Membrane Switch Cure
By Mike Walters
www.mysterycircuits.com
mike@mysterycircuits.com
Moog 'The Source' Membrane Switch Cure
The Moog Source was an excellent analog synthesizer made in the early 1980's. It used a "modernized" method of editing waveforms and accessing parameters by pressing flat buttons on a panel full of membrane switches. Editing the parameter values was done with a wheel. Not the classic way of tweaking knobs, which is so great about analog synthesizers, in my opinion. The problem with Membrane Switches, is they go bad after awhile. Now that these synthesizers are about 25 years old, many of the Membrane Switch Panels are going bad making this synthesizer unusable.
Julie Landry contacted me about her Moog Source. When she bought it, most of the membrane switches were bad. She asked me if I could rewire it with real switches. Reluctantly, I finally said yes. One year later, she got her synthesizer back with a completely new switch panel with real stinkin buttons, and blue lights.
I took pictures of the entire project, and gathered all the data for the switch pin outs. If you would like to modify your broken Source, follow these instructions. Well, at least the pin outs, otherwise do as you wish!
Some other devices that use membrane switches are microwave ovens, Speak&Spells, remote controls, and cash registers at fast food restaurants.
Here is The Source Before:
Here is The Source After:
