Enchilada's MPC 60 MkII Refurb

Hey guys,

I was going to modify my other thread asking for help with monitoring while sampling but I can't work it out so I'm just starting a new one.

http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=174138

Anyhoo, I'm refurbishing an MPC 60 MkII which has definitely seen better days. Half a dozen of the tactile switches don't work at all and another dozen or so need a fair bit of pushing so I've de-soldered all of the original switches and ordered a bunch of these to replace them with:

https://au.rs-online.com/web/p/tactile-switches/7581931/

Here she is:



Here's the PCBs, freshly de-soldered and ready to be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and an old toothbrush.



When I first opened it up someone had clearly opened the lid without thinking and ripped the wires off the contrast potentiometer and the display backlight. It didn't take much to solder the wires back in their correct location (I found out which wire went where in another thread on this forum). The backlight seems to work well but the inverter is a but noisy so I've also ordered one of these to replace it with:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/161209107330

Oh, I almost forgot. It also didn't come with a floppy or a SCSI interface. To be honest I'm not phased because magnetic storage is a bummer so one of these should get me out of trouble:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/321188946516

The only other thing is it is still running OS V2.12 but again, I'm not really phased by that. I used to have an MPC 60 running V3.10 and I really didn't use any of the additional features. I prefer having the help button doing something and being limited to 5 seconds of sample time.

The only thing I probably wouldn't mind is the ability to compress sounds to 20 kHz.

A quick look at its grotty insides.

The floppy emulator will not work unless you have the 3.xx software installed. You know how much that costs from Roger Linn's website. A modified, new floppy drive is the alternative. I can't see a bracket for the floppy drive in your photo, you will need to find one, or construct something to take its place (it lifts the floppy drive up from the bottom chassis).

Also you might want to reconsider using that inverter in your machine, they haven't been thoroughly tested and may cause more problems than they solve. You can use the inverter from an akai s series rack to get the job done, safely.

It appears you have the memory expansion fitted, it will be a lot more use if you upgrade to 3.xx. With your current OS, any new sample will erase your sequences in memory. Without any means of storage, that's gonna hurt.

That machine might turn out to be more of a project than you were expecting, hopefully you didn't pay too much for a machine in that condition.

Are you in Australia ?

i thought you needed 3.1 to use those USB emulators..

awesome job. Do you have the service manual? if not, I should have one for the 60ii (pdf version)

mr_debauch wrote:i thought you needed 3.1 to use those USB emulators..

You ignoring Clint or something ?
Aye, you do need 3.1 for those floppy emulators

i didn't see clint because it wasn't there when i clicked reply...

Why do you need 3.xx for a floppy emulator?

Would have thought it would make no difference, as it is just a floppy device.

Not arguing against it, just wondering what is going on to make the difference?

Yeah I saw there were no brackets. No big deal. I'll just bend some aluminium and tap threads in it.

Did not know that about the floppy emulators and V2.12. I would have thought that a floppy is a floppy.

With the inverter, the only thing it's connected to is the backlight. The voltage will be lower so it should be OK. Worst case scenario I'll replace the backlight with an LED one.

Yep, I'm in Australia. I'm going to install a total transformer inside the case so a step down won't be needed.

I don't have the MkII service manual, only MkI. It would be super handy

I sold my MkI in poor cosmetic condition for $850 and bought this guy for $250. Seemed like a bargain. The Gotek was $40, inverter was $5, tactile switches were $15 and brackets for the floppy I'll make with some scrap materials. Even if I do need to buy OS 3.10 it still end up costing me around $500. That's half what I've seen the MkII sell for here in Aus .

There's also the fun of breathing new life into something that was previously considered junk.

Cheers for the replies guys!!! I'll post updates and photos along the way. Next job is to gut the chassis and give it a really good clean.

Clint wrote:Also you might want to reconsider using that inverter in your machine, they haven't been thoroughly tested and may cause more problems than they solve.

It will probably work without any problems, but does seem a little overpowered for the size of the MPC60 backlight...

Unused (NEW) inverter specially designed for powering EL lamp up to a A4 or 400 sq cm size, or 15m of EL wire.

Would imagine that with a new/good condition EL backlight panel, it is going to be very bright.

Issues might be that the backlight burns out more quickly than it would with the correct spec inverter, and that it might draw more current than the stock inverter, putting a higher load on the power supply.

Yeah I did toss up between the 100 and 400 version. As the voltage is the same my assumption is that the version I bought is higher amperage. That won't post any problem as the backlight will only draw what it needs.

I saw in the Gotek thread it was confirmed not working correctly with OS 2.02 but couldn't find confirmation that it wouldn't work with 2.12. It's already on the way so there's only one way for me to find out for sure!

I think that the main inverter specifications that affect EL backlight brightness, and thereby EL panel lifespan, are the AC output voltage and frequency.

Will be interesting to see how it goes, and if the backlight is much brighter with that inverter.

Although it is only connected to the backlight, it is possible that it could produce higher levels of noise, either back through the power supply, or through EM interference inside the MPC, but I would guess that it wouldn't cause any issues like that.

Clint wrote:The floppy emulator will not work unless you have the 3.xx software installed.

Does this advice originate from this post?...

gilles wrote:I just got the SFRM72-FU (there is a sticker on it this time) and it works. Bought it for around 50$ on eBay by looking for a 720k emulator !

I put some .SND files from my PC on the USB then trying to load it. MPC60 2.02 can find the name of files but can't load (wrong version). I have the 3.10 but not yet installed, i plan to do it tomorrow.

I can't save a sound sampled on the MPC60 on the USB, i didn't find how to do it yet but the emulator keep the sound in his memory after rebooting the MPC: good news.

EDIT: i couldn't resist, i place 3.10 chips and I can load any .SND files. I'm able to read AND write sampled sound ! It is realy great !

...if so, and if it has not been confirmed elsewhere, I suspect that gilles need for 3.10 was possibly related to loading 16 bit .SND files, possibly converted in his PC, rather than MPC60 compatible 12 bit .SND files.

Maybe 2.02 just couldn't load those possible 16 bit (MPC3000 compatible) .SND files, and that upgrading to 3.10 allowed them to load, due to the MPC3000 file support added in 3.10.

He seems to suggest that he could save sounds into the internal memory of the emulator, and that they were still there after a reboot, he possibly just didn't know how to get them onto the USB stick at the time.


Will be interesting to see how you go with it Enchilada.

That's a little bit hopeful for me. I have no intention of loading other MPC files on the USB drive. Just saving to it. I'll be sure to report my findings as soon as it arrives from Hong Kong.

The name's Kris by the way

Where in Aus are you from Simon? I hail from the mean streets of Wagga Wagga.

Yes, if you don't want to load any files that have been converted to 16 bit .SND in the computer, you 'might' be good for saving/loading within the MPC60 itself.

I am a little over half way towards the coast from you...bright lights, 'big' city.