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Emax II : Upgrades and Add Ons
Factory Upgrades The E-mu
factory no longer provide upgrades, and there are only limited spares for the Emax II's. Users are to a large degree on their own, plus the ace help from us !
And now in Stereo The original Emax II was a monophonic
model. E-mu Systems provided an upgrade to stereo, but this is no longer available. The $149 upgrade replaced some chips on the boards (e.g. the ADC).
Operating System
The latest release of the Emax II OS is 2.14. Version 2.00 or higher is needed for stereo models. The memory upgrade kits came with a special diskette - ZD413 2MB Memory Expansion Software Version 2.14
Computer Editing
The Emax II can be linked up to a Mac via the RS422 port for sample editing via Passports Alchemy or Digidesign Sound Designer II. more »
Hard Disks The Emax II can be used with a range of internal and external SCSI hard drives, as
well as removable drives made by Syquest and Iomega. The Emulator Archive have run a whole series of tests with a variety of freely available SCSI hard drives so you buy the right drive for your Emax II. more »
Buying Hard Drives You
can buy SCSI drives pre-loaded with Emax II samples from MadTux Productions in the West Coast of the USA. You can email Dave at Madtux for more details and prices.
Memory The Emax II memory can be upgraded in 2 MB increments by the end user, up to a maximum of 8 MB. The digital board can be upgraded to 2 MB
maximum, and the memory expansion board can hold an additional 2, 4 or 6 MB. The total memory size you could see in an Emax II can therefore range from 1 to 8 MB in 1MB increments ! All upgrades need new memory addressing chips
(PAL's) and a software upgrade for the EPROM (which came on diskette). It is therefore not possible to upgrade the Emax II without the factory kits, or at least the PAL's and software. If you have a memory daughter board already fitted,
then you can upgrade to the full 8 MB.
Sound Logic have the upgrades. more »
Memory Upgrades - Why Not ?
Here's an E-mu Systems response in 1993 to why the Emax and Emax II memory is not user upgradable...
Just for the record, I talked to one of our tech
managers, and they explain that we thought the whole deal was a bit too labor intensive for the layman.You must remember that the EMAX line came out before everyone and his brother has ten PC's at home running on an ethernet hooked up
through lone wolf interfaces blah blah blah.....
It is also necessary to remember that not every user is as electronics-savvy as the average reader of this list. Just the fact that you're reading this list makes you more
savvy than about 90% of our users. There are resistors to add, jumpers to cut, the self-destructing OS disk to load, and the EMAX line isn't particularly well-shielded so that if Joe User who knows what a floppy is, get in there, he
could quite conceivably get fried in the process. User deaths do not enhance a company image. Ask most automobile makers about that.....
Again, we are moving to do something more user firendly in upcoming
products. I'd recommend that most readers of this group give the E3XP a long hard look. It seems to address many of the comments that I've heard here.....
Thanks to Rick Kleffel E-mu Systems
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Which Model?
* Emax II Stereo 
* Emax II Memory 
