Well, the Systemizer was basically an XK without the keyboard.

The XK was a MIDI controller that did some rather nice stuff. It was
originally designed as the controller for the Oberheim Xpander, but MIDI
being what it is it worked with all kinds of keyboards.

It was quite light -- it was very shallow, with a two space LED display and
not much else on the case except some buttons to program it. It had, IIRC,
76 keys and the obligatory two wheels.

I had one for a short time, but I couldn't resist trading it for a Revision
3.3 Prophet 5. I remember it being a great controller, and when I had my
systemizers I got to know the features a lot better and discovered some
interesting things. The systemizer is a combination of the wonderful key
mapping options of the XK along with some additional functions. I used one
live for a while to very good effect. What I wanted was a Systemizer with
two MIDI in ports and 4 MIDI out ports, as my rig got too big to just use 16
MIDI channels.

-----Original Message-----
From: oberheim@yahoogroups.com [mailto: oberheim@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf
Of Steve
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 2:43 PM
To: oberheim@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [oberheim] Re: The Perf/X units are all the same board! Cyclone,
Strummer, Drummer plz read!





Hey, guys,

I've had an Oberheim Drummer for a long time, I think I bought it in 1992 or
so. After seeing one of the youtube demos of an Arp Quadra, I was thinking
about getting an arpeggiator (I've never had one), and my thoughts turned to
the cyclone. Not long after google I ended up here.

The thought that I could transform my drummer into a cyclone with just an
EPROM and a case of beer for my buddy with the eprom burner leaves me at a
loss for words!

I know it's often frowned upon for people to join groups just to download
files. Not sure whether it's that way for this group, but I thought I'd at
least leave this note to say "THANK YOU!" I'm not sure how much of a group
contributor I'll be, as this is the only piece of OB equipment I own.

So, somebody mentioned that these Perf/X units were derived from the code in
an XK. If you feel like enlightening a newbie, what's an XK

Thanks again!

--> Steve

--- In oberheim@yahoogroups.com <mailto:oberheim%40yahoogroups.com> , "Paul
J. White" <pjwhite@...> wrote:

>
> In theory, you should be able to switch RAMs at the same time you switch

ROMs, so you don't lose data when changing from one program to the next. It
would require more RAM chips, or one with larger capacity.

>
> By the way, do you know what processor the Perf/X gadgets use
>
> -- Paul White
>
>
> At 03:17 PM 2/9/2010, you wrote:
>
> >It looks like this thread has been dead for a long time, but I wanted to

check in case anyone had learned anything new, and comment on an unanswered
question.

> >
> >If these units are all identical except for a single ROM IC, it should be

possible to replace that IC with a customized larger bank switching IC such
that an external switch would permit choosing the function of the unit. This
has been done with various computers and game consoles to allow switching OS
roms or games, respectively.

> >
> >I would assume, however, that the battery backed memory would be lost and

have to be wiped each time the function was changed, since the data format
for each function would not necessarily be compatible (Strummer settings
wouldn't work for the Cyclone, etc).

> >
> >Next, there was a question in this tread about upgrading the memory in

these units. This is documented in some of the manuals (Strummer and
Drummer), so memory can be upgraded as follows:

> >
> >--
> >Memory Size
> >...
> >Your Perf/X comes stock with 8K of RAM (Random Access Memory). It can be

expanded to 32K of RAM allowing user patters to be recorded in all 100
presets/longer riff's to be recorded. While the procedure is relatively
simple, caution against static electricity must be exercised to avoid
destroying your unit. The services of qualified tech should be used to
change the memory chip. In case of problems occurring after a memory
expansion, Oberheim will make the sole determination as to the correctness
of the procedure and the cause of failures in circuitry.

> >
> >Memory Expansion: (works in ALL Perf/X)
> >
> >To expand the memory, replace the memory chip inside the Perf/X with
> >a 32K x 8 low power static RAM (SRAM) with a speed of 150nS or
> >better. (The Hitachi part number for this is a UM62256A-15L. Other
> >brands will work fine. The "generic" part number is 62256.)
> >--
> >
> >These chips appear to be available, on eBay for example.
> >
> >A quick look inside my Strummer reveals an HY6264LP-10 chip currently

installed, which appears to be the standard 8K RAM. Once I get this unit
backed up, I plan to upgrade.

> >
> >I don't see any mention of the RAM upgradability in the manual for the

Cyclone, but the section in the Drummer manual does say _ALL_, so if the 8K
IC is there, the Cyclone should be upgradable too, presumably increasing
sequence memory.

> >
> >Finally, my Strummer has a card slot that is populated by the appropriate

card end (male) but I have no idea what fits in this slot or what it would
be used for, and can find no mention in the manuals I've looked at so far.

> >
> >Cheers
> >
> >
>