SE1/SE1X Upgrade tutorial
by Luca Pilla
www.syntheasy.com


If you own an old SE1 or a modern SE1x, this tutorial is for you. You will find how to make an audio In mod for SE1, and how to make the snappification of enevelopes for every SE1/SE1X in the world. You can let Studio Electronics make the upgrade and fixes (and thet will tune it also!) The upgrade is easy, but you need the right tools and some skills in electronic. I'm not responsable in anyway for what can happen to your SE1/SE1X for this tutorial, of course. TAKE AWAY THE POWER CHORD WHEN YOU ARE WORKING ON THIS FIX, ALWAYS!!!!

Start with the right tools

You will need a soldering iron (1), a little manual pump to keep out solder (2), a diagonal cutter to cut the lead from resistors, a Philips screwdriver (5) and little piers (6)



Disassembling your SE1

Remove the screws on the upper and front panel

Now remove the three screws on frontal panel.



On the rear, remove the audio out nut. Now you are ready to extract the voice board, removing these screws (yellow circles) and one connector (red circle)
Audio In modification for SE1 (not for SE1X)

Locate the R300 resistor, unsolder and lift the side of resistor pointing to C58


Now take a standard swithing jack: blue cable is tip and it has to be soldered with R300. The white cable goes in the free hole from unsoldered R300


Here you can view the blue one connected to R300, and the white (check it out) to the opposite side


You need to make a new hole in the back panel to insert the audio In.


Envelope snappification for SE1 and SE1X

To exctract the CPU board, you need to remove two screws and five spacers (yellow circles), the power connector and two ribbon cables (red circles).



Buy the right resistor (47K). You can use also a lower value to make the enevelopes faster, but too fast and VCA popping will be too loud!!



Now, for SE1 change R42 (220K) with new resistor (47K)



For SE1X change R44 with the new one (R44is beetwen U27 and U28/29). In this picture the resistor is the right 47K 1/2 W



Check the battery, if your SE is five years old!




You have finished with the fixes. Now, before to close your SE, power up it and see if everything is right. If you make an error in power connection, you will see smoke.... not a good signal. If everything is ok, close your SE with the upper panel. Enjoy the new envelopes and audio in!

Luca