| Author |
 Topic  |
|
bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
 Posted - 02/24/2006 : 00:25:42
|
The PCB says SE-50A. Maybe there's more than one version.
Do you have the big orange arrow?  |
 |
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2006 : 00:57:37
|
Mine's blue. Kind of a medium blue. Not really navy blue or a baby blue. Definitely not midnight blue, just a nice medium blue. Maybe a sapphire blue.
 |
Edited by - phostenix on 02/24/2006 01:04:08 |
|
|
|
bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2006 : 01:16:20
|
 Definitely a different version. |
|
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2006 : 01:34:36
|
I think I'm watching too much StrongBad.
And you should be asleep by now, Mr. GMT! Post haste. |
Edited by - phostenix on 02/24/2006 01:35:30 |
|
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
|
|
FridayChild
Copper Member
Italy
15 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2006 : 09:35:40
|
Yes, indeed.
Yesterday night I did some intense Googling and I too came to the conclusion that there are two versions: SE-50 and SE-50A.
The first one has a secondary logic board, mounted upside down on top of the main board, connected to the latter by no less than three connectors, and secured in place by several screws. The battery is somewhere on this logic board, facing down. Between the main board and the secondary board there is a shielding aluminium foil.
Since it was extremely awkward to access the battery, operation than must be done every three years at a maximum, Boss must have decided to reengineer the SE-50 and the result is the SE-50A.
Mine, of course, is the old version. 
I have found a tutorial on how to access the battery on the SE-50, I'll let you know if I succeed and how awkward it really is. |
Edited by - FridayChild on 02/24/2006 09:53:40 |
|
|
|
FridayChild
Copper Member
Italy
15 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2006 : 18:33:35
|
I have successfully replaced the battery. It took 3 euros for a new CR2032 cell and about 15 minutes (I could have done it in less, but I stayed on the safe side). 
After removing the top cover (2 screws on each side and 2 screws on the back) and putting the unit with its back facing me, I removed the three screws next to the midi ports. These screws tie together the external case, a metal plate that surrounds the midi ports, and the top logic board. There is a fourth screw on the top of the board, that provides a further joint point to the metal plate: I removed that screw as well. Then I carefully lifted the logic board on both sides, easing it from the three solid state connectors (two on the left and a smaller one on the right) and then flipped it (without disconnecting the two cables, located near the top border, which connect the PCB to the mainboard below). By doing this, the above mentioned metal plate slid out too. I located the battery and I slid it out of its compartment (I had to lift the little top holder lever a bit and then push the cell out) and slid in the new one.
Upon reassembling, I first put the metal plate back in place, then I lowered the logic board and took care that the pins on it were perfectly aligned with the three solid state connectors; then I gently pushed the board down until it sat again in its connectors (no force is required: if it is, then the pins are not correctly aligned). At this stage you have to take care not to bend those pins.
Then I put back in all the screws and the cover, and voila.
Upon turning on the unit, keep "parameter ^" and "value ^" pressed while pushing the ON button, and then press WRITE twice to restore the factory presets. |
|
|
|
bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2006 : 01:06:32
|
Thanks for the detailed description of the procedure.
There's probably more SE-50 owners that might be looking for some guidance about how to change the battery. |
|
|
|
FridayChild
Copper Member
Italy
15 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2006 : 14:28:51
|
Thanks, I hope my description will be useful to others.
By the way, I think that the backup battery on my MIDI valve preamplifier (a Marshall JMP-1) will need to be replaced too. And this will be a nightmare that will make the above described procedure look like a kindergarten game. The JMP-1 battery is somehow SOLDERED to the main board, or so it seems from the scarce informations I've gathered so far.
And the fact of losing all the user settings sucks mightly, too, considering that the battery replacement is a routine task.
Therefore I ask: we all know that the "system exclusive" function allows for quick saving & restoring of all the customized settings.
What I'm confused about is: what kind of device must I connect the SE-50 (or the JMP-1, for that matter) to in order to save the data? I suspect that, unless one owns an identical unit, the only way to do that would be to connect it to a personal computer running some kind of MIDI data storage software, using a special MIDI cable (DIN to game port). Am I right? Any suggestions about this (names of software, other ways of accomplishing this) more than welcome. |
|
|
|
phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2006 : 22:53:49
|
FridayChild,
I haven't gotten far enough into the SE-50's 144 page manual to see anything about off-loading settings, so I'm of no help there.
Who solders batteries in place? That's crazy.
Another thread on delay clock noise reminded me that when I was working on my ME-50, I was running it with just the PCB's out of the enclosure. Without the foil shield & proper grounding, it sure did whine.
Now that it's fully assembled, it sounds great. I probably should have replaced that battery while I had it apart, but I've gotten pretty good at dis-assembly & re-assembly of this unit. 
Grace and peace,
Steve
|
|
|
|
FridayChild
Copper Member
Italy
15 Posts |
Posted - 03/21/2006 : 09:02:58
|
I have bought a MIDI-to-soundcard cable (two male DIN round connectors for MIDI out and MIDI in, and a male DB15 connector to plug in to the MIDI/joystick port of a PC) for 15 euros, and then I have been able to save all the parameters to my PC using a small shareware program called SendSX.
Now the next battery swap will find me ready. And that goes for all other MIDI devices with "sysex dump" capabilities. 
Hope this is useful too. Make this thread sticky. |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Se-50 and GE-21
