Batteryless OP-1

This could have been solved by wiring the power lines of the working external usb charger to a hacked up plug and the data lines back to the PC. They even sell premade cables for this usecase where you have a car with android auto, but the car's USB port is incapable of delivering net+ power to the phone.

> Considering the age of the battery, I decided not to charge it again, because there is a risk that it would swell and damage the OP-1.

> Their suggestion was to keep using the original battery.

> Would I have to throw away my OP-1 which is still looking almost pristine?

Why not just charge it? Am I crazy to think, if it swells it swells? You turn it off, remove it then and get to the problem then. I've used a MacBook air from 2012 with a swollen battery since 2014, every day pretty much. It's not a nuclear bomb.

Synthesizer manufacturer here. It's really disappointing to see the message "IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOUR WARRANTY IS GONE, SORRY" printed on the inside of the OP-1... super helpful guys.

On the inside of the synths we make, there's a link to a documentation repository. If people are desperate enough to remove screws, why not help them?

My OP-1 won't turn on due to a dead battery. Not even plugged in...

There is a service that says they will do it in like Chicago. I just haven't bit that bullet.

If anyone knows of a replacement battery that ships to Hawaii, please let me know before I drop $200 to get a $2 battery replaced in my brick.

> What I've Learned To be honest, I was very disappointed with Teenage Engineering. The OP-1 was an expensive item. It's ok for me if the manufacturer doesn't offer warranty after this long. It's also fine if they don't have spare parts in stock after almost 10 years.

> Still, I wish they had a better solution to offer than just suggesting that I keep using the original battery, even at the risk of swelling (which would ruin the case and be a potential fire hazard). In essence, they were telling me to throw away a machine that was otherwise still good.

I was with the author until here. There is a weird entitlement. The manuf was honest and upfront about what the were capable of doing in terms of support for a discontinued 10 yr old product.

So the caps were wired up in parallel?

Holy moly are Teenage Engineering assholes from a consumer rights standpoint and probably violating US consumer laws in multiple ways. I can't think of the last time I saw a company so consumer-hostile.

These clowns are charging more than one of the most cutting edge laptops on the market. Don't tell me "it's the software that you're paying for" because Ableton Live is $600. You can literally buy Ableton Live and a Macbook Air for what that thing costs. I'd certainly expect consumer policies less slimy than a used car dealer for that kind of hipster markup.

The internals say "If you can read this, your warranty is gone", a lawyer (or judge) would laugh at them for. And the way they put it feels almost abusive. I mean... they actually paid extra money to print that on the cable. https://shred.zone/cilla/page/503/cap3.jpg

Then read through the terms and conditions on the site. It's...a trip. There's a forced arbitration clause which you have to email them to opt out of. Forced/mandatory arbitration has been ruled explicitly illegal under Magnuson Moss by the courts.

From the "what is not covered":

> (f) repair or attempted repair by anyone other than or approved by teenage engineering;

BZZZT, another Magnuson Moss Act violation. Thanks for playing!

> if you believe your product is defective and covered by the product warranty, you must notify us promptly by submitting a message at support.teenage.engineering/hc/en-us/requests/new, as soon as possible after you have discovered the defect, but in no case later than two months after discovering the defect.

You have two months to report a defect? What the fuck for? There's no legitimate reason for this beyond having yet another excuse to deny a warranty claim.

They have "waiver of implied warranties" which is likely not legal in many jurisdictions and at the very least yet another asshole move. If you're a manufacturer and you feel the need to waive implied warranties, my question is: "Have you instead tried making a product that isn't shit?"

I'm not a lawyer, but that "If you can read this, your warrantee is gone. Sorry." label on the ribbon cable is probably not legal in the US.

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/07/ftc-says-co...

https://www.engadget.com/2018-04-11-ftc-warranty-warning.htm...

>I got one in 2016 because I was fascinated by its abilities that were shown in many YouTube videos. But to be honest, my musical talent is limited, and so it became more of a toy that was finally stowed away in a cupboard for several months.

I wonder what percentage of TE's sales are made up of these kinds of situations