Korg Polysix gets hot

ZeroBusiness · Post by **ZeroBusiness** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:34 am

Hi guys,

I've just gotten a Korg Polysix in a trade. Guy I traded with was nice and changed the battery before we traded, saw him do it and everything looked fine. The synth is in good working condition, the knobs and memory work fine. It's just that the synth gets really hot, especially in the center, over the VCF, VCA and effects section; the rest is relatively cold. Is this normal with old analog gear? If not, what could be wrong? Thanks

iProg · Post by **iProg** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:38 am

This is normal for all analog synths; the Polysix is almost 30 years old. It is generally not a problem and will only cause slightly unstable oscillators...

ZeroBusiness · Post by **ZeroBusiness** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:42 am

Oh so nothing will explode or melt inside? Lol
My Moog LP doesn't seem to be getting any hotter when it's on though...

iProg · Post by **iProg** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:56 am

If your PolySix explodes, I'm Fred Astaire.

Modern analog synths do not get overheated.

ZeroBusiness · Post by **ZeroBusiness** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:56 am

Alright

My mind will be more at rest
Thank you

justinvm · Post by **justinvm** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:53 am

The polysix has a heatsink with voltage regulators mounted in its center. It's supposed to get hot as it is drawing heat away from those regulators which get hot very quickly.

iProg · Post by **iProg** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:58 pm

Exactly. It normally gets hot were the logotype "KORG" is on the backside, and in that case it's just working all right!

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:19 pm

My MonoPoly used to get hot enough to heat a room, and it never had any problems as a result.
Korgs of that vintage put off heat, that's all there is to it.

CJ the noisemaker · Post by **CJ the noisemaker** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:27 pm

Automatic Gainsay wrote:My MonoPoly used to get hot enough to heat a room, and it never had any problems as a result.
Korgs of that vintage put off heat, that's all there is to it.

Hold on Marc, did you sell your Monopoly?!

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 7:13 pm

CJ the noisemaker wrote:
Automatic Gainsay wrote:My MonoPoly used to get hot enough to heat a room, and it never had any problems as a result.
Korgs of that vintage put off heat, that's all there is to it.
Hold on Marc, did you sell your Monopoly?!

Yep.
I needed cash to buy something else, and I was never quite into its aesthetic.
Never fear, though... I still believe it to be one of the best monosynths ever released, especially for its current price.

garranimal · Post by **garranimal** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:57 pm

When it comes to "hot" I use the touch rule. If you can touch it, leave your hand there, and the warmth isn't uncomfortable then it is probably ok. Heck, my laptop gets too warm sitting on my lap for an extended period, but it's normal.

On this subject, is there a way to verify things are not too warm? What is an acceptable highest temperature in electronic equipment? Infrared thermometers can be purchased affordably at Home Depot and could be used to spot check surface temperatures. I have this...

spookyman · Post by **spookyman** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:13 am

The Polysix become a little bit warm, but still less than the Korg Trident (i also had), or...the Jupiter 8. You can allmost cook an egg on the Jupiter 8 after 5 hours of use, or switch off the heating installation of your home studio and use the Jupiter 8 as replacement.

No, it's absolut normal...that makes the typical warm and analogic sound character !

Sexor · Post by **Sexor** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:14 am

Yeah... my Polysix is the same, around and above the "KORG" logo it is quite hot.

ZeroBusiness · Post by **ZeroBusiness** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:05 am

Thanks all of you guys for the replies
My Mod Wheel isn't working on the Polysix, anybody would have an idea why, besides bad connection?

Korg Polysix gets hot

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