"Fake" MPC 3000?

Hello,

I just realised something really weird about my MPC 3000 (As if the other things weren´t enough)...
If You look at the back of my MPC:



and take a look at the back on a "normal" MPC (taken from Google):



See the difference? No rills for the air, no "Akai Electric CO. LTD." emblem and no Serial Number...

And another one:



(Ignore the lack of side and front panels, I removed them and I replaced the Volume and Rec Gain Knobs)
See how all Buttons have the same colour? All other MPC 3000 I´ve seen on Google or elsewhere had the blue data entry buttons and dark grey cursor buttons... Ok, maybe they got replaced, but I don´t know. Why the heck is my MPC so different from the others?
Does anybody know something about "different" MPCs? Are there any "fake" ones out there? Or are there other ones like this here on the forum?

Greetings,
Elias

Prototype? No thoughts on the backpanel, maybe it's been repainted.

Maybe some off the buttons broke down and the previous owner had them replaced.

No ideas concerning the backpanel ..... But I've seen many times 3ks with medium buttons coming from 2k(XL)/4k, they fit pretty well actually.

Aren't they a little bit shaped differently ?

Looks like you don't have a fan opening either, you back panel must have been removed and this new one added. Like first poster said, maybe prototype, or it was a DIY fix from previous owners.

I'd be pissed. I'd send it right back. People always trying to customize something instead of leaving it alone.

I really don't think this is "fake" MPC. It just doesn't make sense to replace chassis of MPC-3000. (it is not easy to reproduce those parts.) I really think this is a prototype model, which makes sense to me why it doesn't have cooling fan vent (yet.)
I think you've got yourself extremely rare MPC-3000.

No, I don´t think someone made this afterwards... Like JVC wrote, I think it´s hard to reproduce this part. You would have to have a professional machine to make this kinds of things don't you? It´s not "handcraftet". I thought maybe there was a little firma in china who made a few "fake" ones or something
From the inside it looks like its really old, so maybe this is really a prototype. Also on some of the chips and on the trans power are stickers with handwrote japanese signs and some numbers...
But I don't know if I should be happy about having a prototype or if I should get rid of it and buy a "newer" one... The lack of the cooling fan vent on the backside makes me worried. But on the other side, it still runs. And if it is a prototype, than it runs for quite some time unless there were tons of repairs^^

Thanks for all your answers

Greetings,
Elias

It's mos def a early model 3000. No vents or VGA Port and no AKAI Electric branding on the back. Very interesting indeed. Care to post some pictures of the inside?

Thanks.

Elias wrote:...
From the inside it looks like its really old, so maybe this is really a prototype. Also on some of the chips and on the trans power are stickers with handwrote japanese signs and some numbers...
But I don't know if I should be happy about having a prototype or if I should get rid of it and buy a "newer" one... The lack of the cooling fan vent on the backside makes me worried. But on the other side, it still runs. And if it is a prototype, than it runs for quite some time unless there were tons of repairs^^
...

If it works fine, I don't know why you should worry about it. Judging from how well Akai designed their products in late 80's, I don't the prototype is that different from the final model, besides the vent. And, I personally think that the prototype is typically inspected more than retail model (because it is for testing), so you might have better MPC-3000 than others!

As you know, the firmware (OS) is user replaceable. If I were you, I'd consider lucky (then, of course, I'm just a geek!)

By the way, I'd LOVE to see the photos of internals too! I can help you reading those handwriting on the board.

Yeah, everything except the Ram holder works fine. The ram holder has a slack joint, loose contact... So everytime I "shake" the MPC 3000 a little bit more, I run the risk of having "bad" memory. And thats a thing I must repair, but I don't know how.

Anyway, here are some pictures (If you want pictures from specific parts, just ask) :



The Japanese:



Yamaha?











And this also looks different if I recall right:




And the ram holder:



Would it be possible to solder some more "metal" on the contact? Because I think that they are to small, and therefore there isn't enough contact.

Greetings,
Elias

Elias wrote:Yeah, everything except the Ram holder works fine. The ram holder has a slack joint, loose contact... So everytime I "shake" the MPC 3000 a little bit more, I run the risk of having "bad" memory. And thats a thing I must repair, but I don't know how.

The Japanese:

The label on the transformer, it says "Tanaka san" (most likely the name of inspector, also, Tanaka is one of the most common last names for the Japanese) on the right, "trans" (transformer) on the left on the pic.
The pic is upside down, like the part number on the label.

Yamaha?

I think it is DA converter for digital audio in.

And the ram holder:

Would it be possible to solder some more "metal" on the contact? Because I think that they are to small, and therefore there isn't enough contact.

For the loose RAM holder(s), I'd just replace the holders. I think it is worn out. Of course you have to find the parts (which should not be difficult to locate, try Mouser.com) and de-solder the faulty ones and solder the new ones.
But, it is possible that there are some loose soldering joints. If this is the case, just add tiny bit of extra solder on each soldering points.

Thanks for the pics OP!

Like JVC said the YAMAHA Chp is the Digital Audio Interface Reciever
http://doc.chipfind.ru/yamaha/ym3623b.htm

As for the Ram Slots I would take it to a experienced repair shop to get it fixed being that you have not soldered before. It shouldn't cost you too much so Search around for somebody that you feel comfortable with. Old school is the best school.

Hey JVC, thanks for the translation and the tips. Sorry for the upside down picture
Ok so the Yamaha Chip is normal than?
Luckily a few meters from here is a electronic dude who's specialised on older Radios and TVs... So I think he's most likely able to do such a repair. Thanks for the tip.

But I have another question. Do you guys think I should make the cooling fan vents myself? Shouldn't be that hard to make...

Greetings,
Elias

Elias wrote:Hey JVC, thanks for the translation and the tips. Sorry for the upside down picture
Ok so the Yamaha Chip is normal than?
Luckily a few meters from here is a electronic dude who's specialised on older Radios and TVs... So I think he's most likely able to do such a repair. Thanks for the tip.

But I have another question. Do you guys think I should make the cooling fan vents myself? Shouldn't be that hard to make...

Greetings,
Elias

The TV repair guy should be perfect.

As for the vents, I wouldn't muck up that 1 of a kind 3000. It should be fine as is because the psu already has a heat sink and it doesn't generate enough heat for those vents to make a big difference, especially without a fan.

also, you got vents on the top