I’ve had this old MagicStomp since it was new. I’ve enjoyed this pedal for many years, and it served me well. A little while back, it just quit on me...blank screen, and no sound. When I opened it up there were no signs of replaceable component failure(caps and resistors all looked good), but there are a lot of other parts in there that are beyond my capacity to replace(surface mount components, and integrated processors). I kinda gave up on it after some casual searching didn’t have much to offer in the results department... I must not have chosen a well enough worded search... As it turns out, the Yamaha boot sequence starts out with a call to the screen to activate. If the screen doesn’t answer, the pedal stops trying to boot up. The result is no sound, and a blank or blocky screen. Apparently, the little 16 X 2 LCD screens have a problem with overheating conditions, and the Yamaha isn’t vented well and depends on the bottom metal plate as a heat sink. Over time the screens fail, and the pedals stop working. Mine lasted about 12 years.
So, after spending approximately $7.00 on a new screen(shipped), and spending a little time with the solder/de-solder tools today...
One dead factory display screen...have to remove it:
This took some time. I had to de-solder the 16 pins completely, and free it from the stand-offs...a toothbrush handle worked really well as a gentle pry bar.
After the original screen was pulled, it was fairly easy to get the replacement in place.
Solder up that strip of 16 pins, and....
We have some joy with the application of power!
As you can see, this pedal has seen some use over the years. It’s hard to believe that something like a $7.00 screen could result in total failure...but at least it turned out to be repairable. If nothing else, the MagicStomp has a really transparent chorus patch I found somewhere...long ago. I’ve missed it from time to time. It also has some killer reverb patches, and a whole bunch of other stuff...but I really like my chorus patch. I’m happy to have it back again.
So, after spending approximately $7.00 on a new screen(shipped), and spending a little time with the solder/de-solder tools today...
One dead factory display screen...have to remove it:
This took some time. I had to de-solder the 16 pins completely, and free it from the stand-offs...a toothbrush handle worked really well as a gentle pry bar.
After the original screen was pulled, it was fairly easy to get the replacement in place.
Solder up that strip of 16 pins, and....
We have some joy with the application of power!
As you can see, this pedal has seen some use over the years. It’s hard to believe that something like a $7.00 screen could result in total failure...but at least it turned out to be repairable. If nothing else, the MagicStomp has a really transparent chorus patch I found somewhere...long ago. I’ve missed it from time to time. It also has some killer reverb patches, and a whole bunch of other stuff...but I really like my chorus patch. I’m happy to have it back again.
