Casio SK60 mods

[gmeredith]

Well I've been having a lot of fun playing with my new SK60 - this thing is amazing! The sampling quality is much better and clearer than the earlier SK1/5/8 - you can actually sample hihats on the sample pads and actually recognise them as hihats  

I've just done a couple of simple but essential mods to it:

1. Line out jack installed

- just a simple job, get a standard guitar type socket and wire it in parallel with the speaker, and just put a 5k resistor in the socket signal wire connection. I used a jack that had a set of switches built into it such that when I plug in a lead to the socket, it disconnects the internal speaker

2. Line in jack installed


- a bit trickier, but you can tap into the board just after resistor labelled R119 (a 22k resistor) on the circuit board with your jack line wire. The ground wire of the jack can be connected to the same circuit point as the inbuilt brown mic wire. You can then have a manual switch to switch off the mic while recording line in, or use a jack with a switch so it automatically disconnects the mic.

This seems to work well, except that it seems to have some sort of small voltage offset triggering the sample start automatically, even if there is no signal going in, and when you play it back, you hear a small pop or click at the very start of the sample. Perhaps putting the signal wire just before R119 instead of after may stop this - I'll let you know when I try it sometime. Other than that, it works - I've been recording loops from my computer line out into it and it sounds great!

Next - a 16x memory expansion!

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

OK fixed the line-in audio click issue - I changed the tap in point to the point between R133 and C124, where they join. These are written on the circuit board, and the particular capacitor C124 looks like a resistor, only pink. This gives an instrument level input - like a passive electric guitar. It can take line level or headphone level from an amp but you have to turn the amp volume down quite a lot to prevent overloading it.

Here are the connection points for the line-in mod:

http://www.warningwillrobinson.com.au/guides/Casio%20SK60%20PCB%20points%20for%20line%20in.jpg

[gmeredith]

OK I've just completed a 16x sample memory expansion on the SK60 - now I have 64 samples! The hardest part was making up a custom IC socket to fit the larger 16x expansion chip into the old chips PCB holes, once removed. It has a slimline variant of a 256k SRAM chip - same 28 pins, only just very narrow, like a 16 pin small chip width. I got a standard large socket to fit the new 32 pin chip, and on whole side row of pins soldered wires to them and bent them and threaded them through the holes on the PCB. A bit fiddly but works like a charm!

This machine is awesome, even unbent. You should all get one!

I'll make up a guide, of course, and post it up here for you all, with pics.

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

Here is the SK60 16x sample illustrated expansion guide:

http://www.warningwillrobinson.com.au/guides/Casio%20SK60%2016x%20memory%20expansion.pdf

Enjoy!

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

Hi all,

I've just come back to working on my SK60 after a very busy time doing other things.
I've just installed a Highly Liquid MIDI IN/out UMR2 board in this thing and it's great!
Easy install, works like a charm - makes a great little portable master keyboard controller, it's so small and light, just throw it in a back pack with a laptop/iPad and do some on the road sampling/controlling.

Cheers, graham

[nonsuchpro]

Cheers bro!

[kloroplaster]

Great work!

[gmeredith]

Excuse the old thread post, but someone asked me recently about the connections for the SK60 for the UMR2 MIDI board. Here are the connections SK PCB connections here:

[gmeredith]

Here is the UMR2 board connections

[gmeredith]

UMR2 data out connections. These go to SK PCB matrix connections 12 (orange), 11 (red), 10 (brown) and 9 (black).
Please note that the red wire joining the polarity jumper pads on the LHS of the UMR2 board is INCORRECT. After taking that photo (done while constructing the board) and testing it, it was found to be the incorrect polarity. the wires should be bridging the negative pad - NOT the positive. The correct jumper is in the previous photo with a tiny red jumper instead

[gmeredith]

Drum pad connections. You only need one wire connection to get the UMR2 to access all 4 drum pads. It connects from this SK point to the UMR2 DATA pad 5 (it's not shown connected as yet in the above photos)

[PATATAJEC]

Excuse the old thread post, but someone asked me recently about the connections for the SK60 for the UMR2 MIDI board. Here are the connections SK PCB connections here:

Hey! It was me asking . Thank you!

For everyone looking for UMR2. Check https://www.pharmasonic.jp for it. I bought 5 of them for my 2 sk60's, Philips PMC100, Yamaha VS200 and for.... I'll find something

[gmeredith]

I wish you could still get the first MIDI board - it had a DIP switch where you could change the MIDI channel instantly

[Circuitbenders]

For everyone looking for UMR2. Check https://www.pharmasonic.jp for it. I bought 5 of them for my 2 sk60's, Philips PMC100, Yamaha VS200 and for.... I'll find something

We've had people send these in with kit they want them fitted too, and on at least 3 or 4 we've had problems that meant the same note on every octave wouldn't respond, or similar issues. This always seems to be down to bad SMD soldering on the PIC chip.
Once you reflow the joints they work fine, but its something to consider if you have any problems.

[gmeredith]

Thanks for the heads up, Paul, I was considering getting some.

Cheers, Graham