First Installation in 2002
Replaced all decoupling caps
Syndyne LS 6400 - couldn't use due to load on highly sensitive Rodgers analogue circuits
Attempting to discover midi encoder connection points which would not upset Rodgers analogue circuitry
And again, and again, and again..........................
Upgrading Rodgers Type VIII Power Supply
New 100kuf Capacitor installed
Platform required for carpeted floor at new Sunshine Beach house
Carpeted platform
The only way in for the console at the new house was by crane!
Sunshine Beach music room - just moved in
Guts from Jerrell's 340 swapped for original 340 combo action and Syndyne LS6400
Sundstrom Tibia! No, it didn't work.
Working on analogue additions using extra oscillators and audio cards from Jerrell's 340.
More analogue work! I had to remove components changed by Lee Sundstrom to suit the his additions to Jerrell's circuits - generator by generator to bring these boards back to spec. Hours, and hours........
Will it never end?
Despite the scaffolding my fear of heights did not diminish - what a lunatic!
Installing speaker systems on rear wall - failed experiment - sounded like crap!
Heart in mouth time - combo action removed!
Opus Two installation - aborted due to Dave Milton being ahead of himself at the time - no longer the situation these days. There are many successful Opus Two installations.
More Opus Two - all product was returned for a full refund.
Heart still in mouth - Opus Two removed and here I am commencing prep work for John Andrews' Tonal Resources Combo action.
Tonal Resources driver card with two wiring templates that I created out of manila folders
Wiring template in use. Thanks JA! What an excellent idea.
More TR combo action assembly
That template in use again!
First TR driver card In place in console.
2nd TR driver card in place
TR mobo and driver cards installed with PS and battery backup
New Combo action installed
Sunshine Beach Main Chamber construction
Sunshine Beach Solo Chamber construction. These were two upstairs bedrooms which were also used as my office (Solo) and storage (Main)
Power on/off relay for chamber audio - more ingenuity from John Andrews
Neil Jensen playing the expanded analogue outcome just after studio sound proofing had commenced (not yet painted), and just after audio installed in upstairs chambers.
I tried Vern Jones' Sound Research products - loading issues continued as they had with all other products.
Another excellent quality Sound Research board being tested. Still no success.
Strengthening of grounding in Type VIII Power Supply
More of the same. Completing this task with more instrument-wide installation of more robust grounding resulted in the Artisan µMIDI input cards working without upsetting the Rodgers audio circuits
New output screen for expanded analogue audio
Completed music studio/chamber outcome @ Sunshine Beach. Looked and sounded great. This worked because the sound of each chamber was mixed before entering the listening area. Whereas the on wall installation earlier on did not as there was no mixing.
Sold Sunshine Beach house so organ had to come out and be stored in garage. Another crane!
While in the garage I commenced replacing the common rails with individual to the SAM commons - a lot of work!
New individual commons
More new commons
Never throw the combo action woodwork out - makes for excellent stop rail support! Especially now that the rails weigh so much more now that there are more SAMs installed.
First µMIDI installation
Which kept growing - like rabbits!
Combination analogue and sampled instrument at this point
Organ audio is behind screens for analogue/sampled instrument at Noosa Banks music room #1.
Audio out for combined instrument which is becoming less, and less analogue - the rack spaces are created by ever disappearing analogue circuits!
With 3 PCs now running (two Gigastudio 3 DAWs and one for recording) noise was an issue. Zalman coolers to the rescue!
A picture taken for Bob and Betty Arndt so that they could ascertain the engraving baselines for the unique Rodgers 340 'medium' backrail stoptabs. Rodgers 340 console design demonstrated genius at so many levels.
More of the growing µMIDI 'farm'. This is actually the relay for the Gigastudio 3 instrument.
Rack for audio and midi cards.
TR eSAM testing prototype. John Andrews created a new card for his combo action, the eSam which causes a lit piston to be seen by his CA as a SAM.
Initial templates for cheek drilling together with mock up using original Rodgers 340 pistons
First pair of cheeks drilled.
All cheeks drilled.
Time to pull out the stop rails - notice how many labelled stop tabs there are at this point!
Stop rails out!
Keyboards out!
Rails gutted and refelted with commencement of new tab/SAMs installed in Pedal Division
First run at installation of new tabs. I broke the 1st (notice the crack in the 32'?) by being overzealous with the wrong sized tab to SAM screw! There was lots to learn.
My original concept was to do the grand piano thing - black externals and walnut internals but the refinishing could not match the original and the new finish looked, well, amateurish.
Notice the contrast in the two different walnut finishes
The walnut internal test provided me with a complete run through at installing all of the main rail SAMs and tabs which then had to come out so that the rails and partials could be finished in satin black!
Notice the difference in the engraving. On the right is Rodgers font, on the left, WurliTzer. And despite what anyone tells you, no one out there can match the Rodgers font exactly.
All gutted and ready to go to the painters.
Layout using paper templates for the reconfigured TR combo action with e-SAMs.
Boo hoo! Where has the console gone!
Still waiting for the console to return
Back from the painters! I didn't even wait before taking this pic - the kneeboard (kickboard?) and swell shoes are already installed!
Piston rails
Cheeks
Side jambs
Rails refelted and ready for SAMs
Rails fully populated, µMIDI input boards in foreground
Keyboards, rails, kneeboard, and swell shoes re-installed
µMIDI wiring completed
Internal rear
Internal rear 2
Cheeks redrilled due to being made incorrect size by two pack finish. So easy with 11/16" holes. A 1/32" differential can make it impossible to fit the Syndyne lit pistons (no longer made in these dimensions).
Rebalancing pedalboard to AGO specs on the dining table!
Cheek wiring festoons almost too pretty to solder in!
Cheek wiring at rear of keyboards
Coming Together
Mess!
Completed cheeks RHS
Completed cheeks LHS
Divider trickery
TR eSAM combo action wiring underway
Power relay
New power supplies and on/off relay
Power supplies with SMPS dump supply installed
That 100kµf cap did not go to waste! Love the heavy duty high current cable?
Final console µMIDI installation.
Completed in mid 2006 and located in Noosa Banks music room #1
Up close and personal
Noosa Banks Music Room #2 audio layout
Music Banks Music Room #2 - location as at May 2008
