Seiko DS-202 keyboard and DS-320 sequencer questions

[patrickvf1976]

This is going to be kind of a three part topic, so here goes:

I have a Seiko DS-202 with the DS-310 synth add-on and the DS-320 sequencer. I have no complaints about the synth, but I do need some real good help/advice with the keyboard and sequencer.

1. The Seiko 202 is partially working, but neither the accompaniment nor the tone mix and key split mode work (there's simply no 2nd sound) I'm also dealing with a kind of a dilemma because when I took a good look at the circuit boards, I neglected to take note where they plug into. I figured most of it out by trial and error, but there's a part at the outer right end of the 2nd board that I'm not so sure about.
Can someone help me out with some advice and some hints and tricks to make it work again (and perhaps supply me with a service manual, or a shot of it's guts that shows the wiring)?

2. The 320 sequencer is buggy. I can only record one monophonic line and there is no memory (free notes) assigned to the other lines (or there's a fault in the RAM cartridge?) It simply refuses to record anything in polyphony and anything on the other tracks. Any good advice (and again a service manual) for the sequencer and the cartridge would help enormously (I just don't know where to look for faults)

3. I just received A DS-250 that I bought to see if my problems with the sequencer are related to the half working DS-202 or not. However, when hooked up to the DS-250 it just doesn't work. Either some or all lights turn on or nothing, and it freezes up (no buttons work). Is this a known problem? Could there possibly be a conflict between the sequencer and the 250's MIDI? Or is it just not compatible with the 250? Again, any help and advice (and service manual) would be very helpful.

[patrickvf1976]

Still waiting for someone to help me out. Come on, there has to be someone who knows something or provide a service manual or something. The DS 202 is now completely dead btw.

[analog monster]

I have just got a spares/repair ds-250 with no supply. I spent quite a few hours looking for service manuals or schematics and I couldnt find anything at all. As far as I know it is the only synth range they ever made and I doubt they sold that many - I imagine any servicing would have been done in house and so service manuals or schematics werent distributed. Maybe you would have some luck contacting seiko directly. If you get a source could you post about it here please - I would be very interested in service documents from any of the seiko devices in this range.

My 250 is alive and fully functioning, although the background noise is pretty high. listening to the few recordings out there I'm not sure I am going to get a huge improvement if I start replacing caps in the audio output so I will probably leave it as it is. Its running off a bench power supply at the moment, I just need to build a suitable 13.8v PSU.

Thing is, now I really want the 310 so I can edit it. So if you ever felt like selling it get in touch. I hope you manage to figure something out, good luck

[patrickvf1976]

I decided to use the dead ds202 for spares and replace the broken keyboard of the ds-250. I'm using the ds310 with the ds250 now, so I'm not going to give that away. However I still have the 320 and recently found a 202 for a reasonable price. I managed to get the 320 to work - basically you record/program a chord along with 4 monophonic tracks and I think that it only works with the 202 since the 101 doesn't have any chord/accompaniment features and the 250 has a midi addition which appears to conflict with the 320. I'm willing to sell the DS202+320 combo for the right price. I also found by accident on the now dead 202 a spot that clocks the rhythm section, which in turn clocks the 320 sequencer, so there seems to be a possibility to add a clock out jack to sync it with analog gear e. g. an analog sequencer

[analog monster]

Thanks for replying. I am glad you have managed to get at least one of the keyboards working. I would be keeping the 310 if I were in your position too, it turns them from a preset synth to a programmable synth. I just thought if you have 2 dead keyboards then that 310 shouldnt be going to waste!

Ahh well, back to my probably over ambitious original plan - attempting to reverse engineer the OS enough that I can understand how the processor reads the data from that expansion port, then creating my own arduino editor.

Thanks for the offer but its only really the 310 I am interested in, unless you happen to have one of the expansion cartridges that give you extra sounds - it would go in the same slot as the 310.

[patrickvf1976]

Nope, unfortunately not. But have an extremely scarce memory cartridge for the 320.

[ghanedan]

Hi,

Is there anyone who is selling his/her DS-310 ( the programmer ) ( optional but also the sequencer ds-320 ) and can ship internationally ? Kindly get in touch with me.

Best regards,