Teenage Engineering OP-1 Repair

The OP-1 is a portable music workstation incorporating a synthesizer, sampler, sequencer, multitrack recorder, drum machine, mixer, and controller made by Teenage Engineering, a Swedish consumer electronics company founded in 2005. The OP-1 was released in 2011 as Teenage Engineering’s first product and is considered the company’s core product.

The OP-1 is known for its untraditional design, AMOLED display, and the depth of its eleven synthesis engines. The synthesizer combines multiple synthesizer engines, sampler, four sequencer types, a tape-style 4-track recorder, a motion sensor, and an FM radio. The OP-1 has received some criticism for its physical limitations, but Teenage Engineering has said these limitations encourage user creativity. Teenage Engineering introduced several accessories for the OP-1 in 2012 that can be used to manipulate the OP-1’s macro effect knobs. The price of the OP-1 increased by about 35% in 2019 to cover new parts and redesigned hardware.

The OP-1 features a 320 by 160-pixel OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen, which displays a graphical representation of the synthesizer’s current mode. The device includes a fixed-velocity keyboard with 24 keys. Arrow keys can be used to move up or down entire octaves while in drum or synthesizer mode, and the device has a range of eight octaves total.

The OP-1 includes the model name “OP-1” in the lower right-hand corner of the device, printed vertically in capital letters.

Input/Output:

• USB: 2.0 high-speed (OTG)
• Line In/Out: 3.5mm jack
• Microphone: Built-in
• Speaker: Mini: High output, 8 Ω, 1 W
• Motion Sensor: 3-axis accelerometer (G-force); Assignable to any synth, envelope, effect parameter, or to pitch
• Radio: FM Band Support: Worldwide (64 to 108 MHz)

Display:

• Type: AMOLED display running in 60 fps
• Resolution: 320 x 160p
• Color Depth: 16.7 million
• Contrast: 10,000:1 (good for outdoor use)
• Viewing Angle: 170°
• Lifetime: 30,000 hours

Mechanical:

• Design:
  • Low-profile keyboard module
  • Scissor-switch ultra-low-profile design
  • Expected lifespan of 10 million keystrokes per key

Encoder:

• Type: Industrial-grade incremental encoders
• Life
  • Rotational: Up to 1,000,000 revolutions
  • Good indexing feel (remains consistent over life)
• Material: Zinc die-cast and fiber-enforced, high-performance plastic (used in Avionics)

Battery:

• Battery Type: Li-ion 1,800 mAh
• Battery Life: 16 hours (active)
• Charging: Via USB port

General:

• CPU:
  • 400MHz core processor (800 MMACSS performance)
  • 64MB low-power SDRAM (12ns)
  • 512MB NAND flash storage
  • 24-bit 96kHz ADC/DAC
• Body:
  • Advanced CNC 1-piece aluminum design
  • 2 x M6 Mounting holes for accessories
  • 2 x Cuts for strap accessory
• Operating Temperature Range-40 to 185°F (-40 to 85°C)
• Dimensions (LxHxD): 11.1 x 4.0 x 0.5" (282.0 x 102.0 x 13.5mm)

• Youtube: Overview Video
• Teenage Engineering: Product Page
• Ars Technica's 50 Years of Moog
• Wikipedia: OP-1