thanks gents. again…im in San Francisco. LA is too far. i dont have the buckers for repair and sending. i guess ill be waiting.
Yes just want to help but i agree better send it to Elektron in the states, or if you find somebody in your area with the skills. good luck with the MD
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i would sell off the MD as spare parts source and buy another one in good condition. the amount of money that you have to pay additionally, would be about the same of the repair costs. think about it.
I’ve tried to replace the screen on my Octatrack and failed. The VFDs and the generally available LCDs are designed for 5V power, while the Octatrack uses a 3.3V screen. My OT’s screen part number is WG12864AB, which is Winstar’s 3.3V version of the 128x64 graphic LCDs, as per https://www.promelec.ru/pdf/wg12864a.pdf. The voltage tester also shows about 3.3V between the Ground and Power pins on the LCD. In retrospect, I should have checked the voltages before plunging into desoldering.
I have tried the Noritake U100 KS0108 128x64 VFD from http://noritake-vfd.com/discount_sale_for_gu128x64e-u100.aspx, and an EastRising KS0107/KS0108 128x64 LCD from http://www.buydisplay.com/default/2-9-inch128x64-graphical-lcd-display-module-ks0108-white-on-black.
The VFD failed to light up at all, while the LCD did light up, but was barely legible, even with the contrast pot turned all the way up. Somewhere along the tests my OT lost the date/time setting, and with the 5V LCD OT’s Testmode displayed an RTC failure. After swapping back the original 3.3V LCD everything went back to normal. This leads me to believe that the OT would not be stable if I left the 5V LCD in.
I have contacted EastRising if they have a 3.3V option for the LCDs, and their reply was that they would look into it for an order of 500 units. The Winstar contact form looked even less friendly, so I didn’t bother contacting them. Theoretically it should be possible to install a 5V power line for the LCD, and string together level converters for the 8 in/out logic pins, but I chose not to go that way and stuck with the original LCD.
For desoldering the screen, I worked with an experienced technician. We first clipped the top parts of the pins that stuck above the solder drops, then mixed a low-temperature solder with the original solder to soften it up, then removed it all with a good solder sucker. Once the pins were almost free of solder we started to pull the screen while heating the solder pads to get the pins loose.
In summary: The OT seems to be incompatible with the widely-available 5V LCDs, and pretty 3.3V LCDs are hard to find. I would not recommend doing this with your OT, and better get the MkII 
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if he can find a diy solder human locally it wouldn’t cost more than 50 bucks. it’s a 10 minute job.
a good amateur diy pedal maker should be able to do it.
I have tried to desolder an encoder by myself, and botched up 3 solder pads and lifted 2 traces. Panicked for a while, then went to a local technician who was done in no time. Installed jumper wires from tracks on the PCB, and the unit is as good as new. It’s gonna be alright, man. The panel PCB is relatively simple and can be fixed by someone experienced.
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Thanks for the supportive werds…i could send a pick of what ive done, but its too embarassing. Its a right mess.
BUT on an up note…lets just say Elektron are the best!
They REALLY helped me out…and im happy to report my MD lives! As good as new.
Thank you Olle and Simon. You guys are awesome.
Anyone that disparages Elekron’s customers service needs to rethink their comments.
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What? They fixed your MD in the 3 days since your previous post? That’s pretty f’ing awesome!! Glad your MD is back from purgatory and alive and kicking!
Man you have to celebrate…… Pattern Party
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i have just finished display and all the knobs replacement. nerve wrecking excercise but worth it all in all. thanks goes to all who contributed to this thread. by the way i have managed to desolder everything using 270C so no broken tracks or lost pads. but it took me 12 hrs to complete disassembling.
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Awesome! I wish i was able to do mine.
I lack the skills.
Trust me next time you will do it better. Just practice on less expensive units 
ive shattered my confidence. i dont think i want to risk it again. i THRASHED it the first time. holy crap…what a mess.
A quick tip, which may encourage you to have another go. Add and mix a drop of a fresh solder to the existing pad on PCB. With temps around 270-300C melt them for a couple of seconds (depends on pad size). Use solder sucker from the opposite side of where you have soldering tip. It is also worth having a wick for cleaning.
holy shit! that top image…thats your werk? SUPER clean. “applause”
my board looked like a war zone. 
i felt sick after destroying it.
i REALLY wish i could do it. the red screen just makes my eyes strain hard.
man…that just looks SO good! well done.
i have two screens sitting here waiting to go in…i dont think they go in anytime soon tough [md and mnm]
k after zooming in on your pics…thats MAD…those points are flawless!
jealous. i had done what you suggested above…and still committed murder.
Thanks for a kind word. Much appreciated.
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this black eyed screen looks wicked… ninja tuned
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It does indeed. The display is actually Winstar brand (same as original). As all ks0108 it is slow ( same as original). But contrast makes it up. The guy who installed vfd display got better result in this respect. But hey, I am not fussy.
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Beautiful work. But the foam block to store screws? Absolutely brilliant.
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