Digitech BNX3 mods?

[davesisk]

Hi Folks:

I have a Digitech BNX3 (one of the digital modeling bass multiFX processors), and I've got a few complaints that I'd love to see if I can get some help with.  It's almost exactly like the GNX3, only tweaked for bass rather than guitar.

1)  The analog output section gets hissy over about halfway up.  Any way to modify it to get more gain without the hiss?

2)  There's two 1/4 outputs, but no XLR output.  Is there any way to add an XLR output with ground lift?

3)  These things use a 128Mb SmartMedia card to store samples and recorded tracks on.  Turns out these 128Mb SmartMedia cards are quite difficult and expensive to find nowadays.  Is there any way to replace the SmartMedia card reader with some other more common card reader?  Any ideas along these lines?

I'm not an experienced electronics guru, so I'm willing to pay someone to make these mods if you are willing and able.

Dave

[Peter Snowberg]

Welcome to the forum.

>> 1)  The analog output section gets hissy over about halfway up.  Any way to modify it to get more gain without the hiss?

There's a good chance you can get rid of some of it by replacing the opamps with higher quality ones. There's about a 100% chance these opamps are surface mounted parts so replacement is not going to be too easy if you haven't worked with SMD parts before. Some of that hiss is quite possibly the sound of the DSP running out of bits in the digital modeling process which cannot be helped.

>> 2)  There's two 1/4 outputs, but no XLR output.  Is there any way to add an XLR output with ground lift?

See figures 3 and 4. 

http://sound.westhost.com/project87.htm

>> 3)  These things use a 128Mb SmartMedia card to store samples and recorded tracks on.  Turns out these 128Mb SmartMedia cards are quite difficult and expensive to find nowadays.  Is there any way to replace the SmartMedia card reader with some other more common card reader?  Any ideas along these lines?

The SmartMedia data transfer format is different from other types of memory cards so you can't substitute without rewriting the software in the DSP, which you can't do.


Inexpensive digital effects are about the hardest things there are to modify, but I think you can get a solution on #2 and at least make an improvement for #1. Can you post pictures of the board? (top & bottom)