OLED display for Elektron Mk1 Analog devices (Four, Heat, Keys, Rytm)

zigmars · February 3, 2024, 12:36pm

A while back I designed & programmed this OLED module for a friend as a one-off (ordered 10 PCBs).

And now I was encouraged & helped to put these on eBay and see, if anyone wants them.

So it is a drop-in replacement for Mk1 of Analog Four, Analog Heat, Analog Keys & Analog Rytm to replace original lower contrast LCD.

I have 7 units left.
I am thinking that probably that is enough for everybody, who really wants one.
I do not think I will be doing any more production, as I am quite sceptical of a significant demand for these anyway…
Especially considering that the cost of parts currently is more than the lowest cost compatible LCD selling price,
and the limited number of Mk1 Analog Four, Heat, Keys, Rytm owners, that would be willing to pay for the luxury of that extra contrast in OLED & yellow/green/white/blue on black look.

So if You really want the OLED look of Mk2 and have Mk1, then this could be a cheaper alternative than buying Mk2, as well as less hassle to sell Mk1, though a bit of soldering is expected from You or some friend.

Asking 120€ for it + shipping. Located in Europe, Latvia.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/176180274325

Cheers,
Zigmārs

pidgeo · February 3, 2024, 12:39pm

they look beautiful. I’ve never opened up my A4. I did a screen replacement on my machinedrum tho (nearly broke it in the process, lol).

is it a similar kinda job to the machinedrum process?

zigmars · February 3, 2024, 1:11pm

Unfortunately I do not know anything about machinedrum process.
Generally this is a two part job:
(1) disassembly to get to the display (and assembly afterwards);
(2) display module replacement (desoldering old + soldering new).
For the first part I can’t say much.
Only have experience with opening Analog Keys, and for that the disassembly to get to the motherboard/display board was not hard, if You know cables, that need to be disconnected. Cannot tell anything about A4.

But for the 2nd part - the old display desoldering / new display soldering - here is (a try at) a guide to do it.
Elektron Graphic OLED display module v0.2.pdf (492.9 KB)

If You have/buy a desoldering tool (e.g., Engineer SS-02 or a clone), You do not have to touch A4’s motherboard at all. So You would not be risking damage to the motherboard at all (at least in the soldering part).

avantronica · February 3, 2024, 1:22pm

Nice project/skills btw. Thanks, though, for pointing out this device, looks like an upgrade i need !

karkwai · February 3, 2024, 2:11pm

Looks cool, does OLED make it feel more responsive than LCD? LCD always feel a bit laggy to me, any video of the display in action?

zigmars · February 3, 2024, 6:32pm

yes, it does.

Can’t find a more reasonable video right now, but for the purpose of seeing responsiveness, here is a short clip from development days before designing a board for the display.

pidgeo · February 3, 2024, 2:48pm

I’d love to get one of them on my A4. I’ll only wreck it tho. it defo needs someone with a bit of experience, and the right tools.

with the machinedrum I ended up having to get a friend to finish it for me. he had a much hotter soldering iron, and much more skills.

swiss · February 3, 2024, 6:04pm

Will order when funds allow thank you @zigmars

Claid · February 3, 2024, 7:48pm

Phenomenal work, bravo! I have poor eyesight and have always struggled to see the Mk1 screens, would love to have one of these in an A4 or Rytm. I’m sure they’ll sell like hot-cakes.

garf · February 4, 2024, 12:29am

Are there any pics of the screen fitted into a device? All pics are of the screen in isolation. Would love to see one installed in a mk1.

zigmars · February 4, 2024, 12:59am

Though take the colors/brightness of these images with a grain of salt…
They’re not quite what You see with naked eyes and photos are not well done either to be representable of what You get.
The blue/turquoise one with my eyes seems to have significantly different color.

shigginpit · February 4, 2024, 1:07am

that’s awesome. are these winstar (manufacturer) like the oem displays?

dfunk1983 · February 4, 2024, 2:03am

Ooooh. That green looks nice!

Anfim · February 12, 2024, 9:30pm

Hey, on ebay there only seem to be yellow ones, are there any of the blue or white ones available? Thanks

elektrobot7 · February 13, 2024, 1:04am

Green looks dope!

zigmars · February 13, 2024, 9:36am

Probably not. Some panel units might be, some might not. These specific size/interface units are manufactured by a few manufacturers.
I ordered these units from China which were readily available (to me as a private individual) and then on arrival I just tested each display myself.

zigmars · February 13, 2024, 10:46am

Currently I only have one green display left.
And two more empty boards without OLED panels…
So yesterday I ordered 1x blue/turquoise, 2x green, 2x yellow OLED panels.
Probably will take a week or two to arrive.

The white one does not seem as bright & nice as the yellow one to my eyes, so I did not bother ordering white one.

I can order the white OLED panel, it just takes time to arrive.

zigmars · February 13, 2024, 10:37am

Responsiveness

phading · February 13, 2024, 10:47am

This looks really great,
I would get a couple of them but installing it would be a problem.

And it just crossed my mind having the option to share the screen with a PC, would that be technologically feasible at all?

zigmars · February 13, 2024, 2:17pm

Cannot directly help much with installation, unless You happen to be in Latvia with Your devices.

What use case are You thinking of, regarding screen sharing with PC?

It can, theoretically.
Though that would be a significant amount of work to do that sensibly & make it usable SW-wise (both on the OLED board & PC side).

HW-wise - You would need to somehow manoeuvre/route a data cable out of enclosure.

Before there even was an OLED, there was a try at what You asked about.