I eventually got fed up and took a gamble replacing the intermittent
EL-backlit LCD screen with a modern 20x2 from Crystalfontz:

<https://www.crystalfontz.com/product/cfah2002a1tmijt-20x2-character-display-module>

I'd seen reports that it's finicky about aftermarket displays but this
one fired up just fine, and the problem hasn't recurred. The old display
panel seemed very finicky about glitches on the +5 rail and I tried a
lot of things but couldn't get it to work consistently, maybe the new EL backlight under it was interfering with it somehow, who knows...

But in the process of mounting the new display I managed to crack part
of the cheap brittle 40 y/o phenolic board and had to jumper some power
lines to the meter LEDs, ugh...this thing had a lot of problems to begin
with and like it was definitely built to a budget, stinky single-sided
phenolic with jumpers and air wires everywhere, it's from 1987 but built
like a piece of cheap 1970s home stereo equipment, with wobbly input
jacks and controls mechanically secured only by the PCB.

Kind of a PITA to work on, but it is almost fully digital with only a
couple LM13700 and companders on VCA duty so there's not too much in the
SM to adjust once it's running..

The Sony digital reverb unit I have from a few years later (1991) is
built like a piece of aerospace hardware by comparison. I've only seen a
couple of these for sale domestically in the US over the years, seems
like they didn't make too many and they were all screwed-up to begin
with like this one was so I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the
few still in operating condition. Sounds nice, but I don't really want
to deal with one again like this haha

It does look cool all lit up. Uses an NEC variant of the Z80 at 12 MHz
for brains.

<https://imgur.com/a/fljL11u?>

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 20/02/2025 15:56, bitrex wrote:

It does look cool all lit up. Uses an NEC variant of the Z80 at 12 MHz
for brains.

<https://imgur.com/a/fljL11u?>

Good that you got it working, but if you want something "cool lit up",
this link to a Philips EL6471 was posted today in uk.d-i-y <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3_-2fUm6y0>. Those mercury arc
rectifiers responding to the current drawn are something else,
especially when the meter hits the end stop around 2.50!

--
Jeff

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2/20/2025 1:43 PM, Jeff Layman wrote:

On 20/02/2025 15:56, bitrex wrote:

It does look cool all lit up. Uses an NEC variant of the Z80 at 12 MHz
for brains.

<https://imgur.com/a/fljL11u?>

Good that you got it working, but if you want something "cool lit up",
this link to a Philips EL6471 was posted today in uk.d-i-y <https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3_-2fUm6y0>. Those mercury arc rectifiers
responding to the current drawn are something else, especially when the
meter hits the end stop around 2.50!

Truly a work of art of the "they don't make em like they used to" genre.
It needs its own theme song (though toccata and fugue in D is already in
the ballbpark...) Hell it needs its own national anthem.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 20/02/2025 21:20, bitrex wrote:

On 2/20/2025 1:43 PM, Jeff Layman wrote:

On 20/02/2025 15:56, bitrex wrote:

It does look cool all lit up. Uses an NEC variant of the Z80 at 12 MHz
for brains.

<https://imgur.com/a/fljL11u?>

Good that you got it working, but if you want something "cool lit up",
this link to a Philips EL6471 was posted today in uk.d-i-y <https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3_-2fUm6y0>. Those mercury arc rectifiers
responding to the current drawn are something else, especially when the
meter hits the end stop around 2.50!

Truly a work of art of the "they don't make em like they used to" genre.
It needs its own theme song (though toccata and fugue in D is already in
the ballbpark...) Hell it needs its own national anthem.

Yep. The piece in the YouTube video is Widor's toccata from his symphony
No.5. You wanted Bach? Be my guest... <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7qMVYf85sM&t=186s>

--
Jeff

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)