dead alesis ion main output pre-amp FIXED!!

[danialad]

man-009, thanks. tested and i've got v1.06... which i assume is the newest. is there anyway you can test the volume pot thing i mentioned in my last post? that would confirm i need to replace my volume pot.

[man-009]

don't know? sorry- but it's good you have the new OS 1.06!

[Ry-Fi]

MAN-009 (Tim), you sent me a PM but I couldn't respond because you have PM'ing disabled :-S

Looks like you know what you need to do though.

[Yekuku]

I am sorry to hear that replacing the fets did not solve your problem. A broken volume pot was the most obvious reason, but the faulty fets are famous for causing this behaviour.
Anyway, u can run ion's diagnostic mode by following the instructions on p18 from the service manual, but I am afraid that there is no test for the volume pot.

[man-009]

sorry Ry-Fi. will look into that..

[EmptySet]

about my ion, unfortunately, i noticed the Ion self editing tonight. the synth was idle. i left it with the preset sound name on the screen. went up stairs for about 15min then came down and the screen was on the filter screen? this happened two other times tonight. so i guess i got the self editing prob now. sucks! ......( just added ) I found out i have OS 1.00 in my ion. very old. i need to put OS 1.06 in my Ion asap! this may fix the bug i read.

I am having problems with this self-editing issue too and I already have the latest OS upgrade. So, that's not going to fix it. When I emailed Alesis about this awhile ago, they weren't at all helpful. They said it needed to be repaired, but they couldn't offer me the name of any place that would actually repair it. (and I live in the same state as Chicago) Does anyone know about this issue and even better, know if there is a remedy?

[danialad]

this self editing is news to me. does it happen while the synth is being played? or only when it sits for awhile?

[EmptySet]

this self editing is news to me. does it happen while the synth is being played? or only when it sits for awhile?

Either way. It basically displays a screen as if you had just edited a parameter. For me, it shows the ADSR.

[man-009]

it's random. i noticed it more not playing it here on my end. but i still love the synth and should upgrade the OS asap anyways. maybe it will help mine? some people don't have issues with v1.06. just make sure before you buy one to ask questions first as i did, but was lied to about the condition big time.

[danialad]

she's all better now! replacing the volume pot did the trick! so now i've got a fully working ion with OS1.6, new jfets and a new volume pot... woo!

next step... paint'r (burnt orange(?) w/ black side panels),put on the new knobs (black w/ chrome tips), and make/apply all new (most likely black) decals.

can't decide if i want to go glossy or not. hm.

[Yekuku]

Hey I am glad to hear this...
Now I can stop feeling guilty about talking you into changing the FETs
Good luck with your mods, post pics when its done

[man-009]

cool. sounds good. send a pic of the new paint job!!!!! thinking about doing that with my Micron i picked up for only $150.. but green and black!!!

[crystalmsc]

It's been a while, any update about the painting job?

[melee]

Rekindling an old post here - I have low volume issues on mine, going to start with the FETS. I haven't soldered before but am fearless and ready to learn (I have to disassemble the synth anyway). I heard it is tough because of the small space, is that true? Any tips to make this painless?

[bassdude]

I have the same questions as the guy above me, as well as another:

I've heard that even after replacing the FETs, they can go bad again. Is replacing the FETs a permanent fix, or is this a chronic flaw with the ION? Are they destined to keep going bad?