Sunlight - Music Playkeys!

This was possibly a direct hardware predecessor of the famous My Music Center. Despite similar functions it lacks the chorus timbre because the sound generator here lacks the 2 subvoices. But by a matrix easteregg it can be switched into a monophonic chorus mode that layers both polyphony channels to form the chorus effect. Nasty is that this thing originally includes no volume control and plays its harsh digital tones for a toy unbearable loud. Interesting is the rhythm section with programmable rhythm and the impulsive "cluck" sound. There is also an optional fixed key accompaniment.

This instrument came out in 2 model variants; the white/ red one is technically identical with My Music Center (including the nasty keyboard bug). The white/ blue one (that I describe here) is different and more interesting, although its hardware is still more like My Music Center than like Stereo Playkeys! (despite similar name).

main features:

eastereggs:

modifications:

notes:

The Music Playkeys! may have been the direct predecessor of the famous and widespread My Music Center, because despite many common features it has simpler sounds and lacks the crucial volume control. The drums sound better than in "My Music Center". The accompaniment always plays the same instrument sound like the melody voice. Rhythms (except custom drummer) always start with default tempo, which limits the use of the OBS controls for live performance. I later found the datasheet of its CPU of 1996-08-16, the Holtek HT3650B, which is an application of the "3 Channels Ad-lib Micro®" Holtek HT3650 - a microcontroller with 2 channel static waveform "ETS" synth (7 bit, 64 steps, ADSR), 1 channel PCM playback (16K*5 bit voice ROM with 8 to 5 µ-law compression), 8 bit DAC, 96 byte RAM and 4K*15bit ROM.

Since there is no real power switch, the added pitch pot must be used carefully during battery operation, because an undiscovered crash by overclocking can prevent the hardware from powering down properly, which may result in excessive battery discharge and battery leaking. Although the hardware resembles My Music Center (see there), shitshooting the program by overclocking causes no really interesting effects, but only continuous tones or no response. (Don't forget to reset afterwards, because there is no power switch.)

The 8 demo melodies of this instrument are (according to the manual):

  1. Old McDonald Had a Farm
  2. This Old Man
  3. The More We Get Together
  4. Itis a Small World
  5. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
  6. Yankee Doodle
  7. Do Your Ears Hang Low [That does the missing volume control... ;-) ]
  8. Frere Jaque
A case variant of this instrument was released as LICA - Super Sound Keyboard (bigger black oval case, 2 yellow speakers - seen on eBay).
 
 removal of these screws voids warranty...    
WarrantyVoid
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