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Serge 3 Boat System Rebuild |
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I am rebuilding a Serge modular into three custom boxes for a customer. The customer provided panels, boxes, and original Serge PCBs. There is a lot of good information on Serge at www.serge.synth.net/.
I first removed any potentiometers and wiring from the PCBs cleaned up the soldering, and washed the boards. Originally there were two aluminum strips that fit into the PCB edge and was wired tied. The strips were mounted with screws through the front panel. I wanted a clean front panel and something more robust than wire ties and easy access for service.
I mounted 1/4" x 1/4" aluminum bars horizontal and used hinged standoffs on the bottom with fixed standoffs on the top so wiring could be accessed easily. The panels have more space at the top than at the bottom so I centered the bars on the rear with have no visible mounting screws. I made four aluminum brackets that mounted on the rear using components which support the aluminum bar with a standoff. The result is there are only four screws on the panel for mounting into the aluminum box.
This image shows the 1/4" x 1/4" bar across the top and bottom of the panel, the four mounting brackets, and the fixed standoffs on the top and the hinged standoffs on the bottom. I used 3/4" standoffs to allow ample room for the wiring to fold when the PCBs are mounted. There is adequate clearance between PCB components and the bottom of the box.
This close-up image shows the aluminum bracket with a countersunk 4-40 screw into the threaded 1/4" x 1/4" bar.
The PCBs mounting is very sturdy and the hinged standoffs work well. This image shows the 106B VCO open for wiring the panel.
I made a small power distribution board with filter capacitors and a +6V supply with two 4 pin connectors to the modules.
The power distribution board fits nicely down the side of the cabinet. I used a Heyco to strain relief the cable. One connector is dedicated to the VCO and the other connector is for power daisy chained to the other modules.
The following pages details construction and the modules in each of the boxes. I have photos of all the modules and some scope images but do not repeat them if used in a subsequent box.