Introduction

The analogue isolator pots on the Korg Volca sample are very fragile, they can break so easily.

The replacement part that you need is a 5-pin ALPS potentiometer which is impossible to find and purchase, or sold at very high prices (for a simple pot).

With this guide I will show a DIY solution to repair your filter pots on the device.

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    • The VS service manual is impossible to find, but it is well known that the two filter pots are 10K ALPS potentiometers

    • By online search, you can find the KORG EM-1 service manual, which uses the same kind of pot for volume control

    • The pot is VR2, an ALPS RK09K12C 5-pin potentiometer

    • By searching on old ALPS datasheets, you can find the specs for the pot and the layout

    • Looking at both the layout and the EM-1 schematic, we can see a shared ground (pin 1) and the remaining connections which form a dual wiper

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    • You will need a simple 10K stereo potentiometer with 6 pins

    • The ALPS is a 103B, which is a linear one. I used a LOG one which works anyway (it will have a different sweep compared to a linear)

    • You will have to bridge the two 1-1' pins together to have a shared ground

    • The next step is to solder 5 cables to the pins (only one is needed in the shared ground)

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    • You'll have to follow the layout drawn in the image

    • Solder the 5 wires and reassemble the VS, then check if the pot is working

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    • Now you have a perfectly working filter section on your volca, enjoy!

Conclusion

To reassemble the device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Bob M

Member since: 24/10/20

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