Quasimidi Rave-o-lution 309 - oled display upgrade

[infekted]

I write this post to share some experience regarding replacement of display in 309.
The task in principle is very simple. The original unit is HD44780 compatible unit by Winstar. No line swapping or anything. Finding a new LCD is fairly straight forward.

Initially I used East Rising ERM1602-4 (buydisplay.com. It is idiot proof as it accepts 3.3v and 5v. It is worth noting that it works well with Alesis Micron (for some it may be a great news).

Encouraged by this I have decided to try one of the oleds I had in my parts box. Namely Midas and Vishay units. They booted up and displayed the content correctly. But this was the end of good news. What I have found that whatever I do they introduce noise/hiss into audio path. I have tried adding a cap power line to smooth out the signal etc. No luck. Sh!tty noise is always there. The noise appears when the power line is connected, by the way.

Recently I have been looking at my unfinished projects and have found Roland D110 with oled upgrade. This one had Winstar WEH001602C installed in it. Coincidently I have found someone on ebay selling a spare oled upgrade for 309 (don’t know the brand). I have asked the guy if he experienced the hiss issue with his module. He said no. This has encouraged me to try Winstar. And guess what. It works spot on! No hiss and it has super fast refresh compared to LCD (no lags during changing values). Unfortunately, the module does not fit physically 309 so I will be ordering the correct one soon.

I would conclude that there is something in an electrical design of Winstar displays that makes them suitable for this upgrade.

Here’s the pic of the “silent” 309 with oled display.

I got the 309 in seriously “fatigued” condition, I had to patch lifted traces, glue and “re-trace” broken volume pcb, replace the pots and the encoder. All in all the unit has been technically brought to life again . The last bit left is to refresh the front panel and the display upgrade of course. I will post some pictures when it is finished.

I hope someone will find this post useful.

Peace.

[infekted]

A quick update:
In case someone would be looking for white on black version of ie WEH001602AW (which seems to be difficult to get these days) here is the link:
audiophonics.fr

[infekted]

Unrelated to the display info, but maybe of some use for someone. Tactile switches.

Quasimidi 309 and possibly the rest of the lot uses SKHJ switches by Alps. Impossible to source these days in consumer amounts. I have enquired nearly all the possible outlets worldwide with no luck.

After many trials and errors I have found the following to be a viable option:
switch

They fit the PCB with some pins stretching and the shaft fits the buttons after cutting off the flanges.

They are slightly lower than Alps but they do the job. If I recall correctly one plastic button has to be filed a bit as it clashes with a chip on the PCB (Step 1 if I am not mistaken).

Quasimidi charges 2.5EUR per piece excl. delivery so all the hassle is worth it if you ask me.

Lastly the pots. They fit and work well.

link

Update:
The new screen has arrived. It fits the bolts and works as expected (finally no noise).

[dtr]

Waw what a dedication to such an oldy!

I had one a million years ago. Didn’t fit me well. After it I got a 909. I sold the 909 so I could get an MD and that one 's still with me, later joined by MM, AH and AR

(oh wait, I had a Jomox Xbase09 somewhere in that history too…)

[infekted]

309 is not the most convenient thing to use especially from today’s perspective.
However, it has a lot of functionalities, which were not available at time it was on the market (ca. 1996).
Motion sequencer (recording knobs movements), chromatic keyboard, pattern triggers from the panel, programmable “fill ins/transitions”, multi outs, song mode, on-board fx and many more. Not too shabby.
Of course it has a lot of limitations and niggles. But every piece of kit has them.

I have spent some time during the restoration process and I would dare to say that it keeps up strong even today.

[dtr]

I probably would get way more of it today than back then, indeed. I was very inexperienced then.

[infekted]

You are possibly right. On average I utilise possibly 10% of any given machine I have. I always admire people who can master a unit and push it to the limits.

[farfadet]

grazie a te (xche sei l.unico che ne parla) o preso la decisione di cambiare display alla cara 309…
ho solo un ostacolo… non trovo il manuale di servizio…
potresti prendere contatto… o farmi sapere come e quali pin vanno saldati… insomma…
anche una foto del lavoro finito… grazie, spero che questo sito sia ancora attivo ^.^
@infekted

[infekted]

Hey,
Unfortunately I don’t have service manual. However, if you follow the pinout from the Winstar module I mentioned at the beginning of the thread you should be ok. See below.

Pin 15 and 16 on pcb provide power for backlight (original display - 15 voltage and 16 ground) which are redundant if you use new display modules with 15&16 not connected (NC).
Lastly if you go for OLED be aware that some displays may create noise in a audio signal path. Read my earlier posts in this thread.

[madara]

HI, and sorry for my ignorance about;
but where I can buy a Oled display upgrade for my polymorph?

[infekted]

at the time of writing I got it from audiophonics.fr
check them first. otherwise search for WEH001602AW. i am assuming that polymorph is using the same display as 309. if not, you may have to investigate what module you need. as i mentioned in my previous posts re 309, winstar displays did not cause issues with background noise. i would stick to them to be on a safe side.

[madara]

HI and thanks for your support!!;
their response is:

“”"Unfortunatly i"ve no idea of what’s used in this device.

Have you got a part number or serial number on your screen ?

Looking forward to hearing from you.""

Can You give me some info about, to send them?
Thanks again!!
Piero

[infekted]

the easiest way is to open the unit and take a photo of the display module. there is fairly high likelihood that there will be a sticker on the back pf the display specifying type/model.

if you would go that route take some additional photos of the motherboard/connections/header pin descriptions etc.

[madara]

a ok, thanks for the help!!! very kind

[infekted]

anytime

[madara]

HI, can I ask another question?
I would like to change it just because it flickers …also if I don’t turn the selector…I don’t know if You can give me your opinion on why my display has this issue; can depend by display, or by something else ??
thanks again!
Piero

[infekted]

not sure i understand the problem. message me and if possible attach pictures.

[madara]

sorry for my bad english
the display changes page by itself , is instable…

[infekted]

if this is the case i would start from replacing the battery first. the issue you described (changing pages by itself) is unlikely related to the display module. there maybe an issue with a button (or its joints) or buttons controlling chip. obviously there may be other issues but these mentioned above are the most logical to check in my view. also there maybe an issue with the OS being corrupted over the time. so it is another avenue to troubleshoot the problem.

can you establish if the changes on the screen are consistent? i mean, the changes could be caused by pressing the same button? or it is absolutely random?

[madara]

HI and thanks very much for your help!!
the battery is new, and the issue raises just when I turn off polymorph…without push or move buttons or menu…the changes seems random…all works ok, but for example if i change menu page, after that menu return on filter page…randomly…etc…