I’ve finally got around fixing my Juno. She really did deserve it, as it turned out. I’m going to, in an accessable manner and without snobby comments (I’ve tried my best), explain the common voice chip problem of the Juno, how to recognize and fix it, as well as learn to do it all without burning the house down.
UPDATE: For a short list of symptoms, check out the update post.
I have purchased a replacement VCF/VCA chip from eBay, and, after watching a few yoga tapes and listening to Enigma, was ready to repair my Juno 106. As far as the repairs go, it really did help that Roland considered the possibility of user repairs, and has, first of all, made access to the electronics inside very easy: you just remove a couple of screws on the sides to take the ears off, and then lift the lid up – it opens up like a door (but a door on the floor; like a door to the other end of the world), as well as created a layout where everything can be easily reached. Every functional part of Juno is devided into separate PCBs – sound generating board, power board, modulation board etc.
The chips we are interested in are conveniently located on the modulation board on the left. It’s hard to miss them. There are 3 pairs of 3 chips, with the odd ones (1 and 3) of each group being the voice chips. If you’re really worried that you will screw it up and desolder the wrong thing, just read the label on the side of the chip – it should read “Roland 80017A” (Japanese for “Roland Crap Chip”).
Now, the situation I’ve had here was that one of the chips went completely silent after 10 mins of the warm up, while another one was loud. Actually, one more was kind of noisy, but I didn’t pay much attention to that at first blaming it all on the wonderful imperfect world of analogue. As it turned out after I was done with the dead chip, the noisy one started going silent as well. Need more chips.
Anyway, to find out which chip of the six was the dead one, I held the Transpose key, and powered her up. That combination of voodoo moves gets you into the testing mode. Now, once there, press both the Poly 1 and Poly 2 buttons. That fries all of the chips, so you don’t have to check which one’s dead, and just replace all six of them.
Ok, seriously though, instead of the normal unison mode, that switches on this mode where the key you hit is played by every voice consequently. So if you press the middle C, it plays it through voice 1. Press again – through voice 2 etc.
Via trial and error (by adjusting the trimmers on the board, and listening for any changes, actually), I’ve discovered that the chips are being counted from right to left. So voice #1 is the rightmost chip on the board. From there on it was quite easy. My #1 chip was the noisy one, #2 was dead, and #5 was loud. That’s ok. I got this baby pretty cheap off eBay, and I think she well deserved the attention. I bet it felt real good to be shining again after a thorough key, front panel, and insides cleaning. Almost like new now! We’re a happy couple!
Anyway.. Once you know which chip you’re hunting for, turn the Juno off, and take a picture of the modulation board at a high resolution. Now, go post it on the “Nude Junos” message board. 18+ only.
Apart from satisfying various synth perverts, the picture will be handy when reconnecting all the connectors back. Be sure to take a few pictures from different angles, because sometimes parts get obstructed by wires or a cat walking by, so you want to make sure you’ve got those scenarios covered. I, for instance, managed to pull out a wire out of a connector, and without the picture I would be uncertain as to where I pulled it out from (whenever something scary happens, I usually have an instant memory wipe; kind of like Windows).
Take the modulation board out, gaze at it, and realize the power that’s in your hands. And of course, like Tobey McGuire’s uncle said, with great power comes great responsibility. You can fix this, but you can break it even more easily. Don’t trip on your way to the desk.
Now.. Here is the part of message board posts and guides that I don’t get. All of them suggest to carefully desolder the dead chip. My question is – why the hell? I mean, the bloody thing is dead already! I gave it a try at first, but getting solder out using a vacuum sucker or a solder braid with the chip being still in the board proved to be quite tricky. The holes for the pins are tiny, and it’s pretty hard to get the solder that’s deep inside the holes out.
So save yourself some time, and just break the crippled chip off. It’ll scream a little but that’s normal; it kind of hurts to have your legs broken after all. Now desoldering the pins themselves will be much easier. Just hold the pin with a pair of tweezers, and apply heat to the solder with the iron in the other hand (the soldering iron, not the other kind). Once the pin is out, it’s pretty simple to suck the solder out with either a braid or a sucker. Your choice of guns here (I always thought “solder sucker” is a funny combination of words; it is, isn’t it? It was quite amusing to ask for those at Radioshack).
Once the holes are nice and clean , stick the new chip in and solder all the pins. Nothing special here. Just don’t sneeze or put the iron on the pillow while you go to the washroom, and you’ll be fine.
Once that’s done, check that everything is soldered properly, take the coffee cup off the PCB (how COULD you!!), and, using the pictures taken earlier as a reference, put the board back in. I don’t think it’s necessary to put the screws back. Just connect the connectors. Unless you’re 100% sure you did everything well. Then I don’t even know why you’re reading this, you’re obviously better than the rest of us.
Power the Juno up in the test mode (I personally hid behind a chair just in case it explodes; it’s ok, I do it whenever I microwave noodles or flush the toilet too), and play something. If you hear anything at all, you probably didn’t look at the reference pictures upside down, and everything is connected as it was. Now, press Poly 1 and Poly 2 at the same time again, and try the same trick. If your dead chip was like mine, it wouldn’t go silent after about 10 minutes. So give it some time while playing some chords, or just keep pressing the middle C like an ape.
If all is good, your Juno should play everything well without any drop outs. If the same thing is happening as before, you’ve either replaced the wrong chip (do you have trouble distinguishing right from left?), or you’ve got a lemon.
If it’s the former, don’t ever drive. Or you’ve tried already? They did take the license away, didn’t they. If it’s the latter though, the outcome will depend on how nice the seller you got the chip from is. If he is nice (use a lot of “please”, “thank you” and “sincerely yours” in the email when asking), he might replace it for you. In that case, you will have to desolder the chip properly; breaking it off won’t do, obviously. And if he refuses, which is a legitimate answer, since there is no way to tell if it was him or you who blew the chip, then.. Well… Think about the thousands of dollars people spend yearly in casinos. Your small $50 ($60, $100?) down the crapper isn’t a heck of a lot compared to those professional money wasters.
Hopefully, you have fixed your Juno when reaching this paragraph. Actually, you’re supposed to read through all of this beforehand. What if I said “desolder this”, and then in the end said “just kidding. Buy my book to find out how to fix the Juno you yourself have just fucked up”, huh? Don’t trust the InterMat. Or at least know whom to trust. My Juno didn’t explode, so you can probably trust me for now. Keep your eyes open nevertheless.
Oh, and put the screws back to fix the modulation board in place, eesh..
Nice tutorial…if only dead chips were the only problem with my Juno…
I let my 106 sit for a while and had to replace the battery. So, I installed the battery socket from a scrap motherboard and reloaded my sound library. However, I now have only a a continuous VCO sound and the same notes out each octave. I replaced the LFO bender unit a few years ago with a lighted one and then stored the 106 while playing Allman Brothers for the last couple of years on my Hammond and Roland Piano. Now the need is here for funk and stuff and me being the old 52 year old fart, must have a synth for the band. Got any ideas? Other than that, my Juno 106 is mint. Thanks……from Alabama
What other problems are you experiencing? (Not that I know how to fix anything else, yet, and I hope I won’t need to :D)
I can not start up in the safe mood. Neither the “Key Transpose”, nor the “Poly 2” seem to be functioning.
Any ideas? Thank you.
hi,
I was about publish such a note on my blog, and then i found yours. so no need for me to publish to help out other juno users out there. i don’t have a blog anyways !
I did fix my juno and one for a firend. 2 dead VCA/VCF 80017, and 1 wave generator chip (the between the pairs of 80017’s). however, instead of using normal chips i used remade ones that supposed to be stronger in time (can’t yet if it’s true or not)
check my website for picture of the replacment parts i used. (ordered from http://users.skynet.be/bk318113/303/juno.html thank to him !!)
Good thing people are able to find this note. Maybe it will be of help to someone at some point :).
I wanted to get the rebuilt chips, but bought the original one instead – took less time, and they appear to be less expensive. I’ll post on here when one of the newly received ones dies :).
Oh, by the way.
If all 6 chips were to die, would it be possible to fit 6 of those replacements in there?
My Juno 106 has one voice that will not stop. Ever. It seem like a simple release problem, like missing MIDI off message or missing the release of the VCA for that voice. Does anybody have a suggestion how I could remedy this? I have successfully repaired a similar problem inside my 303, but I’m totally lost with the huge intestines of the 106. Thank you for any responses.
the one voice not stopping is an issue with the VCA chip detailed here. The resin becomes conductive over time, so the type and variety of errors is nearly infinite. If you go into the test utility like he mentioned you will see that it’s just one of the VCA chips that won’t shut up! You can get a new one, or wash it in acetone like I do and most of the time they REVIVE and are good for a long long time.
That sounds like a symptom of a bad VCO/VCA chip, ie. what talked about in my post.
Turn off your Juno, hold the transport key, and power it up. It’ll go into the test mode.
Now, hold the Poly 1 and Poly 2 buttons, as if you were to put it into the monophonic mode.
Then, play the same key, and a number should light up on the display indicating which voice is used to play a note. Whichever one is stuck is the chip that’s dead.
Hi Earpick and Juno Lover,
I have the same problem with the release, and tried the test mode, it appears voice #1 is out or unstable. Were you guys getting a sort of “crackling” sound as well?
cheers
Wow earpick! That was fast! Thank you so much. Assuming that I have the described problem do you have any suggestions where to get a replacement VCO/VCA chip? Have you ever heard about the ones sold by Anglianart on ebay?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Juno-106-vcf-vca-hybrid-IC-new-equivalent_W0QQitemZ270072485414QQihZ017QQcategoryZ38071QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ShippingPayment
Hi,
I’ve heard of these replacement chips. They’re supposed to sound identical, and last much longer than the original chips. I’ve heard some pretty good things about them.
At the time I was repairing mine, I contacted the guy who designed the replacements, but he didn’t have any stock, so I bought some original chips off a guy named “synthparts”.
I then bought most of the remaining chips he had, about 5 of them, to secure a safe future for the Juno for at least a little bit longer. None of them have failed so far, but.. who knows.. :).
Should be fairly easy to install
There are two chips; the ones from D’Naab and another from the Anglianart which are the UK based ones. I’m in a debate of whether to buy originals in case I re-sell the juno or get the replacements should I decide to keep it.
Well, assuming that the chips indeed sound exactly the same, you’d be actually upping the value of the Juno by installing chips that won’t die during a big live gig. I’m sure there are buyers who look for the ‘original’ Juno, just to have it sit there, and to occasionally make weird sounds with, but I think you’re better off selling into a home that will use the Juno to begin with.
And besides, why would you be crazy enough to sell the Juno anyway?
Hey guys, just wanted to report back to this blog. Encouraged by earpick’s instructions I went ahead and bought two chips from anglianart on ebay (I have one broken voice right now and also wanted to have a spare one for the future). Anglianart shipped immediately and I had the parts five air mail days later. I followed all of earpick’s instructions and accomplished something I never thought myself capable of: I easily found the bad chip and installed the replica from anglianart. Thanks earpick! You’re my enabler!
Here comes the tricky part. The new voice did not “automatically” match the other ones. It was way more pronounced, clearly sticking out. I emailed anglianart and received installation instructions, explaining that some fine tuning might have to be done with the trim pots around the chips. I started trimming the new voice, but could not get it to assimilate to the old ones just like that. They say in tough cases you might have to put an additional 100k resistor in a certain spot, which I did not have handy of course. So I started trimming the old voices to kind of meet the new one at a certain spot. And it worked out very well. I’ve got all 6 voices back. Great sounding. I’m very happy. Of course, the overall sound of my Juno might have shifted through the trimming of all voices. But I don’t care about that, I don’t have any old patches I need to reference. I’m blazing again, shaping sounds, and all 6 voices.
Kick ass, man! Aren’t you loving the Juno even more now?
Yep, that’s it brother! I play one note on my “new” Juno and I’m inspired. I play any of those soft-synth plug-ins and I don’t feel like there’s any music left in me.
I know!
I don’t even play my guitar that much lately. I just sit down on the bed, grab a pair of headphones, put the Juno on my lap, and have fun. Quite amazing what a range of sounds it can produce.
I think my next toy will be the MS-20, but I’ll have to save up quite a bit more on that than on the Juno. People are saying it’s mostly for weird FX, and not much else, but after playing with the software version of it, I seriously beg to differ.
Hello.Thanx for the instructions!!!!have you heard of dnaab136@gmail.com???he has chips.what do you think about them.check him out .i think he has the best!!!
hey there,
thanks for your blog- it gave me the courage to dive into my juno and put in two replacement chips.
now the bad news– the diagnostic doesn’t seem to work anymore!
when I hold down the transport key and power it up, it begins to make this crazy static-y noise.
after pressing both the Poly 1 and Poly 2 buttons, it fires all six notes, but it also constantly plays one during the whole sequence?
i’m not sure if anyone here can help… did i solder something wrong or overheat something by mistake?
thanks either way!
Hey,
You’ve mentioned a note getting stuck during the diagnose mode. Have you experienced the same when powering the machine up the normal way? If so, it could be a stuck chip problem.
You said the diagnostic mode doesn’t work Anymore. It worked before? What did you do so far, how careful were you, and what did you replace?
Thanks for replying!
I do experience the same thing when powering up in a normal fashion- with the exception of one or two patches, it holds a note while playing.
the diagnostic mode did work before i put the new chips in (I bought the ones from England). I was able to note that voices 4 and six were out, so those were the chips i replaced.
they both sound now, but there is this stuck or “hanging” note still- so i guess that the diagnostic isnt broken as much as it doesn’t tell me which one is sticking (hanging).
i’d like to think i was careful– i’ve done some smaller soldiering like this a few times before. if it is another bad chip, that’s fine, but i guess i don’t know how to test them if in the diagnostic all voices fire.
thanks again for anything you can tell me (and sorry if i’m a pain!)
Try going in the diagnose mode, press Poly 1 and Poly 2, and keep going through the chips, one after another. You’re bound to find the stuck chip that way. Just pick a note that’s different from the stuck one, and all the chips but the stuck one should play the new note you picked.
Turn off the Juno then hold the transpose key and turn it on
Press Bank 3 and press Poly 2
You then press the keys and see the filter number come up on the display – the more keys you press the higher it gets till 6. That way you can tell which VCA/VCF is dead.
I’ve just replaced one dead one and one noisy one with the D’Naab chips. http://users.skynet.be/bk318113/303/juno.html
I cannot tell the difference between the old and new
The setup is as Roland instructions – NO extra resisitors or matching/trimming the old ones!!
My Juno is a 1984 first batch unit gigged every week since then.
That sounds cool. Maybe I should shop for those in case I run out of the original chips, and before everyone stops caring about Junos.
Depends on the use. All those original chips will die eventually. I need a working synth every week and don’t want to trust the age of any spare originals. Maybe I should replace the others with these clones.
I have one spare VCF/VCA and one spare Oscillator original.
Should see me through a few more years…
hey!
my lovely juno 106 randomly will have keys that no longer enage when pressed. the odd thing is that they randomly change. for instance you could play a chord and one note won’t sound. then when coming back a moment later after play elsewhere, it will function fine.
what a bastard!
any ideas?
Most likely, as with many cases above, – it’s a dead chip.
Things is, Juno doesn’t assign chips to the keys. It does it dynamically in real time. So if you play chords, there is no guarantee that the keys you play now will use the same chips as, say, 5 minutes ago. Hence why, it seems, the ‘dead’ keys keep moving around.
Do the same thing as suggested – hold Transpose, and turn the Juno on. Then hold Poly 1 and Poly 2 at the same time, and play the same key 6 times. Every time you’ll be playing it through a different chip, so make note of the number that lights up on the LED – whichever one is dead will be the chip you need to replace, counting from the right when you open the thing up.
If that doesn’t help, then it could be something else, and there might need to be a more complicated repair involved.
Try it out, and let us know :).
Hi, This helped a lot. I have a D’Naab chip and I know that it’s my fifth voice that’s bad but I didn’t know wther to start counting from the left or right. But with the D’Naab chips, there’s no pins. So I am going to just solder a small length of bare wire to each of the holes. Anyone tried that?
So I bought a sweet underpriced juno-106 in great shape but now after 3 months it’s having some trouble.
Problem 1) The right side “patch” buttons no longer work
Problem 2) The VCF filter doesn’t seem to do anything anymore. I move the slider but there’s no effect. Is this symptomatic of a dead VCF?
It also has the “constant note” playing problem but it seems to be intermittent.
Without the filter the Juno is sad and not so useful really. Anyone got any ideas?
Much thanks for any diagnosis!!!
Kirk
I should clarify what doesn’t work anymore. The Filter and Resonance work fine it’s the Envelope that has no effect.
thanks
Well.. A dead VCF chip would be completely silent, or stuck.
Besides, there are 6 such chips inside for each of the 6 voices, so if you can hear the voices, but the moving the slider does nothing, it has to be either the slider or something on the controlling PCB.
Now, are filters currently open all the way? Cause you could compose some sweet electro house with open filters and some gritty pulse waves :).
Ok, the envelope is a whole ‘nother story then. But I still think it’s something with the fader, or the PCB itself.
Do the rudimentary check, and make sure the fader is connected properly (unscrew the PCB that’s right under the faders on the lid), there is no dust, all the wires . If all is right, it could be something with a PCB. Don’t really know what to do from there. I do have the service manual for mine, and I think there are a bunch of PDFs floating around the net if you’re feeling like fixing yours.
Hi
I need a Juno VCF/VCA chip, do you have these avaliable? how much are they? are you able to ship one to New Zealand?
Kind Regards
Isaac
Hey Earpick! Thanks a million. I will pop the hood on my Juno and see what I can see in there. Glad this isn’t the dead VCF thing.
Isaac – try eBay. I do have a few spare chips that I bought off eBay (about 4-5) but those are reserved for my Juno until I get the recreated reliable ones in. After that, I’ll sell my spares to all the collectors who want the Juno running on the TRUE ORIGINAL UNMATCHED ROLAND CHIPS.
Hello people.Just fixed my juno voice chip problem and i m happy…nevertheless i NEED HELP.THE FREQ.SLIDER UNDER 5 MAKES A SWEEPING NOISE AND I CANT ADJUST IT TO LOWER THAN FIVE??ANY IDEAS?????
Hmm.. Sounds like a bad fader :). Those might be a little harder to find and fix though. Haven’t seen any on eBay, so the solution might be to get a dead Juno and pull parts out of it.
Meanwhile, try disassembling your Juno, and see if there is any dust or something where the fader is.
at first I thought you meant “badfinger” “I’m an idiot” I have a 1984 juno 106. I dont have knack for electronics. I somehow replaced a spring that lifts the key back up, with a spring frim an ink pen,and cleaned the contacts on 2 C sharps,that stopped playing. I sucesfully cleaned them with a q tip. now about 16 years later, I cleaned them again. I cant identify the battery(c moss) which I had replaced about 15 years ago. I was told it would be good for 10 or 12 years,it still lights up…….if only I could find the screws……..
awesome blog!
i seem to have a different problem with one of my 106’s. Every 8th key doesnt sound. the 106 responds perfectly when triggered via midi, but the physical keyboards notes dont play. This starts from the low C on the 5 octave keyboard.
any ideas?
—shane
106’s been working fine for years until one day there is no sound (except in manual mode) i.e. no sound from any of the banks. Any light anyone can shed would be most appreciated!
Hmm.. Preset battery died?
It is/would have been a good idea to offload the presets onto tape or into a WAV file via the IO on the back of the Juno if you have made custom presets (you better have made some – it’s kind of sad not to fiddle around with this simplicity itself of a synth). Is there any sound at all when you start changing the presets?
Otherwise, sounds like a dead battery. Don’t remember what type it is but should be easy to look up.
Hi guys,
I just did a major upgrade to my 80017A clones.
Smaller, even higher quality, there are pins on them now and tolerance has been drasticaly decreased so that adjustment is even closer to the original ones now. Soundwise they are still the same: exactly as the original ones.
And they are built on a beautiful black pcb now.
see here:
http://www.analoguerenaissance.com/D80017
Hey Guys,
My Juno has a maybe not so odd problem. It has a raw signal on every 6th key, so it will be like pad pad pad pad pad RAW WAVE… it sounds very annoying… my filter also seems to be firing randomly… any ideas????
Kick ass, D’Naab! I think I’ll grab a few of your chips sometime soon cause the replacements I got from eBay are dying. A good time to post an update on this..
Recently I have decided to fix an ongoing problem with my juno. After about 20 of playing it flares up with static. Is this a chip problem? Should I determine which chip is acting up and then replace? Please help.
-the dentist
i can’t spell…either
Static across all notes, or only particular ones?
Sounds almost like something warms up just enough to ruin your music (or make it better, depends on what you play).
i’m getting static across all the notes. there’s no difference in volume and i’ve opened it up. it appears to be working just fine except the static. it crackles on some settings (i go in the bank and select a patch and some have a lot of static). i don’t think it’s the chip. it happens after it’s warmed up.
Sounds like something a little more serious and beyond my expertise.. Any synth techs in the area?
Hi Guys,
I was reading this thread and I have the Roland GR-700 Guitar Synth (same 80017A chips as the Juno from what I’m gathering). I have the same symptoms as the Dentist in terms of the unit itself being functional but getting nothing but static/RF sounding hum.
I’m researching this as we speak. Roland has no idea in terms of what is affected when the chip goes bad. I ordered the service manual and will start trouble shooting from the schematic.
I’ll keep youse guys posted
Cheers,
!Niko!
That’s an interesting turn of events.. I wonder what other devices Roland has stuffed those chips into.
Very nice tutorial, but I’m exeriencing another proble with my 106.
I have 2 of the blue pushing buttons to select a preset that are not working anymore, anybody knows how to change it.
I have opened the juno but I don’t know how to access those 2 buttons…
Thank you!
I’m assuming that my problem is a broken chip, but I would like clarification on a couple of things.
#1When I go into test mode, every time that I hit a key , the note doesn’t actually play, I just hear a short static pop. Every pop is the same volume except for #6, which is quieter.
What does this indicate?
#2 The main problem with my juno is this: When I turn on certain patches, I can hear a note (very quietly) stuck. In other words, I have a note that sticks, but not on every patch, and The sticking note is super quiet.
Does this indicate a broken chip, or is this just one of those analog keyboard imperfections?
#2 – note stuck is the chip for sure. “Analog imperfections” don’t include the synthesizer wishing to continue playing the note against your will, just because it’s old and cranky.
#1 – I am not sure about static. Are you sure your noise generator isn’t on? :D
Hey. any reason why my Juno would just refuse to turn on ?
thanks alot
Do the LEDs light up? Anything going on at all when you flip the switch?
Is the cord plugged in? =) The cord can get bent where the jack is and cease to work.
I dont know if you’ve seen my message earpick just before BENJ but that would be very nice if you can help me ;-)
I just moved from the US to Europe with my beloved 106 (and a Jupiter 6 as well ). Any idea as to how to switch the voltage from 110v to 220v? It appears that I might be able to just de-solder and solder a couple of points on the PSU. Do you know if this is possible and if so what exactly I need to do?
Any help is much appreciated!
:)
I don’t know how you would go about doing that. I do have a copy of the service manual though. Pretty sure there is a scan available online somewhere too.
Just got a 2nd Juno with 2 voices out. I have been trying to get the Dnaab Chips, but he says there is a Postal Strike Belgium in his and he cannot ship. Has anyone actually tried these chips? I have seen many posts by Dnaab, but none that actually seem to be from actual end users… Although I have found references to them in forums that I cannot read the language of.
Hi,
I have a Juno 106 with a sticking note… but I am SURE it is not the voice chip. I have switched chips, and the problem stays right where it started, on the 2nd voice chip, no matter what I do. It does not follow the chip. It starts up right away, holding that note. Any Ideas on that, anyone? anyone? Thanks. It’s not coming from the keyboard either, it just never closes the envelope.
Thanks,
John
Know of any easy way to get good chips out of the board if you only one once saudering iron and two hands?
I have one bad chip in my Juno. There is a guy locally that is selling his Juno for dirt cheap (it also has a voice out) I would like to buy it for spare parts but am not sure how easy it would be to get the good chips out of his safely to use on mine.
Any ideas?
Thank,
Neil
Have just finished repairing my Juno with the aid of your wonderfull how-to, it has saved me no end of trouble and strife.
I have been reading with great interest all the talk of modern replacements for the 80017A, hope that this is produced for a long time to come. There seems to be a big market for them.
I got my chips (three of them) off of eBay from a great guy in Australia, and it warms my heart to say that it’s back to it’s fighting weight,all fired up and ready to sing. With spares stored safely away (only one was needed) my Juno should be healthy for some time to come.
I also fitted a battery holder from Maplins at the same time (this was harder than the chip replacement), both jobs made me sweat. You made it less of a headache
P.S. All I have to do now is fix the sticky patch buttons
P.P.S. Is my Juno the only one that jumps patch when phones or jacks
are plugged in.
Glad things worked out for you. There is definitely a market for chip replacements, unfortunately for Roland. And I don’t think my Juno jumps presets when I plug something in.
OK, so i just got a 106 tonight. It def has a voice chip prob. But it will also just get really staticy from time to time. If i just hold down a key, sometimes i just sputters static. D,naab are your chips 40 Euros? Oh, when i try to boot it up in diagnostic mode, i don’t get any numbers on the LED when i hit keys…
It is still the same issue if you get random static, but only if it’s through that one chip. The others should be okay at all times.
Also, loading up into the diagnostic mode alone isn’t going to show the chip numbers. You have to press Poly 1 + Poly 2 at the same time get into the proper testing mode. If you still don’t see anything, make sure you really are in the diagnostic mode. On my Juno I have to press the Transpose button pretty damn hard for it to register it as a press.
I’ll try it again. Though i tried about a million times last night =o]
Hmm… still can’t get it to work. It’s been sitting turned on all day today, and it started emitting random static pops.
Also, another question… how would one know if the it’s VCO Waveshaper or the VCA/VCF chip that needs replacement?
Hey there,
Thanks for a great site with loads of help! Just wondering one thing though before I order some replacement chips: in test-mode voice 3 is completely dead. Does that mean I need to get two chips and replace the ‘outer’, ie 1+3, in group three on the board? Or will one chip do?
Thanks!
Oscar
If only voice 3 is dead and all the other 5 are okay, then you only need to replace chip 3.
Wow – many thanks for super-quick answer! :)
I was just checking my mail before work and you happened to post your comment in that short period of time. :)
OK, so voice 2 is dead on mine. Finally got the test mode to work. I’m assuming the most common chip to fail is the VCA/VCF chip, and NOT the wave shaper chip.
Your assumption is correct.
Thanks for the tips. I just got one off eBay for $130. They sold it as ‘broken.’ It had a side panel missing (and the screws). And the power wires from the power cable to the transformer – one was dry joint (black). I re soldered it and it came up right away. I used your voice checking tips, and #5 is out, but apart from that it is in good shape. I like the sound a lot and spent about 2 hours playing with it.
Anyone have a source to get a left panel and screws? Cheers for the tips and tricks nice work.
I just saw someone selling screws on e-bay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-Juno-106-Vintage-Analog-Synth-Parts-Panel-Screws_W0QQitemZ170132049999QQihZ007QQcategoryZ64382QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
I just saw someone selling screws on e-bay…
Here
Whoops, sorry. Thought the first 2 posts didn’t make it =o]
Thanks for the link to the screws. I’ve been in touch and the bloke there also makes wooden side panels for the Juno 106 …interesting. He’s going to send me some pics when he has them finished so I will share this info when I get it! I can’t quite imagine wooden side on the 106, maybe it would look like a Prophet 600..or not. We’ll see.
Cheers!
It would look something like this.. =o]
Awwwe, pics didn’t show.
That’s pretty damn neat. Looks more like a moog.
Yeah, they look really nice. Def something i plan on investing in soon. After i get my voice chip replaced.
I imagine it shouldn’t be that hard to make those yourself.
Either way, as much as I like the sound of my Juno, I don’t feel like I’d like to change the way it looks. It’s pretty neat looking out of the box. One thing that I would consider doing is removing the ears altogether and replacing them with flat caps of some sort to cover up the sides. That would look cool.
Or maybe making it into a keytar. I think I have the hair for it now.
..wow a wooey! That looks great! Thanks for posting. Very nice. I’ll take a pair!
Well….in UK Pounds it converts to around $100 USD with shipping. I don’t think that; sin my Juno budget right now so holding tight. I do agree with what earpick said though, just capping off the ends may look better, in the same way the JP8 and jp6 look cool with the aluminium side panels.
Also I just picked up an oscilloscope to help with adjusting my Juno once I get the new voice added (..still sourcing the new voice). The tech manual makes reference to looking at waveforms and measuring using a scope. D’ Naab also references use of a scope when doing setup.
I wondered if anyone else had used a scope when they replaced their VCF/VCA chip or is this uneccessary?
Cheers
Just a commentary on the Juno sound……I never considered the Juno 106 as a real good bas synth but it is. You can get some very edgy sounding sawtooth bass sounds, similar to what the MS-20 does. I was pleasantly suprised to hear that single DCO just growling it’s behind off. the 106 is a very flexible synth, if it wasn’t for the voice problems this would be an overall 10 imo.
Sysex is amazing and unheard of on synths from the same time period. Wish my Prophet would do that!
d2 – about the MS-20. You’re saying the Juno sounds lot like it bass-wise. Now, I’ve always wanted one instead of the Minimoog for the super fun semi-modular design, but people have told me the MS-20 is only good for weird sounds FX. I believe in being able to squeeze any sound out of any synth, but just wanted to confirm with you that it indeed is able to produce good bass sounds.
I can get some super beefy bass out of the 106, especially in Unison, which i almost always have it in, considering my dead voice.
earpick – yes, it’s true. I am a big fan of early Goldfrapp which used a lot of MS-20 both on modulating Allison’s voice through the MS-20 external source input, AND doing most of the bass work. Felt Mountain and Black Cherry albums mostly but I can hear it on the new albums too. It’s a very distinct raspy bass sound (I believe they also are doubling it with a sub bass sound from somewhere else) but the primary bass sound is the MS-20 and it’s a very raw single osc sawtooth. I was just playing around on the low end and trying a few things (next time I will save the patch and get you the layout), but it is there and I plan to use it in place of the over priced but much loved and desired MS-20. It’s not the MS-20 but it can certainly replicate that raw bass sound that I personally like. The Faint and Ladytron are also using MS-20s so I really know the sound of that single osc and the Korg MS20 filter. And for the MS-20 yes, plenty of hard edged weird effects, but bass…oh yes…crazy cutting edge bass that stands out in a mix like you wouldn’t believe. I am going to get an MS-20 (looked at one last week but it was a wreck and not working right) but not ready to drop $1400+ yet.
Also…I just got an HS-60 off eBay this week which I plan to fix up and use. It’s a fully working Juno 106 engine of course, for $200. Has naff looking speakers which is why people don’t buy them (looks like a consumer product) but the sound is 100% Juno 106. Has Juno 106 on the boards too….anyway…I need to do a little work (all voices are there OK) needs a few sliders and caps which I have. I’ll get you a report once I receive it. People say it is warmer than 106 due to the speaker Amp inserted between output and speakers (which you can mute) so I will check them out side by side and see what the deal is. But it’s a good cheap 106 if you see one out there. Apparently these show up in pawn shops a lot because people dont’ think it’s a pro board.
Sounds like the MS-20 is a perfect synth to save up for.
a) I love Goldfrapp and their raw bass (Train anyone?)
b) I love modular synths
c) I love external modulation
d) I love synths that make you wanna put a suit and a tie on when you play them
And thanks for the heads up on the HS. Haven’t been to the local pawnshops for a while but they mostly just keep those self-playing Merry Xmas Remix Yamaha toys that I personally don’t dig much. One of the stores does have a Hammond which has been on sale forever. I’d pick the thing up, the price is a joke, around $150 I believe, but it’ll take up a third of my ‘home studio’.
I need help with reconnecting/soldering the power supply and fuse board back together. I can email a diagram/jpg that I’ve taken along with a detailed description of what I need to do. I’m sure it’s straight forward to someone familiar in electronics.
Basically, the solder joints are 0V com/transformer on the FUSE BOARD- 1 blk and 1 white wire going to the POWER SUPPLY 0-100 / 120 – 220 – 240.
What goes to what?
Thanks in advance and apologies for my lack of proper tech knowledge!
update…..the HS60 arrived. Much heavier than 106 due to the amps and speakers within. Taller. Heavy wood base. Voice board under actual keyboard. Says ‘ Juno 106.’ Other boards say ‘Juno106/HS60.’ Played them side by side (with muted speakers on the HS 60 – use headphone jack then you can just use audio outs on HS60). Identical controls etc. I couldn’t tell any difference when played side by side with the original Juno 106. Quickly replaced the 2 prong power for USA 3 prong (hate that proprietary power cord that comes with the 106/HS60).
I really wanted to get my 106 working on all 6 voices (#5 is bad). So swapped the HS60 voice board with the 106 and within 10 minutes 106 was up and running. HS60 of course now needs a new vca/vcf voice. A side project which I will tackle shortly. HS60 also came with multiple broken sliders so am sourcing those for $4.95 ea. on eBay. Small and quite easy project. I bought the HS60 off eBay for $204. Called up seller (a music store in CO) and they refunded $60 for the sliders (which was not listed as missing or defect in the eBay add). Cool guys. So total cost for the HS60 so far is $140 minus repairs. Slider fix and voice #5 fix puts this at about $250 when all is said and done. Not bad for a complete and fully functional Juno 106 hiding within the exterior of a consumer product complete with naff speakers! Speakers are handy for practicing without powering up the Amp, Mixer etc.
Goldfrapp…yeah they are great. Will Gregory is a genius. Bigtime MS20 user. NEW ALBUM COMING OUT THIS YEAR.
a. “I love synths that make you wanna put a suit and a tie on when you play them..” Exactly!
b. External modulation: I just bought Apples Logic Pro 7.2 and it has great soft synths, a drum machine, sampler, etc. But (for me) you can’t beat external modulated synths (imo). Softsynths are good for layering sounds on my projects, but for main leads – high in the mix – and hard edged basses – I have to go for the real thing.
Marke – my recommendation is to take it (Juno power supply) to a local electronics repair person. I take it you’ve got the technical service manual for the Juno 106? If not it can be found here:
Click to access juno-serv.pdf
This is all an electronics person needs to put it back together, and of course the power supply.
Question: How did it come apart?
If you provide your email address I can send you pictures of the power supply, properly connected and working for reference (if you don’t have it). This can be used in conjunction with the technical service manual.
Radio Shack, TV Repair places, consumer electronics repair places, all these business know people who do electronic repair. Then there is always google, which is how I found a local guy to fix my Korg D1600II..
Glad the HS60 project is turning out well. I really didn’t think it would be that much different from the Juno, but haven’t even heard of it at the time of buying mine. Do agree with the softsynths comment – I mostly use them for toying around as well as for playing with synths that I can’t afford to buy (mostly moogs). In fact, the soft synths I use are all replicas of hardware units.
As to Logic – how do you find the plugins it comes with? I am on Logic Express now, and haven’t found a good reason to upgrade as I’m mostly a Cubase user and that’s what the money gets plunked into. However, people do say the plugins that come with Pro are outstanding and worth the price. While the stuff that came with Express did sound smooth and far from brittle to me, I found it almost too perfect sounding. Kind of like the impression I got when I used Reason. This unexplainable.. “toy” sound. Which isn’t there when I use third party plugins or hardware synths. The limiter and other dynamics processors seemed especially software sounding to me personally.
What do you think of the Pro plugins in that regard?
on plugins – “people do say the plugins that come with Pro are outstanding and worth the price….” Yes, I agree – definitely. Warm, rich, full featured, clean. Not brittle at all. There are about 70 and I am studying them as I get time. Mostly using the basics like reverb and so on but there are some voice modulation plug ins that sound remarkably like the male vocal work on the The Knife albums (pitch shift down, slightly warped). This is very professional grade stuff. The softsynths ‘Sculptor’ etc. are reminiscient of virtual analog KORG RADIAS. Very easy to program and modulate externally. I’m very happy with Logic. It’s a very straightforward to get up and running. Be prepared to do a lot of reading on the plug ins (comes with a great big book – (reminds me of software development programming resource books). Haven’t used the sampler or the mastering modules yet but for something that cost $999 (Retail) or $499 (Academic) it’s light years ahead of competition and easier to use. I’ve used Ableton and Cakewalk/Sonar. This is far superior sounding and very full featured. Logic Pro is the way to go imo.
” The limiter and other dynamics processors..” I am not using the logic dynamics processors at this time, routing to external DSP because it’s quicker and I like the slightly dirtier sounds of older DSP’s. I am going to record some vocals later this week so if I have time will try the logics dynamics and see what we get.
Hmmmmm… $499 Academic you say…
Heya-
I’m having this problem now. I just so happen to have a Juno-60 in pieces. Do you think the voice chips from that will work in the Juno 106?
I personally love vintage toys. It’s fun finding the toys you had as a kid, or the ones you always wanted.
Your comment has absolutely nothing to do with my post.
That said, I do love vintage toys, so fine, I’ll keep it.
earpick: Yep…499 USD. Very good deal imo. You can get all the maint upgrades and patches for version 7.x. I think (not sure) that it won’t include upgrade to 8.0 when this becomes available, but you know, for 499 USD that is not a big deal. And I may buy the full version for $999 (8.0) when it comes out but….people have been saying they had Academic 6.0 and they upgraded to 7.0 for free so not sure what to believe at this point. Either way my Academic setup is working like a champ. Works just like a full version – THER IS NO DIFFERENCE in functionality. I already downlaoded a free patch so I am on 7.2.3 or something like that.
Plug ins like I said are very good. I’ve actually got some great sounds out of the soft synths and the sampler engine is really good also. I use external sampler now but am seriously thinking about moving to the Logic sampler – ease of use etc. I personally think Logic Pro is the best tool out there for the money, hands down.
ceedub: I am certain the JUNO60 chips are NOT compatible with the 106. My recommendation is to get a fully working Roland HS60 off eBay for $200 and switch the boards with your 106, then use the HS60 for parts to fix other 106 ailments (power supply, sliders, buttons, led display, keys etc. etc.), or better yet, get a replacement VCA/VCF chip for the HS60 (about $100 USD I think with shipping, use the HS 60 for backup. Read the detailed posts on this forum for help in this area.
Hi,
I posted earlier about a voice chip that never shut off, and it was definitely NOT the 80017a chip itself. It was chip #2,, and the problem was IC26, I believe, the op amp that, through a couple of resistors and a transistor, is connected to pin 11 on voice chip 2. Well, after I replaced that IC26, I finally got rid of the leaky note. I suppose that the transistor or the couple of resistors could also cause that probem. Any voltage on pin 11 of the 80017 a will cause the not to leak out. Even .02 volts! I also wound up having problems with key/button scanning,(transpose button did not work) and I had to replace an IC (11?) I think it was on the computer board. Anyway, thought I would post it up here in case anybody else had the same issue.
Thanks,
John
Thanks John. Good stuff.
I’m dealing with the HS-50 version and got a couple of problems. I need thorough cleaning, I don’t know if I should do it myself with a can of air duster or give it to a service center for $$.
The real problem, however, is that the volume knob makes a LOT of scratchy static noise and it’s hard to get it in one spot with both channels giving equal volume. Also a couple of my sliders are broken/missing. Does anyone know where I can buy a new volume knob and slider set to solder them in?
Thanks!
E-Bay.
I bought a VCO #MC5534 chip before I realized that there were some other chips named VCA etc. Did I buy the wrong chip to replace my broken voice or am I ok. Sorry if this is a rookie question – I’m a musician not a tech guy:0) Thanks again – great page.
You did buy the wrong chip – the one to get is the VCF/VCA chip (filter+amp chip), NOT the actual VCO (voltage controlled oscillator). Unless of course you know your VCO is shot.
Thank you. I’ll just buy another Juno for parts. I have about 15 synths and the Juno sounds are my fav along with my Kawai SX-240. Thanks again for you help.
No prob. Have a junoful day
do you know how to save your presets? i know you used to be able to save them on to a cassette tape, but… what about nowadays?
Juse use your computer as a cassette deck. Plug in a 1/4″ cable into the presets out plug, hit record in your DAW or whatever you’re recording into, adjust the levels and away you go. I do not remember the exact procedure and I am currently away from home, but I’ve seen a few copies of the 106 manual floating online as PDFs. Just substitute your PC instead of a cassette deck and away you go.
YES I LOVE MY 106….perhaps the best synth for live performance out of the 5 Ive used….
but my current juno106 problem is a ‘layer’ of extra distortion ,a raspiness that invades almost all/ maybe ALL sounds making them all more buzzy/raspy. Doing the voice test it appears that distortion appears on 5 of 6 voices (not #4). At one time i thought this only happenned after an hour if use but now it is consistant. Would this be the 80017’s?, the voices are NOT dead, just extra noisy. and i read that there are TWO voices carried on each of THREE large 80017’s making the six voices. and the 6 smaller chips are the vco’s and NOT the VCA/VCF. So …does that mean i need to get 3 denabb chips for a full transplant of all 6 voices,because they are in PAIRS? I just want to make sure i understand the layout.
one added question about 80017 problems…ive heard one report that “heating” or maybe just resoldering has restored some guy’s 80017….this was not heavily substantiated but was a rumor on the Yahoo Juno users group…has anyone found that heat can bring a chip back? im sure too much heat can fry one.
Ok did i get that backwards?—-there are 6 -80017’s and 3 – 5534’s… so if i would need 5… then why not just do all 6..?
You did get it backwards. There are 6×80017’s.
Now, has it ever played properly without distortion? The reason I’m asking is that if it has I just can’t imagine 5 chips failing all at once. It could well be something else. If it never played correctly I would still suggest replacing one chip and seeing what happens. Or if you’re good at desoldering – pulling out the one that plays properly and using it instead of one of the distorting ones. If nothing changes then it’s not that.
thats also a question i have,….Why would 5 voices all act the same and go simultaneously? I would suspect something else, but the voice test seems to show one clean voice….thats whats odd, the clean one. I was hoping to get a comment on another possible cause than the 80017’s , but comments on this site led me to want to blame the chips for distortion/noise. I had previously thought a ‘bad chip’ would be silent. (i had this silent voice problem on a Polysix recently..and new chips fixed it) . This Juno was fine until I was almost done with my last recording project when the raspy/distortion started showing up after a long period of use., then would go away if it ‘cooled down’…now its there all the time as an ‘effect’. While not incompetant, Im a little afraid to switch soldered chips as a test.(the polysix was easy with socketed IC’s.}
cool. ill give it a shot.. thanks a bunch!
Does anyone know of a good editor/librarian (Mac) for the 106? This would be very helpful!
earpick: Still loving my Juno 106! Some of the demo songs we’ve completed use the Juno for 1 or 2 tracks on each song. You can hear them here if interested: home recordings/demo. Not pro mixes.
http://www.myspace.com/staticbrigade
Juno is doing some pads and some sweeps. It also can make some fairly harsh sounds which are very handy for the kind of music we are doing.
Thanks
sorry , but here i am again with some more details of my junos voice situation…im beginning to think it may NOT be the 80017’s.
get a load of this… in test mode on ROTARY (poly 1 and 2 on ) if I play the same note 6 times it sounds fine as it counts through 1-6, BUT IF I PLAY UP THE SCALE. as it counts off . 1- is fine then ,2 – has a quieter second tone causing beating, 3,4 and 5 – have a second tone and a faster beating and slightly diffrent harmonics then 6- has a very much slower beating almost like a LFO, then back to a clean 1. But one odd thing about just playing one note repeatedly as it goes through the number sequence….if i start at some odd point i can hear the distorted/beating sound as it counts through the numbers back to 1, then it plays clean through the rest of the sequence from then on. but on diffrent keys the repeated notes at times have subtle diffrent harmonic colors in an alternating pattern not always totally identical, but it varies key to key. there could be a pattern in tone like x.x.o.o.x.o BUT NO BEATING, still ‘clean’. But as i said some keys sound 6 identical notes…. any ideas?
Maybe the Oscillators are going bad?
Do you mean the mc5534 vco chips (of which there are 3)?
Yes, i believe those are the Osc chips. I can’t fully remember ATM…
=o/
Thank for the priceless directions!!!
You just saved tonight’s show! My old 106 (my first love, original, got run over by my bassist’s car in 1988, a long story) now serves as my parts cadaver. I pulled 2 good 80017As from it and fixed my 2 other Junos! Now I can jam confidently, knowing I have a backup; and more chips to boot!
Now for further Tech talk/advice: I had a friend’s circuit board shop do it since they have all the stuff….like a solder foot that allows you to pull out chips quickly and much more easily (it solders all the pins at once). I don’t advise using your Mom’s single tipped soldering gun, especially without a solder bulb sucker thing. We also noticed that the back of the green board (the soldered side) has some kind of waterproof coating that makes the resoldering a little difficult. But it still worked great.
Thanks again!!
Meaty Petey, Good Gravy
Hey Earpick.
Great stuff,
I changed one of my chips as per your instructions. It works again, but it sounds as if it’s a more “open” filter on one voice.
But when I check to see which note is doing it in the test mode I don’t hear a difference. I only hear it in regular play mode. And tweaking the pots is not making a difference. Any ideas?
Thanks,
-B
I would normally think it’s the pots. Is it louder or the actual LPF filter?
Sounds like a bit of both. But definitely louder.
-B
As I listen to it more, it seems to be a filter thing, not a level thing. The filter is more open (brighter) on one voice.
Help!!
I did the “hold Bank 3 and Poly 1” test and go no output on Voice 1. Is that the issue, ya think?
Kinda hard to tell at this point.. Is it considerably louder and more open? You should be able to tweak it with the pots, really
Found it!! Damn that DOES take some serious trial and error. That is fixed.
Last thing. I now hear in one voice a bit of gnarly crackling (like a dirty pot crackle) but the pots associated with that voice seem to be OK.
Possible that that VCA/VCF chip is about to die and I should replace it now?
Thanks very much for allowing me to blow up your list today.
-Bill
PS: My Juno thanks you too.
Hmm.. Listen more closely to the crackling. My chips usually do crackle when they’re about to die, but the sound is actually the LFO rapidly changing settings. Like going from fully closed to fully open a number of times in a single second. Play with the filter. Is the noise there when you fully open the filter? If not, then the chip’s going :(.
And you’re totally welcome. I’m glad my fairly limited knowledge could be of help to people. At the time of me wanting to fix mine there were no resources on how to do it for dummies, so glad there is one now I guess :)
I recently acquired one of these and number 4 is a goner. I hope to get replacement chips soon and give it a go. Seems OK playing slowly with no chords. Speed it up and/or strike a chord it generates some crackle crackle or no note for the note struck, frustrating….not for long….Thanks!!!
Yeah, it can get annoying. Not too hard to replace but still.. Make sure you grab one of the rebuilt chips that don’t die, I suppose.
Speaking of that, I’m going to sell my 106 :(. Not because I don’t love her, I do quite a bit. I’m moving to Toronto and bringing it along will cost me at least a $100 or so. Plus, of course, no guarantees it won’t be broken by the time I get it at the luggage pickup. I’ll see if I can ship it via UPS or such, but I just might need to sell my trusty Juno and get a new one on the spot.
Or.. Who knows… You know.. Maybe get something else…. I’m not sure if I can find something this versatile and good sounding though (and with MIDI support).
wow thanks earpick, for taking the time to help out!
think i’m going to get one from analogue renaissance. they are the only ones available at the moment.
Dear,
I bought a juno last week,
when i play my juno, it happens that some keys are not functional, every 5 keys one key is not functional. I know how to solve this problem: by playing more than 6 voices at a time, the keys that didnt work become functional ones again
also, when i play in mono/unison mode, the problem does not occur…
what might be the problem? cpu?
can you guide me to solve this one?
thanks a lot for your expertise!
friendly greetings
Benjamin
Read the blog post Benjamin – you’re having the exact same problem that everyone else who owns a Juno 106 faces at some point.
k thanks a lot
apologies for my impatience
thanks!
greets,
benjamin
No probs. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try to help out. I was in the same boat, and using user groups to find an answer drove me up the wall. I thought the next step was going to be going to the *gasp* library (like a PAPER one, SO last century).
finally found a used Juno 106 locally to use for parts. got it for $90. Two of the voices were bad. I had a really hard time trying to remove the voices using a normal soldering iron, pretty much impossible. So definitely get a desoldering torch. Something like this:
http://www.micro-tools.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MTE&Product_Code=7978-F
removal was a breeze after that.
Then removing the bad voice chip i used earpicks method of just breaking it off and then cleaning the holes with a solder sucker (after heating the solder of course)
Then when soldering the chip onto the board, i highly recommend a fine tip for precision soldering. but i’m sure you guys already knew this. I lightly taped the new chip into place and then flipped over to solder on the bottom side of the board.
Wow, i can’t believe i accomplished this! feel like an expert now.
Hi,
I was searching for info on staticky 106 output and found your blog.
The problem I have, and it looks like others have it too, is that the output will just go static and noisy with the notes still functioning. It’s happens on both the mono out and phones out.
It sounds like a bad cable, but that’s not the case. It happens without my moving or touching anything. Just static.
Hopefully someone found some info on this one…
Thanks for the info. So I just replaced the bad chip with one bought a couple of years ago on ebay. The voice works now. However, now it hangs and keeps playing at a low level. Does this mean the replacement chip was also bad?
Thanks for any info.
That might be the case! =). Make sure you soldered it in properly
hey earpick, thanks for the blog! im now looking into servicing my 106 myself, im crossing my fingers to get this one right. although im also having some crackling problems with the output, im not sure if its the bad chip but it keeps on buzzing even if im not playing the keys, and.. i guess a full octave of the keyboard isnt working, is this a normal effect of the bad chip? or am i having problems with the contacts? thanks to anyone who will reply to this :)
Sounds like the keyboard is partially dead. If you have one dead chip then only 1 out of every 6 notes won’t play. The buzzing could also be something else. If you can close down the filter and play any 6 notes consecutively without hearing any one of them open the buzzing isnt coming from the filter.
Ok,
so i am surpised no one has mentioned this yet but anyone try swapping out their 6th voice with their bad one? from what i understand I think it goes in order as you play filling the first voice up to the sixth. so you should be able to just pull out the 6th voice with your bad one and it will be a 5-note polyphony? is this correct? i love my juno, but usually only use up to 3 voices at a time and dont feel like dropping 60 bux!
i forgot to mention, my juno is working perfectly expect for the 1st voice, ugh! a cheap way around this is to find the lowest bad note and keep it perminently held down, then the 1st voice is occupied and all other notes work perfect.
Hi,
I’m trying to contact D’Naab to order 6 of his chips – tried the email addresses on the analogue renaissance site, perhaps he’s on holidays?
Anyhow, just wondering if anyone has heard from him lately.
Cheers,
Mark
Dunno – I sold my Juno :)
D’Naab got back to me just after posting. Looking forward to getting the chips – will be installing 6 in a MKS-30 (modified, new OS from http://analog.no/mks30/index.htm) – finally will have a stable beast without a sore throat :-)
M
I have the same problem as navbox and langmick. Adjusting the volume will give me a static noise on everything and I have to fiddle with the knob to get it to go away. Anyone come up with a solution for this?
Hey,
I just got my hands on a Juno 106 and it is great. Unfortunately, middle c is dead. What do you think is the best way to fix a single dead key?
::: YEHAW
::: it works…
seems like osc 2 & three were damaged.
to find that out, i had to clean the whole device and buy new buttons:
the ex-owner seemed to have spilled a sixpack of beer over the device.
me olde tech friend (mat-c) helped solder the buttons & replace the kRankin’ oscillators with the D’Naab versions. t ha nx!
great+++ now it almost sounds better than my other juno…
but i think osc 6 also needs to be replaced maybe i take a whole set of the alternative-chips…
*thank u for the advice
:)manu
I bought a Juno-106 on Ebay not long ago. I’m having problems with the sounds. I’ll play one (say patch ones on bank 1) and then somewhere while i’m playing the sound will change as if i changed a setting on it. Sometimes it will do this, sometimes it wont. There doesnt seem to be any pattern and it doesnt change itself always at the same time (sometimes right away, sometimes a few minutes to hour or so of playing). The “D” in the ADSR ENV section (delay slider as the guy i bought it from called it) isn’t working at all… not sure if this could be the reason. PLEASE HELP! :(
Also, it seems after it changes on its own it now is cutting the notes out, sometimes.
hey, this is a really useful blog. i’m currently experiencing a problem with my juno 106 and was wondering if anyone could shed any light on it? problem is that patches don’t save properly. they’re still there if i switch it off then on again but after about 5 minutes switched off they just seem to disappear! thought it might be the battery so i’ve changed it but the problem still remains.
i play in a band and it’s a pain to have to dial in all my patches during soundcheck! can anyone help?
Cheers, T
Have you figured out the problem with not being able to save patches, I am stumped with the same thing going on under my hood.
Sorry if i’m asking a previous question. Could not go through the wealth of info. I got a juno, its showing voice chip problems on voice 3.(did the diagnostic mode test), but it was not completely dead. it played late, or when i pressed harder(no good explanation for that one)and sometimes played fine. Loose connection mebbe? Ballache if i need to replace it cos i’m in south africa which might as well be on mars from an ebay point of view…..
Love My Roland Juno 106! & I Love This Super Cool Webpage To!:)
“Rock On Brother!” As Jimi Would Say:D
Rhys Ladipo
http://www.deltajetblues.com
Single dead key:
I had this problem endlessly on my old w30 and on a juno i just acquired: solution is simple
you need a screwdriver, small long nose pliers, an earbud and some surgical spirits.
1. Open the juno. Take off the side handles and then fold open the top panel
2. detach the keyboard from the plywood base.
3. remove the spring from the offending keys, and possibly some of those around it. Use the pliers, cos those springs will fly off and take your eye out, or even worse, get lost.
4. Under the keyboard there are some see through plastic strips which prevent the individual keys from being pulled forward. loosen this, its pretty difficult, without warping it too much. if you trash it its not a train smash, it does not affect the playablity of the keyboard,
5. Remove the offending key by pulling towards you. you might have to remove some of the surrounf\ding keys to get to the stuff underneath.
6. Underneath is a strip of moulded grey rubber with a kind of squishy bit for each key. GENTLY pull this off the PCB its attached to. it is held in place by rubber bits that go through holes in the PCB.
7. There are contacts on the pcb and underneath the squishy bit. Clean using the earbud and the surgical spirits. It seems that if this connection gets dirty, the key wont play.
8. Reassemble. the key should work. I been doing this annually on my w30, and was unsurprised to find that the juno uses exactly the same triggeribg system
Good luck
Like Telerex, my Juno jumps out of patch after a few seconds of playing, maybe from motion. can’t tell if it’s just time or from jostling. It does seem to hang on to the patch for longer if you play softly. Anyone else have this problem, and have you solved it?
And by jumps out of patch I mean, select a patch, play for a a bit, then it jumps out of patch, like as if you had edited some parameter.
great site!
similar to franks problem my juno will be fine for awhile then will jump to the next patch. always jumps up. don’t know why, and can’t find anyone else having this problem online. can someone explain this to me please?
I’ve recently acquired a problem with my juno. I can’t seem to set the attack on the envelope to zero via the slider and it’s always a slow attack. It also is transmitting it as a slow attack if I try to change a parameter on a mks-7. This however is not the case if a factory preset has a fast attack or if it changed via midi. Any ideas?
Also, from the guitar/electronics world I’ve heard you can squirt WD40 in a control to clear up scratchy pots… would the same principle apply here? Or is that a surefire way to kill it?
Hey – my juno sometimes has a problem where there is a static noise that overtakes and breaks up the sound. Is this a chip problem?
okay, so one of my chips is not doing so well. but according to what i’ve read, i should be able to play in monophonic mode, by holding the poly 1 and 2 together – and thus override the wack chip. This does keep the mysterious dead key from showing up, but i still get a crakly sound that is best heard when i hold down a note. is this a chip thing, or something else? anyone know?
thanks for your time
I have a couple questions, please:
I bought a replacement bender assembly some time ago and find that I can’t control the LFO by pushing the bender forward. Does any one know what could be the problem?
also,
does anyone know where I can buy some of the side case screws?
Thanks!
Jay
hi, i’ve got the following problem:
i found out via test mode, that seemingly on my juno voice 2 is gone for saw and pulse wave (not so much for square, rather narrow pulse), but not for sub osc. Voice 5 seems to be gone for the sub osc only. Is this a reasonable conclusion? Do I have to replace voice chip 2 and 5 in order to get it in working condition again?
I’m pretty annoyed. I really love vintage analoge gear, but this really gets me thinking, if in the long run it’s a worthwhile investment
Hello wonderful page of knowledge. I need help finding a pitch-bender for my HS-60 Mine is broken at the base of the handle. The company that once sold them on eBay has disappeared (chipsforbrains). Can anyone help PLEASE? (I use my HS-60 daily for touring, so my sound depends on it!!!).
Thank you
Hey. Anybody know which IC input (4,8,12) the Variable Square Wave is on??? I just bought this thing for $100 and it has two bad voices and the Square wave has zero sound on it. If anybody has any advice I would appreciate it.
to Workday/Schoolnight: YES. That is the kind of symptom that indicates you have a bad voice chip in the 106. You can run through the diagnostic (hold down transpose and power up) and then check each voice.
To Mr. Ash:
The Juno 106 and HS60 parts are 90% interchangeable, so just search for Juno 106 pitch bender on eBay – I found one here:
http://search.ebay.com/juno-106-bender_W0QQdfspZ32QQfromZR40QQssPageNameZRC0021QQ_trksidZp1638Q2em120
Failing that, get a broken 106 or HS60 and use it for parts. They pop up on eBay or craigslist occasionally.
To Jay,
I assume you’ve turned the slider up on the modulation control. Often I think mine isn’t working but in reality I have not moved the amount slider up for the DCO. If you DO have all your sliders turned up all the way on the modulation control, then you’ve got a broken bender. Something gone south in there but should be an easy fix.
Here’s an example of a broken 106 up on ebay for parts. If it’s not taken by you guys I might get it myself because you can never have enough Juno 106 or HS60 parts around the house.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-Juno-106-as-is-for-parts-or-repair-see-details_W0QQitemZ140231233632QQihZ004QQcategoryZ38071QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
To Frank:
Personally I wouldn’t try WD40 on my gear. WD40 is good for your lawn mover though. I would use a proper product for cleaning pots; see radio shack. Or replace the pot, even better.
To Dougron:
Sometimes the bad voice problem goes away when you power off. Sometimes it starts out bad and then as the 106 warms up, it goes away, or as I’ve seen gets worse. I doubt it’s a bad wire because those chips are soldered to the board. And the other wires I am sure are at the global level, not down to a single DCO level. So looks to me like you got the bad VCA chip.
Wooden sides for your Juno 106? I bought these and they are GREAT. Well made, nice varnish, and make the Juno106 look a little smarter and more vintage….I guess. Well worth $42 IMO. Quick shipping. The screws are a little short but take your time and you can get it lined up.
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-ROLAND-JUNO-106-ANALOGUE-SYNTH-NEW-WOOD-SIDES_W0QQitemZ320249916231QQihZ011QQcategoryZ29552QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Mal’s da man =).
Not too hot on the wooden sides; to me the Juno is of the 80s sharp turns and bold colours era and the wooden sides are just too much like a Beatles haircut on a New Order groupie but hey, either one looks good to some I suppose.
Hey earpick :) Yeah I must have been bored on that day. On the wooden sides, I only had a right side, the HS60 sides don’t fit the 106, and these were cheap. Plus all my other gear has wood sides and they do look pretty all with wood sides (Prophet, Dave Smith evolver). It’s vintage so why not make it look the part more!
Hey I just bought a Korg MS10 and a Korg MS20. They are sick little guys. Can’t wait to incorporate them into our set. Wanna buy a Juno 106? Just kidding!
Meanwhile check out our new music
Mal
http://www.myspace.com/staticbrigade
Great blog, very useful!
hi there ,
does anyone know how to fix the blue patch buttons ?
Thank you Mal
To shyzen: What exactly is the issue you are having with the blue buttons?
hi,
i just bought this JUNO-106 few months from a friend. i think it was 4 months ago. then i was using it just fine. the installed sounds are great. but suddenly, a friend of mine’s son unintentionally played with it and ruined the program. there was sounds that was repeated for like 40 bank/patch with the same sounds, some blank bank/patch numbers, and the tuning was a total mess. can anybody help me on how i could fix this or either reprogram it. what’s the best way i could do to it? i would really appreciate those who could help me on this.
by the way, here’s my email if there’s a question about the keys;
patrick_010709@yahoo.com
thanks a lot!
3ck
Patrick, check out this site. From what it sounds like, you need to restore to factory sounds.
http://www.hinzen.de/midi/juno-106/
Depending on your level of expertise, there are probably several ways to do this. Cassette tape method, or using sysex. Anyway, read the site and see if there is something of value.
I thought that my Juno might be having vca/vcf chip problems.
I played the synth in diagnostic mode, and normal mode and all 6 voices do what they are supposed to and changes to the VCA-ENV work fine on each voice. However, IN ADDITION to the normal/fine Juno sound I get a sparse crackling and popping static-like noise, that happens on all/any voices, increasing slightly in volume over time. It occurs even when no notes are playing at all. Its more sparse, but enough to ruin the synth for all live and recording purposes. A synth guru friend of mine who runs http://www.signalarts.ca/ heard of my problem, and said it might be a bad capacitor. I don’t know what that means. Any suggestions as to fix the noise problem?
I have never done any synth repair myself, but consider myself handy, and geeky.
Thanks bro, I`m half way home. Do I posses the skill to re-solder a new chip? Leave that to the experts. To those with hanging voices; Mine was doing the same thing until I took out my bad chip (#5) Now it plays fine -1 voice. its a Juno 105. I`m kinda scared that it will mess up again, but 75% success sounds good.
hey is there anyway to simply bypass one of the vcas.
I just got a juno as a christmas gift but vca number three is out, and personally I don’t really mind playing it 5 voice for now.
My chips are fine, only the DSR of the ADSR sliders no longer work.
Any ideas there?
THX
Hey earpick,
Looks like a great blog you have here.
After a few years of not using my Juno, I go to set it up again and it won’t power on. The cable is plugged in. In fact, I tried two different cables. I tested the outlet the make sure that’s working. I tested the fuse, which still works. No lights, nothing. Any ideas why this won’t power up?
Thanks
i just recently bought a juno 106 and i thought everything was good until i realized that all of the original preset patches were deleted. can anyone tell me a way to restore the original patches back on to the juno 106 synth?
thanks
Go to http://www.jarvik7.net/juno-106/
Download and install the 106 librarian app and supporting java app for midi. There is a link to the factory patches on the page. You have to load them into the Juno one at a time, but at least you get the patches.
CUNTS AND FUCKS AND SHITS AND PUSSYS cunt fuck dicks and vaginas
Can someone advise me.
My 106 seems to have all voices working normally.
The problem/s are, the slider on the VCF is not working correctly; when I move slider all the way up, it opens up the whole filter, raw, when I move the slider down it goes completely cut-off, the minimum. so I can only get a raw signal, and just a little little bit below the max, and then only the bare bottom bum low end so that then no signal is heard. when I move the slider down you can hear the filter smoothly descending. I can use the env to overcome this in a way, but I cant acutally use the slider to make smooth pads, but only raw signal or completely cut-off, the res is also sort of funny, only becoming ‘res’ when slider is near the top/max.
The PWM slider is also kind of fucked, and I can only move the slider and get 2 or 3 postions, I cant manually get specific spots, only 2 or 3 stuck positions.
And also the LFO send amount for the VCF wont turn off, even when slider is all the way down, its always stuck in the middle, and mving the slider to the top/max increases the sned amount; i cant turn the lfo to vcf amount off.
This I think has to do with the sliders. As when I used an editor on pc to midi on the juno 106, it seemed to work perfectly, i.e. the filter worked normally, the pwm worked, the lfo amount to filter worked. but when I moved the sliders on the synth in real life, it just did not work properly.
I’ve had the juno for more than 14 months now, and it has had this problem.
It was only last week that I opened up the juno and cleaned all the dust out(a lot of dust!), and cleaned all the sliders, removed all the black gunt insie the sliders, then put it back together, but the certain sliders are still stuck/fucked.
what should I do?
I want to be able to make patches and move the sliders in real life, and not have to use a computer.
help!!!??
Hey, I cleaned up a couple of my voice chips but when i was cleaning it a couple pins broke off so i soldered them back onto the chip. When i soldered it back i noticed there was no sound when looking at the chip again i saw that maybe the pins weren’t connected properly, so i soldered the other chip in. I’m now having a new prob. The 2 500mA fuses keep blowing when i have the module board plugged in but when i disconnect the module board and power it up the fuses dont blow. I’m guessing there is a short some where on the module board but i dont know if that is correct. Any ideas? It was fine before.
Has anyone fired up their 106 with one of the voice “chips” removed? I have what I think is voice 5 soaking in Acetone right now, but was considering firing up the synth without it installed to double check that I pulled the right one. I do trust everyone that the chips are numbered from right to left, but some other things inside my 106 hint that it may be from a REALLY early Roland production run (no “A” after “80017”, lot number 3 on the voice chips, etc.) and some markings on the VCA/VCF board are contrary to the right-to-left numbering. Thus the desire to double check. BUT I don’t want to blow up my beloved 106, so if anyone has information that turning it on minus one voice chip is a bad thing, let me know!
Just ran the test program looks like I have three dead voices (1, 3, and 5). Will give it a try with Acetone later this week.
I also have the problem with the Juno changing patches while playing stronger notes, that’s been mentioned earlier, patches usually increasing… I thought maybe the “patch shift” pedal input might somehow be triggered by a short? any suggestions how to zero in on this?
Hello Friend :)
I have been using the Juno 106 for a few years and have been very happy with the sound.
Recently I decided to load the factory patches via the ”tape in” (A primitive pre midi way of saving patches) to try to get the original juno sounds. What a terrible mistake this was. Not only (as far as I can tell) the factory sounds were nothing to right home about) but everything that made this synth good is now gone! The output volume is very low and it sound is tiny :( Even with the volume set all the way up I cant get volume from this thing. This is NOT my juno 106 synth anymore.
Right now this synth is absolutely useless to me.
Is there anyway I can undo what I did to the sound by loading the factory presets through the tape in and restore the punch and volume that my juno had prior to me doing this?
Your help will be tremendously appreciated :)
When removing the bad chip, just rock it back and forth for abou t2 minutes and it will pop off. Then pull out each pin, put a desoldering braid along each hole and voila! empty holes for your new chip.
Ey guys i have one of this but one voice can’t stop , i buy original parts at RANGER CANDISC, TALK WITH MIKE , IT’S A GREAT PERSON AND fast solution for original rolands ICs and others. personally thanks to him i can fix mi JUNO 106 .
Saludos from CHILE.ç
i have 1 ic
roland MC-5534A
k4z
if some one need this IC please buy to me, IM SERIUS, NEED A TRASPLANT. TALK ABOUT TO MY EMAIL
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All,
I know my 5th voice is clearly out and i have a few 2nd gen replacements on the way… but there is background distortion even without key press?
It sounds like a old record turntable pop/crackle that is amplified when i turn up the VCA level slider and/or of course when i turn up the volume.
Just trying to find out if this is more than likely the chips or something else? Could they generate background noise when they are not working correctly or would this indicate something else.
Thanks for any help in advanced.
Tim Wiley
Hi Tim
Did you happen to solve your problem with the background distortion or static noise? I am having the exact same issue as yourself. I’m wondering too if it’s simply a voice chip going bad versus one that is already dead. Thanks for any info.
Jim
Hi everyone,
There seems to be a ton of questions and comments concerning background static, distortion, crackling, popping, etc. on the Juno 106. Currently I have a Juno 106 with 3 dead voice chips which are 1, 5, and 6. The other three work, BUT, I am still experiencing the “extra” noise that prevents me from using this in practice, live, or in recording. I can tape down the three dead voices and the Juno 106 rocks but with background static noise.
My thinking is that one of the other three “working” chips MUST be going bad. Somebody out there in Juno 106 land must have had this exact same problem and my question is whether replacing all or the dying chips solved the background static issue. My thinking is that there are three likely scenarios. (1) A perfect working chip with no background noise and only synth sound, (2) A dying chip with background noise and quirks, or (3) a dead chip with no background noise and no synth sound. Thus dead silent.
Can anyone confirm this? Thanks very much.
Jim
Today I went ahead and removed the 1st, 5th, and 6th voice chips from my Juno 106. It was nearly impossible “for me” to get the chips out unscathed, so I elected to simply yank them. Then I used a Solder Pump to clean up the pin holes. Everything went fine. I then mounted the board back into the Juno 106 and fired it up. The static, crackling, and pop sound “Completely” disappeared. Thus I appeared to have answered my question. Dying voices can exhibit “non-stop” crackling, noise, hissing, popping, etc. absolutely. This can prevent you from recording or performing live with the Juno 106.
Furthermore, in test mode I CRANKED the volume and played with the VCF frequency slider and noticed that the other three voices had about 5% life still left in them. They were very hard to hear, but I could detect some sound after playing the keys. This helped me to determine that the background noise had to be “hopefully” coming from 1,5, or the 6 voice chip and that they were not completely dead yet. Thus the constant crackling noise.
So beware that even if the key sounds dead, it may not be just yet. You may need to crank the volume really high in test mode or even in regular playing mode to try and detect faint sounds when hitting the keys. Note that you’ll also have to watch your ears, but it should be rather quick to hear a synth sound of some sort.
Now I effectively have a Roland Juno 103 as people are calling it when you lose voices. However, I am planning to put in an order for the complete Voice Chip Set from Analogue Renaissance this week to both replace the 3 bad voices and have spares in case the other three fail.
For those who have pulled their dead or dying chips and still have noise, my guess is that another voice is probably “just starting” to crap out. I was worried this might happen because I would then have to really think about how to detect which of the three voice chips left were bad. That might have been difficult considering they all were sounding about the same.
I wish everyone continued success with fixing their Juno 106. I found mine for 50 bucks in Japan. It cleaned up really nicely and with some new clone chips installed, I should be back to jamming in no time. Note that for now I can just play with 3 voices. Ala Juno 103! Enjoy!
Regards, Jim
Just one more post here.
I ordered a full set of Voice Chips from Analogue Renaissance while they are still available. My Juno 106 is going to be a keeper as it really fits nicely into my current gear setup. I’ll let everyone know how that goes once I installed the new chips.
I noticed today though that I had one dead “E” key located in the lower first Octave. I took apart the keys section and removed a the “E” key and found the silicon rubber piece over the contact. I cleaned the upper and lower contact first with the eraser trick and then with some alcohol cleaner. I put everything back together and the “E” key still does not work. Does anybody know what else I can try? Is there any paste or substance I can put on that contact to revive it or create a new connection?
For now I can of course I can use midi, move the keys up or down and octave, or simply dance around the dead key. However, my Juno 106 would be utterly perfect if I could just fix that dead key. At least the key is way down low instead of in the middle. I notice I don’t play it that much anyway, but I sure wish I could fix it. It’s the perfectionist in me I suppose.
Thanks!
Jim
Unfortunately, the Analogue Renaissance chips did not work in my Juno 106. This is NOT to imply that the Analogue Renaissance chips were bad in any way, however, I had a very skilled Japanese Soldering expert do the work and after testing the first two installed chips there was no sound. If I rule out the chips and the technician, it could be a board or some other problem. I should say though that the old chips were working on the board ( with the snap, crackle, popping ), before they were desoldered. Currently the board and chips are being tested by the technician to determine the problem. In hindsight I should have only ordered one chip for testing to save some money. Since I cannot “concretely” determine the problem, I feel the problem could be anything from an unknown board issue, soldering issue, or even the possibility of receiving bad chips. I have no idea at this point, but I can’t rule anything out.
Has anyone had to do anything special with the Analogue Renaissance chips before installation? The technician I hired was surprised it didn’t work.
I’ll update my post shortly when we find the solution. Thanks!
I’ve got a Juno-106 that got plugged into a wimpy christmas tree extension cord along with a 500w power amp. Something got fried on it, and I can’t visually identify what part it is. The result is the unit will function normally for an hour or so, then suddenly stop making sound. The display goes to manual mode. It has to cool down for several hours before I can get it to play again.
I’ve already replaced the power supply transformer, with no results. My guess is to check the power supply circuit board. Anyone have a clue what measurements I should make?
thanks,
Brent R
Argh… My 106 is having the same problems as Brent R… I’ll be playing for awhile and all of the sudden it will switch to manual. I’m wondering if it has to do with humidity.
Hey Brent,
I don’t have the magic answer for you here, but what I did was to take the schematics of the powersupply and follow the powerflow to the outputs. So far I seem to be missing +15V and -15V with all incoming power present.
Good luck!
Lawrence Robinson
The Netherlands
this site has been super helpful. thanks.
question: where can i find a replacement mod wheel or aftermarket mod wheel to put into my juno106. i’m doing a major overhaul and i can’t find one anywhere.
please let me know where i can find one…
thanks.
Hi there,
I very much appreciated your tutorial however it has not solved my particular problem. Maybe you might have some idea as to what I could try. All the chips seem fine, what my juno does though, is when playing a polyphonic sound sometimes it won’t play some of the notes. For example, if I play a G major triad with both hands maybe two of the six notes might not sound. However, if I play the same notes 10 seconds later they may all sound or different notes may not sound. It’s very annoying!
Any Ideas?
Hey guys,
I have a Juno 106 that fell on it’s top while in a soft case. The result is a few slider capz/arms that have come out of their plastic seatings. Do any of you know how to reinstall these or do I need to buy new slider assemblies?
Many thanks for your help.
J
Hello, I have a juno 106 problem, and I need ur help please……ASAP….I’m Begging on my knees….
I reloaded the patches, etc. and got the thing to play most of the voices….but….I am able to press only one key at a time.
and I know that juno 106’s came multi-fingered.
Please help, i am new to my juno 106.
Hi mate,
Read your post with great interest as I’ve just acquired a Juno 106 myself.
I’ve a problem however I was hoping you could help me with ; the Juno is silent, completely silent. I’ve already ran the test programmes, the voicechip numbers show up, but no sound. Noise/wave-test produce the same results.
So I’ve opened her up and poked my voltsmeter around a bit. I found I’m missing the +15V and -15V output, but I’ll admit I’m fairly rusty on the component level repairs.
Perhaps you’ve an idea or 2 that could help me out reviving this otherwise lovely Juno?
Thanks loads in advance!
Lawrence Robinson
The Netherlands
Hello! Great page here, and very informative. I’ve been reading all the posts here and searching the web for help with my Juno 106, but have found nothing concrete or conclusive. Maybe someone here can help? I’m the second owner of my 106, and it worked great for a few years. Then one day, it began making snap, crackle and pop noises that get louder the longer the synth stays on. These noises only start once the synth has warmed up for 20 minutes or so. I went into the test mode and checked all six voice chips. All six voices make sound, and they are all produce the same volume. However, I did notice that each of the six voices sound just slightly different from one another, but I’m assuming this is normal? I would say that no two voices sound EXACTLY the same, that is, I can hear subtle differences in tone. Regardless, the the noises sound at all times, even when I’m not playing any keys. It’s a complete wash of noise that never stops once it starts. I also played with all the sliders, knobs, etc., and nothing effects the these noises. The noises just keep going and have a mind of their own. It almost sounds like chips or circuitry getting hot and literally burning out or fizzling away. Well, that’s the best I can describe what I’m faced with. Can anyone help a fellow 106 enthusiast? Thank you in advance!
Tom
Hi Tom,
I’m not sure the answer to your problem, BUT, I know who can definitely help you. You need to contact Allen over at the SynthSpa. You can find him listed on Ebay at http://stores.ebay.com/The-Synth-Spa
Allen is currently working on my Voice Chip board and all is going well. He’s a really great guy and should be able to identify your problem. I’m not sure if you are still using the old “resin wrapped” voice chips, but if you are, then it’s likely they are going. Allen can fix that. You may also have other problems with the chips. Again, I’m not an expert, but I can vouch for Allen at the Synth Spa. Highly recommended with regards to fixing the Roland Juno 106 Synth.
Best regards,
Jim
Thank you Jim! Yes, the original “resin wrapped” chips are what I my synth has. I would not be surprised if some of those are dying. But I have no experience with synth repair, just playing and programing. I will get in touch with Allen and see what he can tell me. I appreciate your help!
Tom
I have 3 wave generator chips available for a gutted JUNO i bought a while back (totally wrecked outside but all the voice chips worked great! Go figure!)
Please hit me up if you need any of those for your repairs….sorry no 80017a available anymore :(
I think my Juno 106 is going to be the very first the Synthspa can’t fix. Go figure! We’re into the third month now and it’s still being worked on but it doesn’t look good. I still recommend the Synthspa but I guess it’s no guarantee that your board will get fixed.
I know you probably get this a lot, but I just wanted to say thanks for this blog post. It’s good to have step by step instructions with occasional hilarity!
Following the terrific instruction on this site I was able to restore my Juno – temporarily. I ‘did’ all 6 VCA chips and they all came back, but as my Juno warmed up #6 became intermittent and eventually died completely. Now when I power up I have a Juno 105. Here’s the question I hope someone can answer:
Is there some other electronic component that MAY be killing the output of #6 (after all, it was working), or is the most likely culprit the #6 VCA?
Thanks in advance for any help!
It might be the other chip, the wave shaper chip mc55 or whatever its called.
There are 3 of them so you would need to replace the one that is the 5&6 one.
I have 3 let me know if you need.
Cheers,
Nate
Thank for the reply Nate. Those chips are covered in epoxy (or whatever it is) too. Can they also be resurrected by removing the coating?
Update with my Roland Juno 106 voice chip board under repair at the Synth Spa. http://stores.ebay.com/The-Synth-Spa
SUCCESS!! Allen @ the Synth Spa on Ebay managed to fix my Roland Juno 106 Voice Chip Board. AMAZING! My board actually had bad trace damage along with numerous voice chip issues. There were likely other problems as well so it took a few months to get through it all, but Allen made it happen. I spoke with him on the phone as well and he’s very passionate about what he does and works very hard to achieve success with your voice chip board. He also guarantees his work. Just when I thought he couldn’t fix it, he pulled through and made it happen. Fantastic!
If you are having trouble with your Roland Juno 106, I can’t recommend Allen at the Synth Spa enough. Thank you Allen!!
Now back to jamming on the Juno 106! At last!
Hi, great forum!
I have an issue that i haven’t seen in this entire list. My juno is making sounds without me touching the keys. And touching the keys does nothing. So, as soon as i turn it on it makes continuous sounds, like multiple keys are being held, and occasionally crackling. I can’t enter test mode, I hold the transpose key and turn it on, but it does nothing. When i change banks the sound that plays changes to a different note. Also, the sound oscillates at times.
I pulled the voice chips, soaked them in acetone for 3 days and completely removed the black covering, reinstalled them to no avail.
I’m kind of wondering if it’s the 3 waveform chips, but i can’t find enough information on the symptoms of a failing waveform chip.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Honestly I would send an email to Allen @ SynthSpa. You can find his email address on Ebay. The reason is that he’ll likely know asap what the problem is and in addition provide a solution. If the Juno was working perfect before, but now is failing then to me it’s likely the voice or waveform chips. When I was fixing my Juno it was so much easier to just email Allen who is very nice in his responses. In fact, I believe he has a phone number and would call if possible. I’ve talked to him a couple of times.
I had trace problems on my board and he was able to pinpoint stuff with unbelievable accuracy. Allen socketed all my chips and made everything else extremely easy to replace should I ever have problems. He also offers a lifetime guarantee for his work. My only reason for the Synthspa hype is that I spent the better part of a year screwing around with my Juno 106 and it was such waste of time for me. If I had known and had the confidence to go with Allen @ Synthspa in the first place I would have saved so much trouble. Good luck with your issue and if I can provide any positive response is that IT IS FIXABLE! Not to worry! The Juno 106 Synths are outstanding sythesizers once they are renewed. – JIm
mark i – I have a simular problem to yours, did you find out what was wrong ?
mine turns on but is not functional, no controls work and I am unable to start it up in test-mode.. it makes a continuos tone (coming from vco board but does not pass through vcf & vca)
Hello,
It sounds like your Juno has some major problems, mine only has some sticky tact switches, which need to be fixed by replacing the actual swtiches that are soldered to the Board. Look up The Synth Spa online, they are excellent at repairing Junos. Please disregard the absolutely idiotic suggestion by someone to clean the tact switches with warm soap water,
this is the most ridculous suggestion ever.
Did you check the power rails to see if they are in spec? Also, check connections by unpluging them and using some contact cleaner….Oh yea be careful when checkin the power I don’t want you getting zapped using my advice!
My Juno-106 was in storage for 20 years. When I turned it on today, the first thing I noticed was that all the presets have vanished. I realize that this is because the internal battery is dead and that those presets are battery-dependent. Second, I tried Manual mode and noticed right away that it does not retain pitch. The pitch wavers all over the place. I can probably figure out how to replace the battery, and somewhere I have a cassette tape with all the factory preset data saved. My question: will the pitch problem be solved when I replace the battery? …Or, should I not waste my time and put it out on the curb for trash pickup? Thanks in advance for any replies.
You should be able to put the unit into test mode and see if its a single voice that is causing the problem or maybe keep the unit on for 12 hours to see if it stabilizes….
If the Juno 106 is anything like my Korg Poly-61 then it’s likely a lot of kinks will be ironed out upon replacing the battery. The battery in old analog synths seems to do more than just retain patches on a variety of makes and models. I would recommend getting a fresh new battery in place of the old one and then assess any other problems you might have. You might be pleasantly surprised as I was with my Poly-61 that the problems may disappear. If not, then you have at least eliminated the battery as the culprit. Good Luck!
Hello,
Please forgive my ignorance and lack of proper terminology…. I am totally clueless when it comes to all of this, so I’ll do my best to verbalize my problem and then if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.
First, as you know, when you select a patch and start to edit it, two red dots appear, one next to each number displayed on the LCD which indicats that patch is in edit mode…ok…my problem is, when I call up a patch, it plays normally for a while, then those two dots appear and the sound changes. It’s very annoying, especially in a performance since I play guitar and a sequencer is playing the juno. What could be causing that, and how can I fix it?
Thanks!
It seems like one of the sliders is dirty or faulty and is changing value automatically, therefore triggering the edit dots.
I’ve got the same problem. Goes into edit mode randomly. I took out the noise and resonance sliders as these seemed to be what triggered the edit mode to kick in and cleaned them and burnished the contacts inside and out but still have the same problem. It doesn’t seem to happen when the resonance slider is all the way down. Anyone have any other ideas about this. I’m looking to sell it but I want it to be working right first.
I am re-assembling my juno 106 after cleaning the keyboard contacts. I neglected to note where to reattach a green wire located underneath the pitchbend/modulation assembly.
http://db.tt/Bfoap8On
Any idea where? Thanks for any input you can give me!
We’re a bunch of volunteers and opening a brand new scheme in our community. Your site provided us with helpful information to paintings on. You have done a formidable activity and our whole community might be grateful to you.
I have a Juno 106 with malfunctioning buttons.
Any advice out there on the proper way to clean them?
Thank you very much,
Sam
warm soap water?
This suggestion is absolutely idotic, unhelpful, and dangerous to the health of any Juno, and should be removed by the moderator.
I am regular visitor, how are you everybody? This paragraph posted at
this website is actually nice.
Bought a Juno 106 recently, something wrong. Took it in to service, dude who claimed to love working on Junos couldn’t find the problem. Found your post, within 3 minutes I was able to identify that voice chip 6 is shot. So first of all, THANK YOU.
Not being much of a chord player, I discovered a workaround before I send it away again. Since I am lucky enough to have chip 6 as the busted one, I can just use Poly 2 mode. I barely ever hit 6 notes at once, so this is a good solution for now. I figure once another one blows I’ll just get them all replaced at once.
Once again – Thanks for the informative post.
I have a 106 and haven’t turned it on in over a year..
Everything works like last time, except some of the patch keys on the right side are not engaging, or clicking or basically doing anything no matter how hard or lightly I press on those blue buttons.
[1-9 on the left side work fine, and 8 and 9 on the right side somehow work too, but 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 seem to either be not connecting, or stuck in place.]
Any ideas – ???
Am pretty sure my cat peed on it over a year ago without me realizing it btw.
*And not while it was even plugged-in, let alone powered-on.
Thanks for the advice/help in advance!
Just clean the contacts with 90% or better iso alcohol.
Not just the plastic buttons but the actual switches underneath them…
Cheers,
Nate
P.S. BAD KITTY! ;p
Hi, i have some problems with Roland Juno 106. I got it a few days ago and here is the trouble:
when i first swithed it on, there was no sound at all pressing all keys
then i turned it off and switched again, pressed some keys and there was only cracks , pops and hum and no sounds still.
LCD works, Midi works (connected it via midi cable to my pc, and as a controller it works fine), presets can be switched etc.
what can it be? will be glad for some diagnose as im new in the world of electronics.
thank you in advance
voice chips are dead :(
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Last week I pulled my Juno 106 out of the attic. While playing it, the sound changes on certain keys. Is the type of repair/replacement chip that you instructed in your article above or is this something totally different?
to me it sounds like you are right go through the test mode to find out which voice chip it is.
cheers!
I have been repairing a Juno 106 and I removed the epoxy fromall chips and re-soldiered them. I identified voice 2 as being bad and got a replacement from analogue renaissance (great chips from what i can tell). My problem is that the keyboard works great for a minute or so and then I get a slow and gradual swell of static and the voices diminish so I can only hear static no matter what i press. It appears that something is warming up and introducing this white noise. If I let it sit for 10 minutes it works again but the scenario repeats. So I guess my question is before I start testing every component on this thing is it possible that I have a bad voice chip that only fails when warm. I suspect that if this was the case I would hear the other voices just not the bad one but in my case all voices go dead once the static starts. Listen to the WAV here of my symptoms. http://www.filedropper.com/myrecording25_1
Anybody got anything to add to this?
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My Juno 106 has all of a sudden started going out of tune at random times, but not usually more than 1 or 2 minutes into turning it on. It doesnt matter which tone I am playing either. I pick a tone, it plays fine, and then for no reason the little edit circles appear and the tone is no longer in tune. I can repress the number and it goes back to normal, but then eventually goes back out of tune again. I have checked it with my tuner and it will slowly oscillate between being a quarter tone flat to a quarter tone sharp and just go back and forth, almost like a phaser. I am not sure why it is doing this but am thinking that something that stabilizes the pitch has burned out. There is an excellent repairman here who can fix it I am sure, but I would like to know what the likely cause is before giving him a call.
Hi, bit of an issue with the keyboard on my 106, its 100% not the voice’s, ive checked the contacts on the rubber strip and on the board and given both a good clean, even swapped some o the contacts around but still the same 6-7 keys dont work, i have noticed some small black bubbles which i think may be corrosion, is there any fix for this or are there any people selling such parts? Thanks
Hi Steven,
I have the parts if you need.
If possible take a pic of the area so I can be sure I have the right part for you.
I have several key beds and the pcbs if you need any keys / contacts let me know which ones.
PM me at natere2ster@gmail.com
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I have a problem that I can’t seem to figure out. My Juno 106 works fine but when I connect it using midi, that is midi out from my soundcard to midi in on the juno, It doesn’t play all the midi signals and it seems kind of random.
Any help on this issue would be most appreciated, thanks!
Your whole article summarised:
– Break out the old voice chip
– Solder in a new one
– “Via trial and error (by adjusting the trimmers on the board, and listening for any changes, actually), I’ve discovered that the chips are being counted from right to left. ”
^lol, service manual mate, get it, read it.
– The rest is just padding and you trying to be funny.
For those who haven’t tried, before you go snapping of your supposedly ‘dead chip’ try the acetone solution, it has worked for myself and many other people.
cual es el procedimiento exacto para saber cual es el cip que debo cambiar sin afectar los otros?
gracias y saludos!
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Thanks UmNo, you beat me to it. earpick, you are seriously fucking up and destroying a LOT of perfectly good original chips by telling people to break them off and throw them away. I’ve restored all 6 original chips on 2 Junos so far with no problem whatsoever, and one of them has been in almost daily studio use for many hours a day for more than 2 years now.
DO NOT BREAK OFF THE LEGS OF YOUR CHIPS LIKE THIS HALF-WIT TELLS YOU TO.
Every 6th key on the juno 106 is without sub oscillator. What to do? :)
FYI, just because you break the pins off your chip, you can still solder new ones on once you do the acetone bath and expose the pin seats. I’ve done this several times now, and it works great, especially when I installed pin jacks for easy removal on the PCB.
I pulled my Juno 106 out of the garage after about 12 years and a few keys don’t want to work…….Some have ‘comeback to life’ with use but a few are still not working…..any suggestions? Thanks!
I have a 1983/4 106, (So long ago I can’t remember) which started suddenly losing volume, and the dots appear next to the numbers. Not every time though. I pressed the number again to get the volume back OK. I did the chip test, and with all the sliders at zero, except the volume level in the middle, each chip voice hums playing middle C, but also gives me a ‘morse-code’ sound effect as the hum breaks up. Does it need new chips? Or a clean up somewhere?