I’ve been experiencing a very strange problem with my Monomachine. When entering notes, I very occasionally get in the chromatic note entering mode and cannot exit out of it. I first noticed it when I went to the edit menu and couldn’t move around - because the device was moving around the screen keyboard. You can see this happening in the video link. It’s happened twice in the last month.
When I reset the unit (i.e., turn it off and on again) the behavior is normal. The problem goes away.
One other thing I’ve noticed is just how dim my screen gets these days. Perhaps the PSU is going bad and causing this intermittent issue?
It has a coin cell battery inside which I think is just for the memory backup, but I don’t know if it has any other impact on device operation when failing. Definitely freezing behaviors on the extreme end.
Have you already replaced that in the past?
Other things I would do is try a new project with nothing in it and try to recreate the issue to make sure it’s a global behavior and not isolated to whatever project is current.
I have not replaced the batteries (in either unit). I will probably do that as well.
This started IN a new project… but I think I could test that. The problem is that it’s so infrequent and random that I think it would possibly take weeks to figure out whether it’s global or not. But good suggestions!
My plan right now is to test the PSU since the screen flickers and is dim. I’ll also check connections. I kind of wonder if low power could affect it too.
I may also do a factory restore and reload the data to see if that fixes it. So I have some options.
You also could open it up and reseat the ribbon cables before doing the factory restore as that seems to be something which fixes a lot of monomachine and machinedrum issues (don’t ask me why because it’s a bit abstract to imagine they wiggle loose but it works).
Dimming and flickering does sound like a power issue of some kind. Perhaps the power switch is failing, that’s common on these older models. Usually that’s an all or none failure though, as is the PSU failure (all or none) rather than diminished output you’d normally see outright failure.
If you own more than one MNM or MD power supply and it’s for the same generation MKI or MKII (don’t mix and match) then you could try the other power supply and check for results.
If it’s a MKI be careful when testing the power supply as it has AC power and not DC so set your meter accordingly.
As far as the chromatic note mode getting stuck and these other odd behaviors, I can neither confirm nor deny whether the battery would impact that, but it seems like a weak link for others and if yours haven’t been replaced then it’s at this point in time probably a weak link in yours as well.
Not sure I have any better advice, good luck though.
I don’t think this needs any hardware intervention, there no need to open it up. This has happened to me here and there throughout the 17 years of owning it, including when the machine was new. A reset or a reinstall of the firmware may help because this is or should be a software bug.
screen deterioration/burn from being old af, lol. that could use a replacement which obs will require open heart surgery and I am sure there 7 billion posts in here about that, haha.
mine is hella faint but hanging in there. still functional.
@error.eyes - thanks for confirming that it’s a software bug. I have never seen it till recently. I have two MNM and my other unit has never displayed this strange software bug. BUT I am glad to know that that’s all it is.
Strangely, after I unplugged the units and tested the PSUs with a voltmeter, plugged them back in, neither unit showed any reduction in the screen brightness. I have no idea what’s going on there. Both screens are inverted and not original. One thing I did do with the ‘worse’ unit is open it up and messed with the trimpot for brightness, maybe it was just sitting at a wonky value moving all over the place. I don’t know - but now they’re both working great.
Really appreciate everyone’s replies and sorry for taking so long to get back to you on it!
Try wiggling/gently pushing the female power jack on your unit while power is connected. If this affects the screen brightness/contrast, yours is loose and you likely need a new female jack. My MnM’s screen was intermittently dim and a new jack fixed it and holds onto the male end much tighter.