Boss DR-220A (1986)
The DR-220A is the acoustic half of Boss's two-machine Dr. Rhythm DR-220 series. It's a budget digital drum machine built around 11 PCM samples. The DR-220E covers the synthetic/electronic side of the same hardware. Boss's own service notes date the DR-220A/E to October 1986, and the pair appears in International Musician's November 1986 issue, so a 1986 launch is the safest read. Wikipedia's claim that the series began in 1985 and a 1987 listing date both circulate, but they don't line up as cleanly. The DR-220 line descends from the earlier DR-110 (1983). It keeps the same LCD matrix display approach but drops the rotary controls and simplifies the panel considerably.
What's inside is well documented, because the service notes survive. The DR-220A runs on a µPD7514G-236 CPU with a 2.4 MHz crystal, a TC531000P mask ROM holding the acoustic sound set (the DR-220E used an M5M23C100 instead), a TC5517 SRAM, and an R-2R ladder network for its 12-bit D/A conversion. Boss leaned on that spec when claiming the DR-220 sounded "comparable to higher priced digital drum machines." Power is 6V DC from four SUM-3 (AA) batteries or a Boss PSA-series adaptor. Current draw is 30 mA at 9V, and Boss rated battery life at roughly 30 hours. The unit measures 239 × 75 × 31 mm and weighs about 350 g with batteries. Output noise is spec'd below -80 dBm.
The sound set is the acoustic kit: bass drum, snare, rim shot/hand clap, low/mid/high toms, closed and open hi-hat, and crash/ride cymbals, plus an accent track. Memory covers 32 preset patterns and 32 user-programmable ones, with 128 measures per song across eight songs (extendable to 256 measures by borrowing from the next track). Patterns can be written by step or by tap in real time, and the two methods can be mixed within a single pattern. Tempo range is 40-250 BPM. There's an LCD for editing, a master volume, individual level settings for each sound at six steps, and both Trigger In and Trigger Out jacks. The A version keys its trigger off the rim shot. Sounds can be tapped out live from the front-panel buttons even during playback.
Market reception is thin in the print record. The DR-220A shows up in period ads but not in the major review columns we've indexed. Modern interest is mostly from sample-pack users and 80s-revival producers, and used prices sit low, around €50 as a trend figure. Units turn up regularly with case, papers, and adaptor. The DR-220A and DR-220E are cosmetically near-identical apart from the sound ROM, so check the model badge before buying if the acoustic kit is what you're after.
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