OT: Digital piano problem

[It's only slightly OT, 'cos if I tackle the problem myself, it will definitely be DIY]

The choir which I help to run has a Technics sx-PX66 digital piano [1] which has performed extremely well over its 18 or so year life, but has now developed a fault. The problem is that if you play a scale down at the bass end, one of the notes is a bit intermittent and, when it *does* sound, it's a lot louder than the surrounding notes. This is asociated with a particular key on the keyboard (I think it's a G, but no matter). If you use the transpose function so that each key plays a higher or lower note than usual, the problem stays with this key - so the non-sounding or extra-loud note goes up and down in pitch with the transpose function. It would thus seem to be electro-mechanical problem with the key itself rather than a problem with the synthesiser.

Assuming I can get it apart non-destructively, I need to know what to look for. There must be a sensor of some sort associated with each key, which detects when the key is pressed and sends a signal to the synthesiser. It's unlikely to be just a simple on/off switch, since the keyboard is touch sensitive - if you strike a key hard it plays louder than if you press it gently. It's my guess that it's this which has failed - and is either not registering a press, or is responding as though the key had been pressed with maximum velocity.

Have any of you got any experience of repairing such an instrument which would enable you to point me in the right direction?

Alternatively, do you know of any newsgroups which would be more appropriate for this sort of query? [I *have* looked, but haven't found any obvious candidates].

[1] If you're interested, go to
formatting link
and then select Piano from the menu on the left

TIA.

Reply to
Roger Mills
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That seems sensible - or it's some per-key circuitry (e.g. electrolytic capacitors can suffer age-related faults which give reduced performance). It may even be a fault related to gradual dirt / debris build-up.

sci.electronics.repair is probably a good bet - lots of clueful folk on there (and I suspect the technology is similar enough across keyboard-type instruments that this fault isn't necessarily Technics-specific)

cheers

Jules

Reply to
Jules

I am given to understand that each key has a normally closed contact when at rest, and a contact which closes when the key is fully pressed. The time taken between the closed switch opening and the open switch closing is inversely proportional to the velocity of the keypress. So I reckon it's a matter of just cleaning the contacts, or straightening one of them that's got bent by a muscular player!

Dave W

Reply to
Dave W

You may even get away with squirting some switch contact cleaner under the key.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

I repaired a korg sp300 with a similar problem.

Each key has two switches. One works when the key is pressed, the other when it bottoms out. The time taken appears to be how it decides how to sound that note.

One of the switches was staying on even when the key was not depressed. This meant that it detected zero time between the switches when the key was pressed and it sounded at full volume.

Assuming you can get into the keyboard you need to find the switches and see if one is stuck.

I have no idea what the insides of your machine is like but the korg was easy but a lot of screws were removed to get into it.

Reply to
dennis

Not if its a rubber membrane switch like on the Korg SP300 it won't.

Reply to
dennis

s01-b028!cyclone03.ams2.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!eweka.nl!lightspeed.eweka.nl!feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.datemas.de!news.datemas.de!not-for-mail

reply-type=original

G/5hQCwqJY2RSCVUtQvisRdy7BXqFRMPc0Jq88r42bg5pjVlcxv0fj772hQnQw2AKRnJla9AIzChs7jPHNFKOUf8cvlAN7rvN3HABnFIJlSNYLoca6M/cX2a4gQ61SqKdieZrNE/Gr3fUeFyfiHNh5S9F25yV2LI53nVeKmA10tHDLT2ZQX7gA==

True, but with this being 18 or so years old, it may not be a membrane switch, as it's quite likely that a membrane switch would have given up way earlier.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

s01-b028!cyclone03.ams2.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!eweka.nl!lightspeed.eweka.nl!feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.datemas.de!news.datemas.de!not-for-mail

G/5hQCwqJY2RSCVUtQvisRdy7BXqFRMPc0Jq88r42bg5pjVlcxv0fj772hQnQw2AKRnJla9AIzChs7jPHNFKOUf8cvlAN7rvN3HABnFIJlSNYLoca6M/cX2a4gQ61SqKdieZrNE/Gr3fUeFyfiHNh5S9F25yV2LI53nVeKmA10tHDLT2ZQX7gA==

Just wondering why all your replies include the above or similar?

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

There are two contact sets, one near the top of the key travel, one near the bottom. Elapsed time = key velocity, which is mapped to volume. On better instruments it's mapped to brightness and attack as well.

Sometimes these are leaf switches. Open it up and look. Simple cleaning may suffice. Sometimes (and almost inevitably on newer models, 'cos it's cheaper) they are rubber strips with conductive protuberances that bridge contacts on a circuit board. You may have a bit of crud in there, the rubber may have collapsed. The strips are easily replaceable, if you can find a source. This may be complicated by the fact that Technics have pulled out of the keyboard market. But keyboards are often "bought in" components, it's just a matter of discovering where Technics sourced the one used in your model.

Reply to
Laurence Payne

s01-b028!cyclone03.ams2.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!eweka.nl!lightspeed.eweka.nl!feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.datemas.de!news.datemas.de!not-for-mail

G/5hQCwqJY2RSCVUtQvisRdy7BXqFRMPc0Jq88r42bg5pjVlcxv0fj772hQnQw2AKRnJla9AIzChs7jPHNFKOUf8cvlAN7rvN3HABnFIJlSNYLoca6M/cX2a4gQ61SqKdieZrNE/Gr3fUeFyfiHNh5S9F25yV2LI53nVeKmA10tHDLT2ZQX7gA==

I've just taken a quick look. That's the message ID and if you take a look at the full headers of every post, you'll find its ID there - most of these will generally be hidden unless you specifically turn on full header display.

If you look through various posts (mine and others) you'll find that it's not my posts that are showing this - in each case, it is dennis's quoting. His newsreader must be set up to quote the message ID as visible text when responding to a post.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

< header stuff snipped>

But it also happened when you replied to nightjar in the 'Heart valve choices' thread. And nobody else is having the same problem

It does rather look like the problem is with your newsreader rather than anyone else's.

Reply to
OG

Don't know how to trim a post, then?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Many thanks for all the helpful replies - as a result of which I've now got a much better idea of how 'touch sensitivity' works, and of what to look for.

I shall have the piano at home next week, so I'll have a delve inside and see whether I can get at, and clean, the contacts.

Reply to
Roger Mills

To be honest, when I've been quoting shortish posts, I've clicked follow-up to newsgroup, added my bit and sent, I've not scrolled back up to the top, so I've not actually noticed that the headers have been quoted - they've not appeared when I've read the post that I'm replying to, so I wouldn't normally expect them to appear in my follow-up.

It's all a bit odd, 'cos it's not happening on every post, just some of the recent ones.

I also must admit to misreading D-TMH's post - I thought he was just referring to the message ID, not that the whole set of headers was being quoted and so I replied to the wrong question.

I've just tried replying to Nightjars post in the heart valve thread again, this time it's not quoted the headers, although it did last time - I hate intermittent problems!

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

The usual thing is that something (dennis?) is putting an extra line feed in the headers. this denotes the end of headers so the rest display.

Reply to
<me9

I don't think I did anything.

Reply to
dennis

You certainly aren't at the moment.

SteveW

Reply to
Steve Walker

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