PSR S910 Video Out

[darrenkuy]

Anyone know why the rca video out would quit? Been sending video signal out to the guitar player for years. Last night..no video. I tried a different cable and monitor, but no go. Today I opened up the case and really only saw the 2 pin plug from the plug to the printed circuit board. Everything looked fine. The cable looked good, and didn't see any burned or corroded solder joints. Played with the utility screen out settings, but nothing.

[Toril S]

Have you tried a soft reset?

[darrenkuy]

Yes, holding down the top key while powering up. It sure doesn't look like a hardware issue, but I didn't ohm anything either. My guess would be software. I might go a bit deeper and try a system reset

[Roy_T]

Darren

Opening the case of a dead electronic keyboard and peering inside is about the equivalent of raising the hood (bonnet) of an automobile and peering at a dead engine.  Unless you are a qualified technician in the subject at hand, it is pretty pointless; and ad hoc use of a standard ohm meter on modern digital circuits can do catastrophic damage where none currently exists, if the battery in the ohm meter over currents or reverse currents a sensitive diode, transistor, or integrated circuit.  For the most part, a standard ohm meter is a 20th century test device best left to 20th century circuits, unless you really know what you are doing.  Many problems like yours are the fault of ribbon cable connectors.  If stress on the cable has canted the connector, and it has lost connection at one end, you may or may not see this.  Reseating all of these that you can get to may resolve your problem, but more often than not, the problem is inside the connector - where the tangs of the connecting pins pierce the ribbon cable's insulation  during the crimping process.  Over time, a bad crimp will lose contact on one or more pins.  This is something you will never see with a visual inspection - not even with a magnifying glass.  Likewise, most integrated circuits that succumb to heat/time stress show absolutely no external visual signs.  Lately, I have seen many comments about "My keyboard was working fine last night, but it won't work this morning.  What could be causing this?"  That is about the same as saying how could a light bulb not be working now when it was working a few minutes ago.  Sorry to say, that is how these things usually happen - and if a soft reset doesn't resolve it, it's most likely not software.  If you plan on getting your S910 going again, I recommend taking/sending it to a certified technician - believe me, I moonlighted as one 4 hours per night 5 nights a week and 8 hours on Saturdays, for about six years in the mid-90's.  A fair amount of my efforts went into repairing the original problem, then repairing the additional damage caused by a well-meaning owner.  I was lucky.  The store owner spared no expense on the latest test equipment.  Too bad, his family closed the store and sold all the assets when he passed away.  I really wanted to retire to that job and do it full time for a few more years.

Roy