Or one of the flat cables or the molex cable connectors, similar to the problems which the aforementioned beautifully crafted machines that could last forever are now having.
2 Likes
I tried different types of cables and power. If that was a solution, I donāt think we would be discussing this topic right now.
What did Elektron say after you told them the replacement board was having the same issue?
With a replacement motherboard exhibiting the same behavior, the internal 26-pin and other internal ribbon cables with molex connectors seem about as likely culprits as any other hardware. If you happened to have a bunch of correctly sized ribbon cables lying around and tried replacing them internally, then you may be able to rule them out. But I donāt think it was an unreasonable thing for @shigginpit to mention (despite what your tone implied) 
2 Likes
I certainly didnāt mean to sound disrespectful. Changing the whole PCB was the last resort solution. Elektron support doesnāt have any other option after changing the board as far as I am concerned.
They said they wonāt do anything further? Iād like to know / am curious about the process, I havenāt had any issues with my Syntakt but if I do in the future, Iād like to be prepared 
1 Like
Yeah, I assume youāve swapped the PSU and have you seen this occur outside of your home? Taken to say, a public library or somewhere completely outside of your power grid.
Did they see it occur at the repair facility?
Obviously not the first things to check, but in phantom scenarios why not.
So the support is always responsive and they do try to help. They told me to send it back to the workshop again (I already did it once, and it came back the exact same). I cannot send it again because I always live in remote countries, and it would cost me a lot of money to do so, and obviously thereās no guarantee that the problem will be fixed.
They say they didnāt notice anything at their workshop. But this problem happens randomly. Itās possible that they turned it on, nothing happened, and they sent it back to me thinking that everything was alright.
I tried different power cables, with or without stabilisers, on 110v as well as 220v and the issue still happens eventually after sometime.
1 Like
I had this issue with the first Syntakt I had. Nothing fixed it, sent it back. Got a 2nd one 6 months later, same thing. The 3rd Syntakt I had did not do this so not sure why I got lucky to get a good one! I couldnt figure out why this was not on the forums all over the placeā¦such an odd and annoying issue for some but not all.
2 Likes
Not sure if that happened to other people, but now my Syntakt wonāt turn on at all and will always boot on the error message, no maater how many times I try and how long I wait between each boot. I will try again tomorrow morningā¦
Based on this thread you got a replacement PCB and the original and replacement are giving issues but based on the other thread they are functional and you want to use the replacement as a second Syntakt?
Feels like some information is missing 
There is no missing information! I sense an unpleasant accusatory tone here, so let me explain one more time:
I bought a Syntakt, it arrived with the problem mentioned in this thread (booting on an error message repeatedly). After trying to fix the problem with Elektronās support multiple times, they decided that the last resort would be to send me a brand new PCB unit (which is, indeed, fully functional!). After switching to the new PCB, the problem kept happening, and starting from yesterday, it became impossible to turn the device on at all.
Again, according to Elektron, these PCB units are functional and the problem resides somewhere else.
So yes, I am trying to figure out a different way to use the extra CPU I have, am I committing a crime?
I hope this summary will have quenched your thirst for internet justice.
Thereās no chasing internet justice. I just think it should be stated if the hardware is being used in unintended operation (e.g. powering it on outside of the chassis which could very well be causing ESD damaging the board, or other issues). I think your best course of action is to replace the unit itself. Every Syntakt on the consumer market, even if purchased on day 1, is as of this writing still fully covered by warranty.
Generally speaking, if I was asking support for a replacement motherboard, it would be under the notion that the board I already have is toast. If it was still operable, then support likely would not send me a replacement. So I think this is a key detail.
Every operation that I did was under the control of Elektron support, and if I didnāt state the hardware was being used in uninteded operation, it is because it was not.
I did not ask for a replacement motherboard, once again, it was suggested by Elektron after trying other things. The shop I bought the machine from is not trustworthy (Bax Music, higly not recommended), and the waranty return has to go through them, but there have been many problems with this companyās failing to return products to their owners.
Additionnaly, I live in a country where itās almost impossible to ship (and mostly to receive) this kind of package (remote area, corrupted customs, etc.).
Now, I feel like I have to justify myself more than I shouldā¦ You donāt believe me? You says āif I was askingā¦ā, āIf it was still operableā¦ā, or āsupport likely would notāā¦ but what do you really know? Do you even experienced a similar issue? Do you work for Elektronās support? Anyways, Iād be glad to send the conversation with the support showing that THEY offer a replacement board. But I donāt really know how it would help other customers with a similar problem.
I donāt need support receipts or proof. I hope you get your issue solved. Like I said, your best course of action is probably to have the unit replaced. If you did this once before to no avail, I would assume support already has all these details for the next one.
From what it sounds like, you shipped the device to them once already, and you state the issue wasnāt resolved. I wouldnāt expect most customers be asked by support to replace motherboards themselves, but then they shipped you one for you to replace, so ok. Then you made a thread saying you have a spare fully functional board, hence why I thought it was odd to state a spare board as fully functional if it isnāt.
Just one thought: when I think about what else could become a problem, I realize that the Syntakt can quickly become very hot during operation. If you also consider that all Elektron devices are fanless constructions, I could imagine that the temperatures inside could lead to problems over time.
I donāt see Digitakt and Digitone as being at risk - they donāt get that hot. With the Syntakt, it must be the components for the analog machines that get so hot. Now, Iām not a hardware engineer and Iām sure the inventive minds at Elektron have certainly thought about thisā¦ but I would still take these considerations into account. Has anyone here ever suspected that this could be the result of an overheating problem?
Vendors can sometimes send a board more easily than get the device in proper repro conditions in the lab.
Sounds that the board is āfully functionalā in that it was swapped on the device but the original device is experiencing the same issues.
Is a system board (no matter how many embedded components) enough to get you anywhere? Probably not.
Doesnāt sound like that, but obviously one of the first things to do when changing use case is to ensure youāre giving it proper ventilation and not just letting an analog synth bake itself on the couch.
In a time of RoHS, cold solder joints Iād think are more common, but swapping that board and having the other behave identically would suggest not.
Them not saying they were able to repro and sent it back to you without changing any parts would suggest that they didnāt spot what you were observing.
1 Like
From the Release Notes for Syntakt OS 1.30B
Under some circumstances, an error message could appear when the device was switched on, even though there was no actual error.
So I hope Elektron fixed this
1 Like
Yes, I can confirm that OS 1.30B fixes this issue.
4 Likes
Anyone else still seeing this error on 1.30B? The past 3 times Iāve turned on the Syntakt, after not using it for a day or so, I got the āOops!ā message and had to reboot. (After rebooting it seemed fine and would turn off/on like normal, at least until leaving it off for a long period.)