casio SK-60

[andy_wheels]

thanks for the help guys.

so all ten points of the ic go to just one pot?? weird... how did he ever work that one out?

i read somewhere that reed also mentions you can fry the machine somehow using his bends. is this true?

[the_zombiest]

I think that's with his reset button.
He warns against holding it down to reset but just lightly tapping it instead.
Out of those 10 points, half of them are identical to the other half 

[gmeredith]

Andy,

While you've got your sk60 open, could you tell me what the writing on the RAM chip is? If I can find out what the RAM is, I may be able to see if it's possible to do a sample memory expansion on it, like the sk8.

The RAM chip should be a 28 pin chip, perhaps with the number 256 amongst the numbers.

Cheers, Graham

[the_zombiest]

Hey Mr. Wheels...

Have you found anything spectacular in the Sk60 yet?

[bendboy]

I recently got a SK-60, I hear I am lucky, since they are rare in the USA!
The sound quality is wonderful, but as others have said here, the only reliable bends seem to deal with
the sampling functions only, but power supply mess should do something!
Luckily, it uses an external ram; 1 pin is clearly R/W select, all the others are data lines!!
If you slow the clock speed down, you can get longer sampling times than 6 seconds, but it sounds crap, in a good way
I was able to get at least 20 seconds out of it this way, and the lower clock makes the KB sound cooler!!
Will post sounds when I have time...

[gmeredith]

Hi bendboy,

So what did you use to slow the clock down?

If you open your sk60 up again sometime soon, can you write down what's on the RAM chip and let me know? I'm itching to do a sample memory expansion on one of these.

Cheers, Graham

[gmeredith]

I've just got information about the SK60 RAM chip, it's a Hitachi HM62256BLSP-8 256k (32x8kbit) SRAM. This means that you can do the same sample memory expansion on this thing just like on the SK5/SK8, sweet 

The way to do this is to download the SK5/8 sample memory expansion instructions from the Yahoo SK groups site, in a folder labelled "32x memory expansion":

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/CasioSK/files/

But you'll need to join the group in order to access and download from the files section (may as well, there are lots of other goodies there for the SK's)

You can basically follow the assembly instructions word for word to suit the SK60, except for mounting the RAM socket. Here, the SK60 SRAM (the HM62256BLSP-8) is a narrower chip than the larger and wider Texas Instruments BQ4016y 8MBit NVRAM chip for the 32x expansion. You'll need to solder wires to the legs of the socket for the new BQ4016y chip, then bend inward and solder the wires into the circuit board holes where the original chip used to be. Now, you can plug the new chip into the socket on the board.  From then on, it's straightforward as per the instructions.

Cheers, Graham

[andy_wheels]

Andy,

While you've got your sk60 open, could you tell me what the writing on the RAM chip is? If I can find out what the RAM is, I may be able to see if it's possible to do a sample memory expansion on it, like the sk8.

The RAM chip should be a 28 pin chip, perhaps with the number 256 amongst the numbers.

Cheers, Graham

sorry to have been so useless at getting back to you about the ram chip... i've been busy and then went on holiday for a couple of weeks. glad to see you found out the info you needed without my help.

i've yet to start poking around in my sk60. maybe this week...

[Circuitbenders]

If i recall correctly what you want to do on the SK60 is to sample a sound and them make some shorts between the RAM chip pins. If you sample a new sound over the top and then disconnect the shorts then the first sound and the new sound will be spliced into each other in all kinds of wierd ways. You can do this oever and over again reversing and effecting the old  sound for some fantastic sequenced loops.

Kind of like circuitbent wavesequencing.

[sensor]

Each of the ten points from the IC make connection with the pot.  The actual point on the board to solder the connection for the pot seems missing on the board scan!  There are three points in a vertical row in the book close together and the point you need is the one in the middle, though it is not there .

the marked points arn't the pins of the ic. they are  just a line of r's. am i right?
but if i bend my sk-60 i have take the ram-pins? all pins on one pot??

[sensor]

Luckily, it uses an external ram; 1 pin is clearly R/W select, all the others are data lines!!
If you slow the clock speed down, you can get longer sampling times than 6 seconds, but it sounds crap, in a good way
I was able to get at least 20 seconds out of it this way, and the lower clock makes the KB sound cooler!!
Will post sounds when I have time...

please, tell me, how can i reduce the sampleclock.

[sensor]

does anyone know some additional bendings to the ones of ghazala. these mods i already made. line in and line out i also installed.

matthias

[ne7]

clockspeed = prob something to do with replacing the crystal ?

[sensor]

but where is the crystal.

[bendboy]

Be sure to try messing with the ram pins WHILE recording, the effects are even stranger....

The clock is a metal can on the TOP of the board, look at the picture posted here, it is at the top, just left and up from the big ic chio. The board has to be flipped over. I think it is a 22 or 28MHZ, VERY fast! put in a 14 or 7 or 3.58 color crystal-this keyboard can really sound evil and menacing...clocked down.