery it was supposed to have. I thought about replacing the corroded battery terminal and even looked around Akihabara (Tokyo’s electronics neighborhood) for one but no such luck. I checked the voltage with a multimeter and it was pulling 9 volts but it just wouldn’t power up. However, the Poly wouldn’t power on with just the C batteries. I turned the machine off and left it for a few hours, and when I came back, they were still there. I bought a fresh set of Cs and loaded in some patches I found online with my iPhone. These early Polys stored patches with power from the C cells remove them and the presets disappear. Just an empty space, a void in the board, like someone forgot to finish their work, closed it up, and sent it off into the world.Īpparently there were a number of different revisions of the Poly-800, and the early ones were shipped with no battery. It didn’t even have the surface-mount solder pads for a battery. Usually, the internal battery sits right in the middle of the board that’s screwed to the base of the case. Next, I looked for the internal battery to check its condition. I scraped off as much orange crust as I could from the terminal but it was still pretty corroded. I didn’t plan on strutting around on stage with the Poly anyway so no big deal, but it’s nice to have everything in good working order. There were tell-tale signs of battery leakage inside but it had been cleaned up pretty well, aside from the positive battery terminal, which was crusty and rusted. The batteries were cheap but not leaking or even particularly old, so someone had been using it recently.
KORG POLY 800 INTERNAL BATTERY CRACK
Time to crack it open and see what was happening inside. Many a fine synth has been ruined by leaking batteries.
Before opening it up, I checked inside the battery compartment and there were six C batteries in there. When I turned it on, instead of hearing the familiar organ-like tones of preset 11, I was greeted by a whoosh of white noise and a resonance bump.
Everything seemed to be in working order. The tact switches were tight and responsive, clear sign that they had been replaced recently (or perhaps the synth was rarely used). There was some mottling on the case but the buttons still had their original color, which is something of a miracle. I could always sell it for parts and get my money back anyway.Ĭosmetically, my new Poly-800 wasn’t in terrible shape. Seeing as it’s a Poly-800, and they sell for around $100 in Japan, I wouldn’t be too disappointed if I killed it.
I couldn’t do much about the teal but I could add two knobs to bring direct control of the filter and cutoff parameters to the fore.
KORG POLY 800 INTERNAL BATTERY MODS
These mods require skills above and beyond what I have now, and I certainly don’t want to wreck them in the process, so when a cheap Poly-800 became available on Yahoo Auctions, I snapped it up in the hopes of trying the Moog Slayer Filter Mod.Īs anyone who’s looked at a Poly-800 knows, there are no knobs on the front panel, just a few buttons and a lot of teal. I’d like to add MIDI to my Korg Poly-61 and maybe improve the MIDI on my Roland JX-3P. I thought modding might be the logical next step from changing internal batteries and swapping out tactile switches. I’m trying to improve my electronics skills.
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