B3 key broke my heart today

rusha · October 23, 2018, 05:02:50 PM

coming Saturday i m going to play in group of 40 people .we practice last week for coming event.this morning
i find out my 970 B3 key is not working no sound .

i did reset keyboard. but didn't make any different.i request you guys to help me to go through event .
Please make your suggestion.

Thanks

Rus

mikf · October 23, 2018, 05:17:19 PM

I think you would have to get into the guts of the keyboard to check this out and not sure if you are willing to do that yourself. I think this may need looked at by a technician. Do you have a store supplier locally. Even then there is not much time to get any replacement parts you might need if it turns out to be faulty. Although I suppose in an emergency they could 'steal' the part from one pf the keys at either end of the keyboard, whichever you use the least, probably the top note.

rusha · October 23, 2018, 06:02:16 PM

Thanks for your quick response .i m afraid to take apart because i don't have service manual.
i will try to find local dealer.

Thanks,
Rus

MarkF_48 · October 23, 2018, 06:43:13 PM

S970 service manual can be found in this link..... https://psrtutorial.com/lessons/workshops/ServiceManuals.html

EileenL · October 24, 2018, 05:24:55 AM

The rubber strips under the keys may need replacing. This will stop notes from sounding.

rusha · October 24, 2018, 06:57:08 AM

Thanks for service manual link.

I will check rubber strip . and post it back.

Thanks

Rus

MarkF_48 · October 24, 2018, 07:37:34 AM

May or may not help to get it back, but a quick strike to the key by 'flicking' a finger onto it may clean it up if there is any crud on the contact. It may be a temporary fix if it helps, but will likely act up again in the future.
As 'flicking' a finger may not be a recognized word/term in all languages.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy2DZdBiAmA

Just to be sure, it's just one key not working and not several of the same note (B1, B2, B3....) which might indicate a problem with the matrix or cable which collects and directs the electrical signal from the key switches.

rusha · October 24, 2018, 10:18:39 AM

Woohoo, Thank you guys for input.

Finally open back cover and clean pc and rubber strip. and B3 working like before.

I m back in business.

Thanks a lot all of you.

Rus

Toril S · October 24, 2018, 03:34:13 PM

Great!!!

mikf · October 24, 2018, 07:21:43 PM

Amazing what you can achieve when necessity is the driver😁
Mike

andyg · October 25, 2018, 04:10:27 AM

Good to hear that it's fixed.

FWIW, with this type of contact, it's best NOT to do the 'quick flick' mentioned earlier in the thread as all this usually does is push the dust/dirt/whatever more firmly into the contact. That method worked well on old style contacts, but almost every organ and keyboard since the mid/late 1980s has used the rubber strip method. Cheaper to produce and install and usually very reliable - but susceptible to dust getting in. Easy to fix, but takes some time dismantling until you get to the darned thing.

MarkF_48 · October 25, 2018, 09:53:06 AM

Quote from: andyg on October 25, 2018, 04:10:27 AM
Good to hear that it's fixed.

FWIW, with this type of contact, it's best NOT to do the 'quick flick' mentioned earlier in the thread as all this usually does is push the dust/dirt/whatever more firmly into the contact. That method worked well on old style contacts, but almost every organ and keyboard since the mid/late 1980s has used the rubber strip method. Cheaper to produce and install and usually very reliable - but susceptible to dust getting in. Easy to fix, but takes some time dismantling until you get to the darned thing.

FWIW it's the same carbon based contact in silicone rubber technology as was used in my ancient KORG Polysix (circa 1980) and others of that era. The VOX Jaguar I had did have 'wires' for contacts which you may be referring to(?) Most strips now have two sets of carbon contacts to facilitate 'velocity' on the keys. Typically not so much dust/dirt that causes the issue, but can be environmental factors which lead to a thin film buildup of contaminant that prevents the carbon from bridging the gold plated contact surface on the PCB. While a proper cleaning is the preferred means to get a key working if the person has the skills to open up the keyboard as Rus did, over the some 45 years I've worked on keyboards, the 'finger flick' 'fix' has been able to bring a key back most times in a pinch, but not 100% and not necessarily reliable which then necessitated opening up the keyboard.