VOGONS


First post, by chenke

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Recently, I bought an old version MT-32 from an online second-hand market in a certain big country. The firmware is 1.07, and including shipping, it cost about $224, which seems relatively cheap by today’s standards, right?

I tested this MT-32 with DOS games, and so far, everything seems to be working fine, but there’s a major issue:
this MT-32 might have been heavily modified hardware-wise, possibly to fit into a server rack. The label on the back says "Property of Lehigh University" and the front panel has been embedded into a large metal plate. I’m not even sure if the outer metal shells on the left and right sides are original, and the sides near the panel have been bent at a 90-degree angle and welded shut onto that big metal plate.
I recorded a video, which might give everyone a clearer view: https://youtube.com/shorts/JNHf55RpgiI?feature=share

Now I’m racking my brain over how to restore it to its normal state...

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Reply 2 of 8, by chenke

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Rwolf wrote on 2025-03-05, 19:25:

Roland had a rackmounted option for the MT-32 back in the day, so it's not a Frankestein home-made thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5tfpeZjJ3E

My goodness! It seems like I have no other choice but to cut this metal plate =_=!

Reply 3 of 8, by cyclone3d

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Rwolf wrote on 2025-03-05, 19:25:

Roland had a rackmounted option for the MT-32 back in the day, so it's not a Frankestein home-made thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5tfpeZjJ3E

But the Roland one said that there was no modification to the MT-32 needed.

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Reply 4 of 8, by Rwolf

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There should be the same internals, only another top cover & front panel moved. (right knob slightly smaller I think someone wrote).

(Some sellers calls the model 'rare' from what I see. I guess it depends on the use-case what you need.)
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/roland … ount-2073753271

Reply 5 of 8, by Spikey

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My goodness! It seems like I have no other choice but to cut this metal plate =_=!

I would probably sell it as a 'rare' item and buy a regular desktop MT-32 if it isn't what you're after.

Reply 6 of 8, by darry

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Spikey wrote on 2025-03-06, 15:33:

My goodness! It seems like I have no other choice but to cut this metal plate =_=!

I would probably sell it as a 'rare' item and buy a regular desktop MT-32 if it isn't what you're after.

This, IMHO. I personally would have liked to have the rackmountable version, though not to the point of paying a significant extra, but that's just me.

Reply 7 of 8, by chinny22

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darry wrote on 2025-03-06, 15:46:

This, IMHO. I personally would have liked to have the rackmountable version, though not to the point of paying a significant extra, but that's just me.

Same! a rack with a few midi devices would be a very nice setup and tidier then midi towers some people have.

Reply 8 of 8, by Tiido

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I suppose a trade could happen, someone with their regular swaps it for the rack version, then everyone wins.

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