Power supply problem

[arvacon]

Hi everyone.

I have the PSR-E453 for about 6 months and suddenly the power supply stopped working.
I tested it with a multimeter and it's dead. I used a power supply from another keyboard and my keyboard is working fine.

I searched at Yamaha's site for support and I called the Yamaha representative of my country, to talk about my problem. They told me that the power supply is not supported by the guarantee..
The representative was kind and he told me that even the guarantee doesn't support this, as it is something expendable (), he will finally send me a new one, but I have to go to the store that I bought the keyboard, to return the old one and receive the new one.

The problem is that this store is 100km far away from my home, so that means +100km for return, so it will be like I buy it new, because I will pay it in gasoline. I asked him to send me that with post and he said that he can't send this to me, he will send it to that store and then I will have to talk with them and if they agree to send this, I must pay all the post expenses for send and receive. Go figure...

I was wondering, is this a global phenomenon of Yamaha's support, or is it just a Greek innovation?

[AnupamEnosh]

Hi arvacon,
Yes in my country too, warranty covers only the Keyboard, and not the Power Adaptor. I confirmed that from the retailer during my purchase.

[SeaGtGruff]

In some places you don't get a power adapter when you purchase the PSR-E453 and similar models; you must purchase a separate "Survival Kit" that contains the correct adapter. That's how it is in the USA, although some merchants will include the appropriate version of the "Survival Kit" (at additional cost, of course) when you purchase a PSR-E453 from them-- or you can just purchase the PSR-E453 without any "extras" if you already have a suitable power adapter.

While it might seem unfriendly of Yamaha not to cover the power adapter under the keyboard's warranty, power adapters can be easily damaged or worn out due to things like breaking the wires inside the cord by habitually rolling the cord around the adapter when putting it away-- which can cause the wires to get repeatedly bent in different directions until they eventually break-- or fluctuations in the power being supplied to the adapter (e.g., surges or drops in power) that could eventually wear out the power adapter's circuitry, etc.

[arvacon]

Thanks guys for the info.

I should be happy that at least they offered me this change then, but yamaha should know, that this is not the right way to keep a customer happy.


Once I bought a cheap 12 euros soldering iron station from Lidl supermarket and after 18 months it stopped working.
Lidl offers 3 years guarantee for its products, so when I called them, I was sure that they would say to me that this is something that they can't replace, because it is something that it can fault after extended use. But nop, they didn't tell a word, they said we are sorry that you had trouble with our product, we send you a new one. I wish all the companies to had this kind of politics.. 

[arvacon]

I finally visited the store today, as I had another work at the city. They asked the old one back and they gave me a new one.
When I came home, I checked this with the multimeter and I just saw that this is not a stabilized power supply, as it says that is is 12v but it sends 16.5volts on output.

Can someone with a multimeter, please confirm if your power supply from your E-series keyboard sends 12volts or more on output?

I just would like to see if this is also defective or if they are all non stabilized.

[SeaGtGruff]

My father has a multimeter for testing batteries, but I've never tried testing a power adapter with it. How does one do that? It sounds tricky.

[arvacon]

From what I understand,your father must has an analog multimeter, so have a look at this video.
https://youtu.be/G2j8KUTeuls

You follow the same procedure with the battery testing, as you need put the scale at DC.

[arvacon]

Any news about the measurement? 

[SeaGtGruff]

I'm at my sister's for Thanksgiving, but I'll be heading back home tomorrow and should be able to try testing it tomorrow night.

[arvacon]

Enjoy your time then. Happy Thanksgiving 

[arvacon]

Thanks Roy for the info. Yes I measured it without load. When I measure it with load, it drops around 12v, like the not stabilized ones. Your explanation does make sense, but I would expecting this behavior from a 2-3 dollar switching power supply, than a 40 dollars Yamaha one.
I have a cheap router's switching power adapter that gives exactly 12 volts, so I think there is no excuse for Yamaha here. Let's hope at least that they have make good work at the input voltage circuit on the keyboard's mainboard.

[travlin-easy]

Most PC power supplies will be more than adequate to run your keyboard, and you can find them at relatively low prices. Just make sure that it is 16-volts DC Output and has the correct connector, polarity and amperage rating to power your keyboard.

Hope this helps,

Gary

[arvacon]

Just make sure that it is 16-volts DC Output..

Yes the laptop power supplies are by far better, but psr-e453 works at 12 volts.

[AnupamEnosh]

But how could PC power supply run a keyboard, when their output ranges from 19V-24V these days ? Won't it damage the keyboard's circuitry ?

[SeaGtGruff]

I think Gary might have been talking about the PSR-S and Tyros keyboards, which use a different power adapter than the PSR-E keyboards. However, the idea can be extended to other third-party power adapters, as long as they fit the specs for a given PSR-E model's power adapter. For example, the PSR-E403/YPT-400 uses a slightly different power adapter than the PSR-E433 and PSR-E443.

[travlin-easy]

I have used several laptop power supplies in the past, and they ranged from 12 to 16 volts - not 16 to 24 volts. Never saw one that high, but I'm sure they exist. You can find replacement power supplies on Ebay and other internet locations at very reasonable prices. Just Google "replacement power supply for PSR-E433. I just found one at https://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-Adapter-For-Yamaha-PSR-E433-PSRE433-Portable-Piano-Keyboard-Power-Supply-Cord-/271794554734

Gary

[OregonJim]

Unfortunately, your experience is not unusual.

Wall wart power supplies are invariably purchased from China by all manufacturers who use them.  The outfits that make them all have terrible track records.  I worked for a small company that purchased these wall warts in bulk (just as Yamaha does) - we had a 30% DOA failure rate.  We had to individually test EACH ONE before packaging them with our products.  Larger companies like Yamaha cannot do 100% incoming QC, so they only test random samples.  It's just not physically possible to test every one due to the volume.  That's why they're not covered under warranty.

Last year I purchased a Netgear router - the wall wart was dead right out of the package.  I exchanged the router, and the second one was also DOA.  I returned it yet again for a third one.  That wall wart worked, but only lasted FOUR DAYS.  When it died, I unplugged it to find the plastic case had melted from overheating.  I'm lucky it didn't start a fire!  Rather that return it for a 4th time, I used a spare laptop power brick to replace it.

I've had to open several of these things to try to repair them - it's not worth it.  The quality of the components, the PC boards, and the soldering jobs are pitiful.  They are throwaway items.

[AnupamEnosh]

I have used several laptop power supplies in the past, and they ranged from 12 to 16 volts - not 16 to 24 volts. Never saw one that high, but I'm sure they exist. You can find replacement power supplies on Ebay and other internet locations at very reasonable prices. Just Google "replacement power supply for PSR-E433. I just found one at https://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-Adapter-For-Yamaha-PSR-E433-PSRE433-Portable-Piano-Keyboard-Power-Supply-Cord-/271794554734

Gary

Here in my country, standard power is rated at 220V AC. And the power supply of my lappy is rated at 20V output. And I am afraid it could damage the keyboard, if it is used.

[OregonJim]

Here in my country, standard power is rated at 220V AC. And the power supply of my lappy is rated at 20V output. And I am afraid it could damage the keyboard, if it is used.

Yes, it will cause damage.  You need to match the voltage and plug polarity of the original adapter, and make sure the current rating is equal to (or greater than) the original.  I just happened to have one that met all these requirements.  Most people will need to purchase a replacement.

Here is one that will work with most PSR keyboards using either 120V/60Hz or 220V/50Hz:

https://www.amazon.com/T-Power-Adapter-PSR-410-PSR-420-Keyboard/dp/B0094AHWPS/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1514490585&sr=1-1&keywords=psr-e433+power+adapter

[AnupamEnosh]

Is PA-150B/C not available in your country ?
Yamaha voids warranty, if any third party accessories are used with the instrument.