Lexicon PCM70 Firmware. Should you use V2 or V3?

Here I discuss the differences between the version 2 and version 3 firmware for the Lexicon PCM70. I also dive into some of the hardware architecture of this effects processor.
Lexicon PCM70 Repair Part 1: • Lexicon PCM 70 Repair ...
Lexicon PCM70 Repair Part 2: • Lexicon PCM 70 Repair ...
Synth and effects processor ROM archive: dbwbp.com/index.php/9-misc/37-...
PCM70 sysex dumps: ericbeam.com/?p=714

[@ASH-ou4cg]

Another neat video to watch while on the treadmill! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to your next!

[@jarekb2043]

Great and very informative material!!! Everything is spot on. I have two units with both firmware. I find myself using 2.0 algorithms more often. But that’s subjective.... Thanx for the video!!!

[@robomixdj]

I really appreciate your content! Thanks a lot!! Very interesting to watch and hear whats going on in outboard device and instruments (for me as an audio engineer and technician). I like your repair approaches very much too. Got some nice Lexis here in my Studio too (224XL, PCM91, LXP-5, Lexicon Studio System (2 PCM-90 machines running on a PCI card on Windows98 and other reverb classics) :-)

[@maisonmallninja]

wow, what a video. I RARELY add things to my "repair encyclopedia" playlist...but god damn, i needed this.

[@Yupppi]

There's so many chips but they use up so much space in the box! Today you'd see them all side by side in one third of that area (well, much much smaller considering the component sizes today). It just looks so well laid out. I wonder if any units ever got ruined by the heat they caused by themselves? I would make a guess that they didn't. Only just found the channel, youtube noticed I had been watching a lot of pcm sound videos. Really cool and interesting channel! Very well recorded content.

[@bradthx]

Thank you, these old devices based on TTL logic are pretty robust. With a little care these things will last a very long time.

[@studiolitfin7461]

Great advice and sysex dump!!! THANK YOU !!!

[@wackenthaljef]

You speak very fast for us the strangers Brad but you have a good accent wich is nice.Next vids if you could slow down a little bit,we would appreciate.(Thks for this one!)

[@spaceysound]

I have sold some EPROMs for various machines online, $30 seems reasonable if you just want to upgrade one unit and don't want to buy a flasher and get too involved in finding the files etc, I get why a tech would see that as a waste of money but for many it is convenient for a one time solution! thanks for uploading these informative video's have enjoyed repairing a few lexicons over the years, the lexicon prime time model 93 was the best to my ear, used to be cheap'ish I had 4x of them sold for $300 each back then, now they are silly money. Should have kept one, got to know them well, usually a DRAM fault and sometimes an opamp would die.

[@user-jg4xd5pq6x]

Great video! Thank you, Sir :)

[@bhamadicharef]

If you use a Z80 disassembler ... you can see where they really what was change ... presets usually at the end of the ROM will have labels to refer to them ...

[@carlosruiz5987]

Awesome info! Glad I found your channel. I have a question you most likely would be able to answer. I have a PCM70 with 120 input voltage, and since I moved to Europe a few years ago I have been using it with a step-down transformer. I remember someone telling me probably there is just a jumper cable inside to change it to 230V, but since I have the transformer also for some other stuff I have been too lazy to open it. Do you know if this is true? Thanks!

[@DonSolaris]

Excellent video! Excellent rack content!

[@chrisroberts2266]

Hey, Fantastically informative videos! Did the V3 ROM ever get sent to the archive?

[@bradthx]

It did, but the owner of that site hasn't updated it recently so should hopefully be there soon. Thanks for watching!

[@sanjacob]

hi, first of all, thanks for the detailed video. I am looking for the sysex dumps you mentioned at the end. I thought I would find them behind your sysex dumps link, but if click on it my browser says not found. any chance to get that files from you ? I would appreciate a lot, because all the links on sites like gearspace and others, land on not found pages too. thank you and best regards, san

[@jimmoss9584]

Everyone talks about The "Tiled Room" that is in Rev 2.2 is there a way to add this room to the 3.01 version. I have that version. If everything is full, then maybe deleting something?

[@jimmoss9584]

I have one of these. Where is the battery? I am thinking I might need to replace it sometime soon.

[@-K3C-]

HI!!! TO LOAD SYSEX, DO I NEED TO MIDI IN/OUT CABLES TO BE INSERTED, OR MIDI IN WOULD BE ENOUGH? THANX

[@homersimpson2159]

How do we get a hold of you for repairs?

[@shanetucker3094]

Oh, could you load sounds from the 224 or 480L into this or say, an Lxp5? Via sysex? Lol. Very interesting stuff!

[@swervecurtlin]

Thanks for this Brad, are you open to accepting repair work for pcm 70? Would love to bring mine back - I can send photo/video. Thanks!

[@ncyancy]

Thanks for the video. I wondered how easy is it to go from v 1.2 to v2, or is this even possible? Thanks

[@javiceres]

It probably involves just swapping an EPROM or two.

[@stevereese6488]

Do you still service the lexicon pcm 70? My screen display doesn’t work.

[@Mach1Pro]

How can I get in touch with you to repair my Lexicon PCM70?

[@nedlawless]

Great vid. Do you happen to have the eprom disk images for v3, so I can burn my own eproms? I have not been able to find a link online.

[@bradthx]

Thank you, a link to download V3 is listed in the description.

[@nedlawless]

@@bradthx got it thank you

[@italoop7850]

V3.1 is a much better system! It reall takes care of MIDI problems and using Lexicon Dynami MIDI (CCs used to control parameters in real time) becomes real and stable. MIDI in the early OS versions of the PCM70 was a total bug... unusable. V2.0 helped fixing it but V3.1 is what you want in your PCM. The problem with the V2.0 presets.... the best way to get the presets you want from V2.0 is to write down the parameters values for those you like and reprogram them on your V3.1 updated machine. SysEx dumps unfortunately are only for bulk so you get the whole V2.0 factory presets. You very likely don''t want all of them, so just write down the parameters for those you want before swapping the eproms and then re_program them after V3.1 eproms are in. Simply. GREAT VIDEO BTW. This is the stuff that sounds great! The randomization (vs. modulation) in the chorus algorithm remains an unique feature on this machine, descending from the Lex224XL. It sounds awesome!

[@HiredGoonage]

is there some tutorial on how to do this or where to even get the 2.0 presets?

[@dangizzie4470]

@@HiredGoonage I have the version 3.1 eproms but was able to locate a user on the net who already copied the V2 presets into a user bank that you can load into the memory via sysex midi. This way you have both V2 + V3.1 presets in your device. Where I found them, I can't remember but they are for sure out there.. It's mentioned in this video at the end. Good luck!

[@HiredGoonage]

@@dangizzie4470 hey Dan, after some digging I was able to find them and load them up as you did.

[@EmygdioCosta]

@@HiredGoonage hey! how are you doing? would please send me the link? thank you very very much ☺

[@imaginedreamingofficial3432]

@bradthx. Whats the difference between the PCM 70 v1.0 and 2.0? Isnt it just the same presets?

[@bradthx]

Presets are the same afaik. I have never played with the 1.0 firmware or had a PCM70 with it installed. Based on changelog data, 2.0 has primarily bug fixes.

[@wilbstrange2]

Would you work on mine it’s a 2.0 non functioning? Miss it dearly....I’ve heard there is a company Beamish Electronic Co who works on them? Could you offer your services ....sounds like you could fix mine and have work for another 30 years! Can you help me?

[@crystalestrange2207]

Hey Brad, Im going to try my hands at soldering the power and audio sections.... Could you list what caps dimensions you used from Panasonic and ELNA caps and different values to get or could you list the Schematic a good version to refer??

[@BoarderEthan]

Difference between 3.0 and 3.01?

[@BoarderEthan]

Mine says 3.0 and PGM 5.0 is Vox Plate not Rich Plate

[@hansikrusche5151]

thank you, but pls dont talk so fast!

[@bitspacemusic]

Stop hitting the insides with your pen! Next you're gonna tell me you use your feet on guitar pedals.

[@natlove219]

Hi Brad, thanks for making this video. I've just received a pcm7 0450746880 that has v3.01 and would love to do this sysex dump for v2 programs. The link you shared to get these doesn't seem to work and googling them hasn't come up with anything. is there anyway that you could share them? I'd be happy to compensate you for your time and effort. Thanks, Nat