Of course no project would be complete without a little bodge. I made a small mistake in the Ramdisk circuit. Not a big deal, but I had to add a bodge resistor 😅 I also put the NiMh battery pack in a safe place #Turbokit #Gem #S2 #elecronics #synth

With all the AI slop and advertisements that fill everything, we often forget how wonderful Internet still is. I could easily get in touch with one of the original developers of the #GEM #S2 #synthesizer, to which I sent my blog post about the #Turbokit replica. He kindly replied and seemed happy to learn that someone was still interested in a 30 year old instrument!

I finished proofreading the blog post on my webpage: http://davbucci.chez-alice.fr/index.php?argument=elettronica/gem_s2/gem_s2.inc I hope you'll enjoy! #Turbokit #GEM #Generalmusic #S2 #S3 #electronics #diy #synthdiy

By the way, I managed to have the Ramdisk working reliably. Look at that whopping 2048KB free! #turbokit #GEM #S2 #Generalmusic

I wrote a (lengthy) article for my blog about the #GEM #S2 #Turbokit. I still have to proofread it, so it is still a little rough around the edges, but if you want to give a peek here it is: http://davbucci.chez-alice.fr/index.php?argument=elettronica/gem_s2/gem_s2.inc #music #homepage #blog #generalmusic #electronics #DIYelectronics #diy #diysynth

This is amazing, I am so happy it works. It was my first 4-layer PCB I designed from scratch on #KiCad! #GEM #S2 #turbokit #replica

Big win! I installed the #Turbokit on the #GEM #S2 and after some fiddling IT WORKS! I waited this moment since 1996 🥰 The #PCB was correct and the components were perfect, but it took a while to fix all the bad solder joints. Gosh, those 0402x8 resistor networks are SMALL and it took a while to learn to solder them properly (hot air and flux are your friends). Now, I only have to install the NiMh battery in a safe way. #electronics #sinthdiy #diy #music #Generalmusic #S3

The #Turbokit replica for the #GEM #S2 is complete. I will check it again and then install it on my synthesiser. I hope it will work! It is a little heavy because of the EPROMs, so if the board works I will 3D print a support bracket. #electronics #synth

I started assembling the #Turbokit replica for my #GEM S2. I had some troubles soldering the tiny 8-resistor networks but I managed to do it in a reasonable amount of time. I just ordered a 4-resistor network in the wrong package and some connectors and the EPROMs are still missing. A nice board, I like it, I hope it will work 😅

I received a few days ago the 4-layer board I designed for the #Generalmusic #S2 #Turbokit replica. It looks very nice, let’s hope it works 🙂 I will assemble it in the next few weeks, then I will try to install it on my keyboard.