Yamaha CS Series Chip Clones by Ando Pilve

This was shared by Ando Pilve on Facebook (Aug 22):

"If you know what this is, you know what these are. Coming soon!"

Note the PILVE iG00153AP and iG00156AP chips left.

Followed by (2nd board image with the the iG00158AP pictured in place from January 21):

"IG00158 waveshaper chip clones are now available on Reverb and eBay. They are drop-in replaceable into the original footprint or a DIP-16 socket."

and from March 2025:

"IG00151 VCA clones are now available on Reverb and eBay! They are drop-in replaceable and can coexist with original chips without modifications."

You can find them on Ando's Gear Shop on Reverb here, and eBay here.

You'll find additional details on each captured from the listings below.

Ando Pilve also brought us the Kijimi Stereo Output Mod as well as a few recordings featuring Black Corporation's Xerxes and Deckards Dream. Deckards Dream of course was based on the CS80.

IG00156 VCF Clone for YAMAHA CS80,CS60,CS50,CS30,CS15,CS10,CS5 Synthesizers

The iG00156AP is a replicant of the IG00156 VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter) chip, which was used by Yamaha in their CS-series analog synthesizers and organs from the 1970s and 80s. Arguably one of the finest-sounding filters ever designed, it combines a linear cutoff voltage control input with an exponential keyboard-follower input, providing the highly musical and natural tone shaping that the legendary CS-series synthesizers were famous for. A highly miniaturized module, the iG00156AP was carefully re-engineered from the original chip to reproduce its characteristics, properties, and most important of all, sound.

The iG00156AP module is the same size as the original chip and fits into the same footprint without modifications. Real IC pins make it compatible with all IC sockets. This makes the iG00156AP the only "clone" available today that is fully drop-in replaceable and is able to coexist with original vintage chips in the same synthesizer. While the originals are expensive and almost impossible to find, the availability of the iG00156AP ensures that the vintage CS-series analog synthesizers remain serviceable.

INSTALLATION

To install the iG00156AP, ensure that PIN 1 marked location on the part matches PIN 1 location on the circuit board. Carefully orient the part properly and install it into a DIP-16 socket (recommended) or solder it directly to the circuit board. Do not apply excessive force. Trim excess leads as necessary.

WARNING: As with the original chip, reverse installation will damage the part when power is applied! Do not use chip pullers to remove the module as it may damage delicate components on the underside.

CALIBRATION

After installing the part, allow the instrument to warm up and stabilize for at least 30 minutes, then recalibrate the circuit following the procedures of the original manufacturer. Proper calibration will ensure that the new part performs similar to the original.

As with the original chip, there may be small timbre differences from unit to unit, noticeable only when directly comparing waveforms in isolation. These differences are not typically audible when waveforms are mixed and modulated. This is a characteristic of a fully 100% analog design and is highly dependent on how accurately the calibration is performed.

The iG00156AP is compatible with Yamaha CS-80, CS-60, CS-50, CS-30, CS-30, CS-15, CS-10, CS-5, and possibly other synthesizers and organs that use the IG00156 VCF chip.

IG00158 Clone for YAMAHA CS80,CS60,CS50 Synthesizers

REVIEWS

"Sounds Indistinguishable from original chip." --Nigel R.
"Appears very well-designed." --m1c2b3 (eBay)

DESCRIPTION

The iG00158AP is a replicant of the ultra-rare IG00158 Wave Shape Converter (WSC) chip, which was used by Yamaha in their CS-series analog synthesizers and organs from the 1970s and 80s. It converts a sawtooth wave from an external oscillator into inverted saw (ramp), triangle, sine, and pulse waveforms with variable width control. The iG00158AP was carefully engineered with authentic waveform phases, wave folding methods, control limiters, and unique asymmetric output impedance, matching perfectly with the surrounding vintage circuitry. It recreates the original chip’s characteristics, properties, and most important of all, sound.

The iG00158AP module is the same size as the original chip and fits into the same footprint without modifications. Real IC pins make it compatible with all IC sockets. This makes the iG00158AP the only "clone" available today that is fully drop-in replaceable and is able to coexist with original vintage chips in the same synthesizer. While the originals are getting extremely expensive and almost impossible to find, the availability of the iG00158AP ensures that the CS-series analog synthesizers remain serviceable.

INSTALLATION

To install the iG00158AP, ensure that PIN 1 marked location on the part matches PIN 1 location on the circuit board. Carefully orient the part properly and install it into a DIP-16 socket (recommended) or solder it directly to the circuit board. Clip or trim excess leads as necessary.

WARNING: As with the original chip, reverse installation will damage the part when power is applied!

CALIBRATION

After installing the part, allow the instrument to warm up and stabilize for at least 30 minutes, then recalibrate the circuit following the procedures of the original manufacturer. Proper calibration will ensure that the new part performs similar to the original.

As with the original chip, there may be small timbre differences from unit to unit, noticeable only when directly comparing waveforms in isolation. This is a characteristic of a fully 100% analog design. These differences are not typically audible when waveforms are mixed and modulated. Double-triangle waveform conversion present in the original is not implemented in this module since no vintage synthesizers were using this feature.

The iG00158AP is compatible with Yamaha CS-80, CS-60, CS-50, CS-30, CS-30L, and possibly other synthesizers and organs that use the IG00158 WSC chip. Compatibility with CS-70m, CS-40m, and CS-20m is not guaranteed and has not been tested at this time.

IG00158 Clone for YAMAHA CS80,CS60,CS50 Synthesizers

REVIEWS

"Flawlessly delivered... Used in CS-15 and works perfectly." --Marek H.
"Works and sounds exactly the same as the original." --Emiel V.
"There is absolutely no difference in sound with the original." --vincpelle (eBay)

DESCRIPTION

The iG00151AP is a replicant of the rare IG00151 Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA) chip, which was used by Yamaha in their CS-series analog synthesizers and organs from the 1970s and 80s. The iG00151AP was carefully engineered from the original chip, retaining all of its characteristics and properties, including the peculiar non-linear control curve and cutoff, input and output impedances, and identical power consumption at the same gain setting. Users have reported no difference in sound or function. This makes the iG00151AP the only "clone" available today that is fully drop-in replaceable and is able to coexist with the original vintage chips in the same synthesizer. While the originals are getting more expensive and harder to find, the availability of the iG00151AP ensures that the CS-series analog synthesizers remain serviceable. One CS-80 synthesizer contains 210 of these chips!

INSTALLATION

To install the iG00151AP, ensure that the marked PIN 1 location on the part matches PIN 1 location on the circuit board. With the pins pointing down, PIN 1 on the original chip is on the left when facing the part number, while the iG00151AP has PIN 1 on the left when facing the component side (not the part number). Carefully orient the part properly and solder it to the circuit board. Clip excess leads as necessary.

WARNING: As with the original chip, a reverse installation will damage the part when power is applied!

CALIBRATION

After installing the part, allow the instrument to warm up and stabilize for at least 30 minutes, then recalibrate the circuit following the procedures of the original manufacturer. Similar to the original chip, the gain may vary from unit to unit. Proper calibration will ensure that the new part performs the same as the original.

As with the original chip, the iG00151AP may have a similar input offset that varies from unit to unit. This manifests itself as a control voltage (CV) feedthrough to the output. Depending on the application, it may be necessary to trim the offset, but this is usually provided in the vintage circuit, if required. No additional offset trim circuitry is necessary if it is installed in the original circuit.

The iG00151AP is compatible with Yamaha CS-80, CS-70m, CS-60, CS-50, CS-40m, CS-30, CS-20m, CS-15D, CS-15, CS-10, CS-5, and other synthesizers and organs that use the IG00151 VCA chip.