{"id":206,"date":"2017-10-13T13:35:48","date_gmt":"2017-10-13T13:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bmamps.com\/v01\/?p=206"},"modified":"2017-10-18T22:38:05","modified_gmt":"2017-10-18T22:38:05","slug":"repair-special-projects-nicj-rhodes-pixelator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bmamps.com\/v01\/2017\/10\/13\/repair-special-projects-nicj-rhodes-pixelator\/","title":{"rendered":"Nick Rhodes “Pixelator” Guitar repair"},"content":{"rendered":"

This unique Pixelator guitar was bought by a collector and brought to us for repair.\u00a0 This was really quite tragic for the owner as it was demonstrated working before he bought it but the very first time he tried to use it, it stopped working.<\/p>\n

The idea for this guitar<\/a> came from Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran as an entry to a charity auction by Rockcoture in 2007.\u00a0 This was a significant challenge as at that that time the technology required to do this was not so advanced as it is now.\u00a0 He worked with company LED Effects inc. in California who designed the electronics and Sims Custom Shop in the UK who did the body work.<\/p>\n

Being one of a kind there was little chance of success due to zero chance of any service documentation.\u00a0 The best hope was to contact the original design company and ask for their help.\u00a0 Well, they no longer existed but I was able to track down the former CEO Kevin Furry and ask what he could do to support us.\u00a0 He did still have copies of the software that ran on the Windows PC and the documentation for it.\u00a0 Unfortunately he could not tell me much about how it worked and certainly no schematic.<\/p>\n

Things got worse.\u00a0 After some testing we learned that the processor that decodes the data from the PC and that feeds the RGB LED strings was dead.\u00a0 Since this contained the software to drive the Pixelator the only chance was to recreate that firmware from scratch.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It all worked out according to plan, the new processor chip was programmed and fitted and the Pixelator now lives again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This unique Pixelator guitar was bought by a collector and brought to us for repair.\u00a0 This was really quite tragic for the owner as it was demonstrated working before he…<\/p>\n

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