Taking apart the MFB Nanozwerg

The MFB Nanozwerg is a small Synthesizer from Berlin. Nobody talks about it and it's often overlooked but you can get a really wide range of sounds out of it. I've been using it for acid lines and even thicker sounds thanks to its pulse width modulation. Its MIDI implementation is flawed but it also accepts control voltage.

I also own the MFB-522 which is built in exactly the same way. A standard wedge electronics case with a PCB mounted to it serving as the front panel.

All of the electronics are on one board, controls and the sonic circuitry.

The way its build is very unusual for synths you see today. It's very simple but also sophisticated, in a way, to minimize costs. Basically, they just used what's there. The panels look like they were designed in a tool that you design PCBs with. Geometric lines, blocky fonts, black or white on a colored backround. The case and buttons are off the shelf components you can buy at Conrad.

Other MFB synths up until that time shared the same aesthetics. I love it but I still want to make custom case for mine. Something a bit nicer, sharper and perhaps even more compact.

It took a while to come to this point. I generally don't like altering things that are out of production. Sadly, the maker Manfred Fricke is no longer with us. For MFB, that's it. Still, I decided to take my Nanozwerg apart. All changes will be easily reversible and I'll definitely keep all parts. I think a nicer case would cause me to pick it up more often.

I'll report back when I started designing the case. For now, here's the teardown.

Panel dimensions:

104.5mm x 96.5mm