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Re: sudden Echoplex shutdown and restart, or who has a loop device in NYC to loan me?



Eric,

A few things I can suggest:

1) I once experienced this sort of problem playing in a run-down
building with spotty electricity - tapping footpedal buttons (or even
just the chassis of the footcontroler) would make the EDP restart.  You
mention you're doing a dress rehearsal and noticing this for the first
time, so it's possible that the electricity in the building you're
playing in is disagreeing with your EDP.

Best way to check this is to try the EDP at your regular place of
playing/practice (wherever that is) and see if the problem persists.  If
it goes away outside of your dress rehearsal space, then a power
conditioner of some sort would seem to be in order.

2) Dropping and jostling around are certainly not the best things for
the EDP, so reseating the memory and/or the software EPROMS are the next
thing I'd check.  I personally would try this:

a. Take off the lid of the EDP, and BEFORE TOUCHING ANYTHING INSIDE, tap
your fingers on the outer rack ears of the EDP, to discharge any static 
electricity.

b. Try removing and re-seating the memory SIMMS.  This has worked
wonders for me and others in the past.

c. If a person chose to go a step or two further, you could remove and
re-seat both the SIMMS and the EPROMS for the software.  (The EPROMS are
a bit trickier to remove, and should definitely be done with some sort
of tool, not by hand.  I use the small metal filing edge of nail
clippers, believe it or not).

Before you re-seat the SIMMS/EPROMS, you might try cleaning the contacts
for both using cleaner.  You should be able to find this sort of thing
at Radio Shack or other electronics places.  BE CAREFUL when doin this,
to make sure that you're using cleaner that's good for ELECTRONICS. 
Otherwise you may actually corrode the connections inside.  

Good luck!  

--Andre LaFosse



Eric Leonardson wrote:
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> Well dress rehearsal for The Palmer Raids was very scary experinece for 
>me
> because, with opening night coming up today, our Echoplex suddenly shuts
> down when I'm playing it in the middle of the key kick-ass momnets of the
> production.
> 
> I'm using an Oberheim Echoplex with Loop IV. Today it has consistently 
>shut
> down a few minutes after many button presses have been made. After it 
>shuts
> down it automatically restarts. It never did this before.
> 
> The button presses involved are "record" into a rather short loop of
> anywhere from 1.2 to 6 seconds, "overdub", for several passes, sometimes
> "multiply" will follow "record" and then "overdub", and in one scene all
> these button presses will also include an "insert" press to switch from
> "Fsp" to "Hsp".
> 
> I'm processing the EDP's output through my Max/MSP patch. So when it 
>shuts
> down I lose the signal and this totally blows the whole scene for
> me/Plasticene!
> 
> I couldn't find a link referring to this problem in the loop archives, so
> I've posted my question to the list members. I wonder...
> 
> Could this behavior be the result of the EDP being jostled around, 
>dropped
> and loosening up the SIMM chips?
> 
> I know the rack case took a spill a couple weeks ago, and then it was
> brought 'cross country in a large pickup truck.
> 
> When I get back to the theater I'm hoping I can reseat the RAM chips and
> make this problem go away. But if this doesn't do it then I'm in a real
> bind...
> 
> I don't feel as if I'm savvy enough to quickly write a Max/MSP patch that
> emulates the Echoplex, But if that's what it takes are there any Max
> loopers who have EDP emulating loop patches to share? And if so, how 
>could
> I help you in exchange?
> 
> Or, is there's someone in or near Manhattan who can loan me/Plasticene a
> looping device like the Echoplex...
> 
> Any help would be much appreciated.
> 
> Best regards,
> Eric
> 
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