Axon ax100 mk 2 Repairs in the UK

Started by elrigdog, March 03, 2019, 05:50:05 AM

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elrigdog

Hi.

I wonder if anyone can help me.
I have just bought a second axon 100 mk 2 ( I already have one which works perfectly).
The new one powers up displays all parameters, will change patches via the GK guitar but no sound.
I am hoping that it is nothing major.
Has anyone any ideas (could it be the battery?) Or does anyone know where I can get it repaired in the UK.
Any help would really be appreciated.

Kind Regards
Paul

Shingles

1. Do a factory reset.
2. I guess you mean no internal sounds. Open it up and check that the internal sound board has not been removed and is plugged in correctly.
3. Connect the MIDI output to a MIDI sound module and try that.
4. Inspect and maybe resolder the solder joints on the back of the 13-pin input connector.
Nik
--------------------------------
Tonelab, VG99, Axon AX100, EDP, Repeater
Godin, PRS, Crafter and Roland guitars
Center Point Stereo Spacestation V3

admin

The internal sound board was  an option - not installed on every Axon AX100

elrigdog

Done 1) factory reset- no change
         2) Soundboard is there (wave x table TT9708WT) plugged in no loose connections
         3) Connected midi out to a external sound module- nothing
         4) 13 pin connector seems fine

On my working Ax100  the led on my GK guitar lights up, it does not on this one.

Are you in the UK? Do you do or know anybody who can fix this?

Thank you

arkieboy

Can you send some midi into the unit - patch change for instance - and see if it responds.


Not powering up the GK unit with a cable that works for your other unit sounds definitive, but it would be useful to see what is actually working to help the repairer.  Another possibility is that Roland do a cable that allows you to work with two GR units from one guitar - maybe if you powered your GK from the working axon, that might tell you if powering the GK is the extent of the problem or if it is something deeper?


It could be something really simple - a problem with a ribbon connector, a track from the board perishing.  These should be addressable by any synth repair organisation.  If a chip has gone, then its just a source of spares.
Main rig: Barden Hexacaster and Brian Moore i2.13 controllers
Boss SY1000/Boss GKC-AD/Boss GM-800/Laney LFR112

Other relevant gear: Line 6 Helix LT, Roland GR-33, Axon AX100 MkII
Oberheim Matrix 6R, Supernova IIR, EMu E5000, Apple Mainstage, Apple Logic, MOTU M4

Shingles

Quote from: admin on March 03, 2019, 08:57:10 AM
The internal sound board was  an option - not installed on every Axon AX100

Installed on every Mk 2.
Nik
--------------------------------
Tonelab, VG99, Axon AX100, EDP, Repeater
Godin, PRS, Crafter and Roland guitars
Center Point Stereo Spacestation V3

admin

Quote from: Shingles on March 04, 2019, 10:42:38 AM
Installed on every Mk 2.

But its been 14 years since these were new  - many AX100 owners removed this internal Wavetable board 
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=15987.0

arkieboy

I think you're both right.  I never removed mine, probably as did Shingles, because we knew how to switch it off.  Some others might not have had the understanding or the patience. 


(There were other better sounding boards with the same sandblaster header which some users replaced the stock MkII board with). 


I can't remember what Shingles was using at the time - I think you had some Roland kit - Sonic Cell? - I had (variously) a Oberheim Matrix 6R, Yamaha A3k, Korg Wavestation SR, EMu Proteus, Novation Supernova II and a Emu E5k, all of which left anything with a sandblaster header for dust :-)
Main rig: Barden Hexacaster and Brian Moore i2.13 controllers
Boss SY1000/Boss GKC-AD/Boss GM-800/Laney LFR112

Other relevant gear: Line 6 Helix LT, Roland GR-33, Axon AX100 MkII
Oberheim Matrix 6R, Supernova IIR, EMu E5000, Apple Mainstage, Apple Logic, MOTU M4

admin

#8
Years ago Roland even marketed their own Roland SCD-15 "WaveBlaster Board which had Sound Canvas type tones

of course the Yamaha XG was the typical Waveblaster board installed in most Axons 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Wave_Blaster
While the original Waveblaster greatly improved upon the acoustic quality of the SB16's built-in FM-synthesis, the acoustic quality of its instrument-set was poorly regarded.[by whom?] By the general public. By the time the SB16 reached the height of its popularity, competing MIDI-daughterboards had already pushed aside the Waveblaster. In particular, Roland's Sound Canvas daughterboards (SCD-10/15), priced higher than Creative's offering, were highly regarded for their unrivalled musical reproduction in MIDI-scored game titles. (This was due to Roland's dominance in the production aspect of the MIDI game soundtracks; Roland's daughterboards shared the same synthesis-engine and instrument sound-set as the popular Sound Canvas 55, a commercial MIDI module favored by game composers.) By comparison, the WaveBlaster's instruments were improperly balanced, with many instruments striking at different volume-levels (relative to the de facto standard, Sound Canvas.)[citation needed]

Since 2000, Wave Blaster-capable sound cards for computers are becoming rare. In 2005, Terratec released a new Wave Blaster daughterboard called the Wave XTable with 16mb of on-board sample memory comprising 500 instruments and 10 drum kits. In 2014, a new compatible card called Dreamblaster S1 was produced by the Belgian company Serdaco. In 2015 that same company released a high end card named Dreamblaster X1, comparable to Yamaha and Roland cards. In 2016 DreamBlaster X2 was released, a board with both waveblaster interface and USB interface.



https://www.serdashop.com/DreamBlasterX2
DreamBlaster X2 Advanced WaveBlaster + USB Synth

Have a look at the user manual
http://serdaco.com/downloads/X2/X2_Documentation/DreamBlaster%20X2%20User%20Manual.pdf
- Small formfactor midi PCB : 65mm x 38mm size
- Black color PCB
- Dream 5000 series synth chip with 81 voices polyphony, high quality effects engine
- Waveblaster compatible connector for use on soundcards (such as Soundblaster 16, Audician 32, ESS AudioDrive, Aureal Vortex 2 and many others...) and DIY projects.
- It will also work on instruments that accept waveblaster cards, such as Oberheim MC2000, Korg NS5R and Terratex Axon AX 100
- Super low latency <1ms
- 64mbyte flash for soundbank data
- USB MIDI in (Class compliant midi device, works on windows XP and higher, without drivers)
- stereo line out using a high quality 24 bit DAC   
- Preloaded with a high quality 16 megabyte Dream General MIDI soundbank
- Advanced MIDI commands spec available.
- DreamBlaster preset editor / USB uploader tool for advanced customization/tweaking.

Downloads available at http://serdaco.com/downloads/X2/

Sound Demo's here on soundcloud : http://soundcloud.com/dreamblaster

Please note: There are some older soundcards with a Waveblaster compatible header but don't have an MPU401 interface. Instead there is only the SoundBlaster MIDI standard supported so the games that run with the X2 module are limited. Also you need SoftMPU to emulate the MPU401 interface in this case. Visit http://bjt42.github.io/softmpu/ for further information and a list of compatible games.

Some MIDI game tracks played on the X2 :



https://hackaday.io/project/19497-dreamblaster-x2-midi-synthesizer

More

External multi-voice hardware Tone Generators for MIDI Guitarists
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=915.msg61276#msg61276

Shingles

Quote from: admin on March 04, 2019, 10:53:03 AM
But its been 14 years since these were new  - many AX100 owners removed this internal Wavetable board 
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=15987.0


That's an old Blue Chip manufactured Axon AX100. A 'blue face.' If fitted with the optional Yamaha DB50xg card it would be an AX100SB.
The silver faced Terratec Axon AX100 MkII was fitted with the Wave X Table board as standard. I can't see any earthly reason to remove it. Yes, you could disable it in later software versions. I th8nk some people thought to remove it to access a second MIDI output separately but that didn't work out too well. Wrong signal level. Not programmable separately.

Back in my active, gigging and Axon supporting days - early 00's - I was using emu Ultraproteus and Morpheus, E5000 sampler, Korg Wavestation SR modules in my studio. But playing out I just used the internal sounds of the Axon. They did what I needed without taking up extra rack space. For the gigs I did, the production standards weren't so high!
Nik
--------------------------------
Tonelab, VG99, Axon AX100, EDP, Repeater
Godin, PRS, Crafter and Roland guitars
Center Point Stereo Spacestation V3

glennquader

I wanted to share an accidental discovery I made while dealing with the same issue in the output of my backup AXON AX100.

I recently loaned this backup unit to a bass luthier so he could test a hexpander he installed in one of his custom basses. When he received it he reported no sound from the soundcard. Unit functioned and had midi out but that was it. We were both stumped, and once he returned the unit I checked it and ended up with the same results. Bummer.

Fast forward a few months to the present..I am in the final stages of transferring my synth bass rig to a deeper rack. One of the goals of course is to cut down on ac adapters like the AXON. I found a smaller 12v adapter and put it into the new rack with my main AXON. Sure enough the same symptoms were happening to my pristine Number 1.

I happened to look on the floor and there was my original ac adapter. I had nothing to lose so I swapped it back in and everything including the soundcard worked perfectly..
Here is the point of this wordy post..

I then plugged my backup AXON into this same original ac adapter and IT WORKED PERFECTLY including the sound card.
So I have to conclude this has a lot to do with the symptoms so many of you are describing. Before you open the unit and replace the soundcard try this cheaper diagnostic and see if you have the same outcome I did.

The working adapter specs are:
12v
1500ma

Sincerely hope this helps...Good Luck!!! 

glennquader

I need to add to the ac adapter specs:

12v
1500ma
36 watts

All three must be met to get same results!

Jazzbeast

Thanks for posting. I have exactly the same problem on an AX100 MKII I bought on Ebay. can I double check the requirements for the power adapter.

to generate 36watts I think it would need to be 12v x 3000MA?

However, maths and physics are not my strong suit!


admin

#13
Quote from: Jazzbeast on December 18, 2019, 06:58:17 AM
Thanks for posting. I have exactly the same problem on an AX100 MKII I bought on Ebay. can I double check the requirements for the power adapter.



Must be 12V AC , at least  1.5 Amps or higher (no DC)
Axon - replacement AC adapter for AX100 mkII?
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=24148.0




if in UK

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/ac-dc-adapters/4006541/

Mascot, 18W Plug In Power Supply 12V ac, 1.5A, 1 Output Linear Power Supply, Type G
RS Stock No. 400-6541 Mfr. Part No. 9780000045


Jazzbeast

That is amazing. thanks for your help. I will order one now. :)

Jazzbeast

Just wanted to add. My AC power adapter finally arrived and all the issues on the Axon are fixed.

I also learnt a lot about power adapters on the journey! I was completely thrown by the fact that the Axon will power up and appear to work fine with a DC adapter, but doesn't supply enough power to the GK socket or sound card.

Thanks once again to all on this forum for your help.

gearhound22

Quote from: Jazzbeast on January 18, 2020, 09:02:12 AM
Just wanted to add. My AC power adapter finally arrived and all the issues on the Axon are fixed.

I also learnt a lot about power adapters on the journey! I was completely thrown by the fact that the Axon will power up and appear to work fine with a DC adapter, but doesn't supply enough power to the GK socket or sound card.

Thanks once again to all on this forum for your help.

Be careful of polarity for DC too! + or - tip!

admin

Quote from: gearhound22 on February 14, 2020, 12:29:03 PM
Be careful of polarity for DC too! + or - tip!

the Axon uses 12VAC @ 1.5Amp supply ( not DC) Does not matter - Read above  -

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/ac-dc-adapters/4006541/

Mascot, 18W Plug In Power Supply 12V ac, 1.5A, 1 Output Linear Power Supply, Type G
RS Stock No. 400-6541 Mfr. Part No. 9780000045

gearhound22

Quote from: admin on February 14, 2020, 12:49:41 PM
the Axon uses 12VAC @ 1.5Amp supply ( not DC) Does not matter - Read above  -

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/ac-dc-adapters/4006541/

Mascot, 18W Plug In Power Supply 12V ac, 1.5A, 1 Output Linear Power Supply, Type G
RS Stock No. 400-6541 Mfr. Part No. 9780000045

Oh I was just mentioning it when he mentioned "I also learnt a lot about power adapters on the journey!" just for future reference, not related to the axon!