Please note : Neither I nor this website and its
products
have any affiliation with
EMS(Cornwall)
which is still run by Robin Wood.
SPARE PARTS AND
NEW MODULES
FOR THE EMS SYNTHI AKS/VCS3

NEW! Prototype of SYNTHI CONTROL CONSOLE
4/5/09 : SORRY ALL ADVANCED ORDERS FOR THESE UNITS
HAVE NOW BEEN FILLED!
More info on the
Synthi Control Console here
I will post audio samples with the control console
linked to my Synthi A clone and VCS3(mk2)+DK2
in the near future...
Custom VCS3 and Synthi A(KS)
Add-On and Interface Units

PLEASE NOTE I DO NOT PROVIDE SCHEMATICS!
I am
offering a spare parts service for rare and obsolete components for the
Please
email digitana2002@yahoo.co.uk
for availibility.
I am not
seeking to make any great profit from this service just that I am a big
My service
is not intended to compete with his (if it ever could!) but given the rarity of
some synthi parts, I think it’s no bad thing to have more than one source if
possible.
FRONT
PANEL COMPONENTS
Sealectro
20x22 Patch Matrix
This is an original 1970’s matrix patch panel made by Sealectro, UK.
Sealectro are the company that made the patch panels used by EMS.
It uses the same pins as VCS3/Synthi A and has exactly the same spacing
between rows/columns. It came from some MOD equipment and was originally
configured as 2 submatrices rather than one large 20x22. I moved one of the
column contacts to make the present 20x22 configuration. All the gold contacts
are in excellent condition. This would be good as a replacement matrix for an
original VCS3/Synthi
Please note: if you are building a Synthi clone I wouldn’t advise using
Sealectro panels because a) Ghielmetti make superior ones that can be found on
ebay, synth-diy lists etc. b) these matrices should really be reserved for
original VCS3/Synthi repairs. These matrices have long become obselete and if
an original VCS3/Synthi has a damaged matrix ..Ghielmetti type cannot be used
as a simple replacemnt as the pin spacing/pin type etc is quite different.
Sealectro matrices are the real achilles heel of Synthi’s..though thankfully
they do last many years unless abused.
Price
£250
Original
1970’s Meters
New old stock meters with
custom made plastic scale inserted matching the original synthi’s. Complete
with mounting hardware and boxed. To find these meters new is amazing as they
are long since obselete!
Price £35 + shipping.

Re-engineered
Sealectro shorting patch pins
I obtained a lot of vintage Sealectro shorting pins that were used on
special matrices that were piggybacked one on top of another. See the long white pin in the picture below. I
have re-engineerd these into shorting pins for the VCS3/ Synthi A. The caps are new and from Ghilmetti, except
the dark red ones that are original
I have tested each of these pins own my own VCS3. Good thing is that the
pins are gold plated so wont ever need cleaning. They fit the original
Sealectro matrices on VCS3/ Synthi A’s perfectly.
White, bright red, green and black caps also available.
Remember: these are shorting pins not resistive (resistors cannot be
retro-fitted either)!
Price:
£2 each

Verniers
Multi-Turn Vernier dials (planetary reduction system)

Price: £16 each. Green/silver/chrome inserts also available part from
blue.
Knobs
(several hundred in stock)
Cliff Components Plastic Knobs with original
coloured (anodised) metal inserts and white dot pointer.
Last remaining old stock (in the world?) from Cliff
Plastics, Australia.

Satin Silver Chrome,
(6mm splined push fit).
Mirror Silver Chrome
(fit D-shaft)
Red Satin (6mm shaft,
grubscrew) SOLD
OUT
Green Satin (6mm
shaft, grubscrew)
Blue Anodised (6mm shaft, grubscrew)
PLEASE NOTE: The coloured inserts (green/blue) I
supply are original Cliff, but they are lighter in shade than the inserts found
on 1970’s EMS units. The silver and shiney chrome inserts however, have
remained unchanged.
Note that the 6mm splined shaft fitting knobs (satin silver) do fit
standard round 6mm shafts with a very tight push fit. Not ideal but they work
fine (tested on my VCS3)
All knobs £3 each
Note Cliff no longer manufacters these Knobs except by special order
(mor = many thousands!)
Knob
inserts
In addition I have spare metal inserts:-
Blue, Green,
Mirror silver chrome. It is possible with care to remove old metal
inserts and replace with new ones.
Price:
£0.50 each
Keyboard
Leads for VCS3 and Synthi AKS.
These are the keyboard leads that connect the DK1/2 keyboard to the VCS3
or Synthi AKS and also used to connect the touch keyboard/sequencer on the AKS
to the main unit. These are high quality leads with metal Jones connectors on
each end. They contain 100k resistors for the Input Channel lines as specified
in the EMS schematics. Right angle plug
version also available for the aks.

All tested working on my own VCS3. Price: £25 each
REVERB
TANKS
New Accutronics reverb tanks that are the closest replacements to the
original synthi reverb tanks that have long since disappeared. Reverb tanks
often wear out on synthi’s in my experience. Whilst they can sometimes be
repaired its a delicate task.
Information
on replacing original synthi tanks with new type from Accutronics can be found here.
Transistors
NPN/PNP
BFY51 (psu), UA309K (psu KS), TIP3055 (psu), 2N5172, bc169, AC187 (Ge), AC176K (power Ge),
AC128 (Ge),
2N4288, 2N706, bc258A. p.o.a.


FET
2N5163, 2N5461. £3 each
The
‘Achilles heel’ of the VCS3/Synthi AKS are the now obsolete and ultra rare semiconductors
that it uses. Luckiliy there are only a few..unluckily they are uber-rare and
often only available at high cost (and hundreds of $$ minimum order) from
obsolete/military IC vendors.
Ring
Modulator IC
Mullard TAB101 (very rare germanium transistor array based modulator.) £18
each Back in Stock!

Reverb
Driver Audio Amplifier IC
MFC6070 (Motorola 1 watt audio amplifier IC)..another uber-rarity Price:£25 each
These are NOS 1970’s in original Motorola Packaging. Sorry for the higher
price but I had to pay very high wire/shipping costs and then a hefty UK
Customs bill for good measure!

74
series Logic
7410,7404,7493,7430,7400,7474, 74LS03, 74LS13,
DM74150N. p.o.a

Keyboard
Sequencer Memory Chips
MM5056H 10
lead, can. (ultra ultra rare old school PMOS shift registers ) Price: £30 each
MM5056N
DIP version also available (same price).
Unfortunately there seems to be two versions of the KS
produced, those using the can type 10-lead
(MF7104)
and later versions that used the plastic MM5056N DIP
10 pin type. You may have to verify
which type of memory chip your KS uses by opening up the plastic lid of the KS
and looking at the top left hand part of the pcb where the memory chips are
located. Those using the MM5056 have 3 chips, those using the MF7104 can-style
use 6.
The MM5056H (can) and MM5056N (plastic DIP) can be
used interchangably on the later KS versions. The tab on the can type marks
location between pin1 and pin 10.
The platic DIP version as the usual indent marking
location of pin1.
I am trying to source a supply of MF7104..but they are
even harder than MM5056 to locate!
Voltage
Regulator
UA309K (used as voltage regulator on the KS part of
the Synthi
Price:£5 each

Spartanite Attache’ Case SOLD
I have 1 grey ultra rare
Spartanite Attache’ case with key. This is dark grey (not black)
and was sold as a tool case
by philips in the 1970’s. The badge on
top says ‘philips’ not ‘spartanite’ but
it is 100% spartanite design
(I have compared with another spartanite case). Condition is like new..has a
slight scuff on one edge through storage. Would be good as a replacement for a
damaged original black case.



Synthi Related Sites worth visiting:-
Simply
the best Synthi site on the Web!
Fantastic site with wonderful
info on very rare EMS devices!
Great, insightful documentry largely
about EMS and its origins
featuring interviews with EMS founders David Cockerell,
the late Tristram Cary
and Peter Zinovieff. Must see!
Analog Days Book By Trevor Pinch and Frank
Trocco. Excellent Chapter on EMS history (fine wines, antiques
and DEC PDP-8 computers
and of course Synthis! )
Please feel free to make use of any
material/images on my site(s) (unless original copyright is owned by other
persons) or link to it without my permission.
Note: The name ‘DIGITANA’
was given by Peter Zinovieff to the prototype Synthi 100.
This website has no affiliation/connection
with the site “www.digitana.co.uk”
Email digitana2002@yahoo.co.uk
Digitana, 12/01/09