Tyros4 LCD display backlight

[werikas]

 Please help me, I have a problem. My Yamaha Tyros4 is working, but the LCD screen is dark. When I illuminate it with something from the outside, it shows the image. Maybe something burnt out, I don't know what to do next. I am looking forward to your advice, thank you very much.

[DrakeM]

I had a PRS-2000 which came out in 2001. I purchased it used in 2004 and in December of 2012 the screen went out (dark). I took it to an authorized dealer for repair. I was charged (as I recall $50) for them to inspect my keyboard. They told me the screen was bad and that Yamaha no longer manufactured the screen and thus the keyboard was not repairable.

I purchase my PSR-S950 at that time and used it until 2024 (12 years). The new SX920 come out in September 2024 and I figured it was time to upgrade to a newer keyboard as some of the buttons were acting up and not working every time I would press them.

My advice is to trade in or upgrade every 10 years or so. These keyboards are not meant to last much longer than that if you are actually using them daily.

Drake

 

[werikas]

The Tyros4 is one of the best keyboards, I've been playing for 6 years and I'm not going to change. I also have an old PSR-740, works without any problems. I wouldn't buy a new PSR because the difference between Tyros and PSR is like night and day, it's a different class of instrument compared to PSR.
 I'll be waiting for more advice on the Tyros LCD blackout. Thanks for your opinion.

[DrakeM]

I am not suggesting you get a PSR model. Rather pointing out you are not going to be able to get parts to repair your T4 keyboard, as it is too old.

 

[Gunnar Jonny]

.... Rather pointing out you are not going to be able to get parts to repair your T4 keyboard, as it is too old.

Never say never.
A Google search may do the trick to find both spare parts and "how to do" videos.
Another option is to add a external screen.

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[werikas]

I had to order spare parts from Guests are not allowed to view links. In order to access the links, please Register or Login in Germany, and they sent me a new motherboard from Latvia. Thank you but I will not use the external display, I tried it and it is very inconvenient.

[ChrisH]

I have in the past ordered my T4 spares from a guy in Turkey .. he is very good and also advertises on eBay if you want genuine spares.  Otherwise simply find a standard 7 or 8" TFT LCD screen and glue it over the existing screen so the buttons line up. Cheap and easy!!

[werikas]

I already knew this tip for sticking an extra screen. Better to fix the fault. Thank you, I look forward to more advice on how to repair the lcd screen.

[Whitecolin11]

Sadly yamaha  have stopped support on the T4 and replacement parts are very expensive, unless some one is selling spares and repairs.
An external monitor is the cheapest option.

[werikas]

Spare parts for Tyros4 are still available from Guests are not allowed to view links. In order to access the links, please Register or Login in Germany. This is not about the external display. Maybe somebody has encountered the problem that the LCD screen has gone dark. I want to repair a faulty LCD blackout.

[KurtAgain]

Please help me, I have a problem. My Yamaha Tyros4 is working, but the LCD screen is dark. When I illuminate it with something from the outside, it shows the image. Maybe something burnt out, I don't know what to do next. I am looking forward to your advice, thank you very much.

Werika's description suggests that the LCD backlight is defective. I took a look at the service manual for the Tyros 4. The Tyros 4 has a CCFL backlight unit. These CCFL tubes are known to fail after some time (usually after more than 10 years). I had the same problem with my old PSR-S900.

If my remote diagnosis is correct, the following options are available:

1) Replace the entire LCD. (ATTENTION High Voltage (approx. 420 – 1350V))

2) Replace only the CCFL tube with a new CCFL tube. (ATTENTION High Voltage (approx. 420 – 1350V))

3) Replace the CCFL tube with an LED strip. (ATTENTION High Voltage (approx. 420 – 1350V))

4) Connect an external monitor.

5) Buy a new Genos.

Options 1 to 3 require a great deal of knowledge, experience, and luck when repairing. If you're not very familiar with the Tyros 4's electronics, your chances of success are slim in my experience! If you want to go this route: There are tutorial videos for this on YouTube, and the service manual for the Tyros 4 is available on this site.

Personally, I consider options 4 and 5 to be the most sensible options.

Kurt

[werikas]

Thanks, but option 4 and 5 don't work for me, I don't want a Genos with a touchscreen that sounds like plastic and made in china. My LCD screen is good, I don't need to change it, and it only shows things very weakly. The backlight does not work. The display is good and has been checked by an electronics specialist.

[KurtAgain]

... My LCD screen is good, I don't need to change it, and it only shows things very weakly. The backlight does not work. ...

Yes, option 2 or 3 may repair the backlight. The problem is that the LCD and backlight are usually a single assembly in a single housing. This makes this repair difficult because it's not intended to repair anything on this assembly.

If you are not a trained electrician, please do not attempt to repair this yourself. There are very high voltages in this circuit group!

Kurt

[werikas]

Thank you very much

[Amwilburn]

Thanks, but option 4 and 5 don't work for me, I don't want a Genos with a touchscreen that sounds like plastic and made in china.

Yes the G1/G2 are made in China, and the cases are plastic... but so was the Tyros 4. Saying it "sounds like plastic" makes no sense, as *all* of the T4 (and T5) sounds are *in* the Genos, plus new ones (and the same goes for the G2, all of G1 sounds plus new ones).

Now, if you mean you don't like the soft plastic *of* the touchscreen, yes; a hard surface like a mobile phone/ipad would be nicer, absolutely!

Mark

[ChrisH]

Hi Mark

I think Yamaha got away with the plastic lid on the Tyros simply due to the marketing ploy of calling it "titanium" ..yep it
is just plastic but the so called titanium finish does make it look more expensive.   Having owned (and opened the cover of my previous SX900) I did feel that the plastic they used on the SX cover was a tad bit more flimsy than my Tyros "lid" so surely that extra amount of plastic material wouldn't add anything pricewise ..the SX bodies were probably moulded in a different factory than the much older Tyros which was more than likely moulded in Japan before Yamaha started using China factories.  Then again it's only a cover and as long as it doesn't distort when you pick it up that's all you need

Chris

[werikas]

My Tyros4 made in Japan. And the Genos made in china, sounds like plastic and that's it. I don't like the touchscreen. I still have a push-button mobile phone now.

[ChrisH]

Just checked and yes my Tyros 4 is Japan made ..I guess economics made the country change necessary?  I have two Lumix FZ1000 cameras which are identical on the outside but the Mark II one was made in China and you can feel the control knob differences ..the Chinese one is clunky and stiff whilst the Japan one is smooth operating. Build quality is obvious on either camera.

I also have a Vodafone push button phone but the only issue is you have to use the keyboard numbers to create alpha letters ..(pressing 1 once creates an A, twice creates a B and 3 times creates a C )..so messaging is very time consuming! I'd be happy with a button phone if messaging was easier. For messages I usually use an iPhone 7 which my brother hands down to me when he upgrades but then they become outdated and refuse to work on the 4G network even. My fingers also hate touchscreens so the iPhone will ring while refusing to allow me to answer by pressing the green button no matter which way I try to so called "swipe"

I'm really glad my Tyros has push buttons!!!

[KurtAgain]

In this forum, people sometimes complain that so few young people are interested in arranger keyboards. I'm glad that Yamaha is at least incorporating touchscreens. And I also like that the new voices sound more modern than the old ones (which are still available as legacy voices).

But it's always been the case that some people prefer the old ones to the new ones.

Kurt

[Amwilburn]

Again, *all* the Tyroses were made in Japan, and both Genoses (and all PSR going forward) are made in China. If you think that changes the sound, okay then.

But every single sound from T4 and T5 is in G1 and G2; and the new sounds are amazing. But if you love what you have, that's great

And yes, it was due to economic reasons; the G1 and G2 pack so much more technology (and R&D) into them that they said that if they kept making them in Japan, the price would be another 20-25% higher. I mean, the Avant Grand N1x is $10k, and that's made in China too.

What some people don't seem to realize is that they use the same plastic (but not painted on Genos; painting definitely would've looked nicer) & they sent the QA lead from Japan to head quality control in China... in Canada, I've seen issues with T1, T2, T4, T5 (even right out of the box, so obviously that was covered under warranty) with screens and buttons not working. We are now nearly 8 years after the launch of G1; and G1 & G2 combined, we've not seen any warranty issues *but* there has been 1 case of a person pressing the top half of backlit buttons, which is the half they are hinged on (Ever since this first happened on Tyros1, we've been instructing customers to please press the bottom half of the lit buttons. No, the soft rubber buttons on PSR don't have the same issue

And knowing how sharp the screen looks on my PSRs970, it looks *much* nicer than the soft screen from the PSR3000 (which is the same soft plastic as the new touch screens).


But complaining about the identical sound library available on another keyboard sounding plastic is confusing to me? (they didn't change the samples at all, they just added more). But there *is* a real complaint we haven't dealt with: the key action (travel distance before and after A.T triggers) was identical on all Tyroses, and they kept the 'arranger' type of aftertouch from T1 through G1, but *someone* must've complained, because on G2 they switched A.T back to synth type (where an initial hard hit will trigger A.T; T1 to G2 they block this to prevent accidental A.T. triggering... which makes more sense for an arranger); on G2, AT behaves the way it does for a synth, which is more predictable for synth users, but confusing for arranger users; and additionally, changing the key travel triggering distances on G1 & G2 (they're not even the same as each other, I measured them) from what we've grown used to on Tyros *is* a genuine complaint.

I got used to the arranger A.T from T1 to T5, and could play acoustic guitars with finger vibrato effortlessly. They kept the same A.T. on G1, but the travel distance changed, which throws me off. And now they've changed the A.T behavior altogether on G2! Which *really* throws me off to the point where I generally just turn off A.T on G2... it triggers far too easily without the automatic removal of A.T on an initial high velocity key press!!

On the other hand, none of the Tyroses (Tyrii?) can do this: (and yes, I've tried... mainly because for some sounds there's no substitute for the actual DX7 on board the G2)

Cheers
Mark

[Amwilburn]

btw, you might find this interesting:

Korg PA4x/PA1000/PA700 all share the exact same sound library; but the PA4x had the most buttons, highest build quality, etc. But making them identical sound libraries basically meant the PA4x was a tough sell (the PA1000 had the same capabilities but with less sample ram, 4 fewer drum fill buttons, and the PA700 loses the vocal harmonizer and A.T. and you guessed it: all plastic case made in Japan & China respectively vs steel case made in Italy)

But the made in Italy PA4x, made in Japan Pa1000, and made in China Pa700 sound identical on headphones (the speakers are better on PA1000, and PA4x doesn't have speakers at all)

Just FYI.

And yes, as Kurt said, they don't *sell* the backlight separately; it's sold as a single unit.

Those replacement screens aren't cheap, and on the Tyros 4 you have to disassemble the *entire* keyboard to get to the screen, you can't just unscrew the tilt screen area. So labour isn't cheap either.

But maybe you can find a spare parts T4/T5 (same screen) that you can grab the screen from; also, because Yamaha also sourced the screens, if you find a 3rd party part that looks and seems identical, it probably *is*... meaning you don't need to get the official yamaha part for the screen.

Note that even though the Tyros 1-5 is "made in Japan", the screens were always made in China. I know this because we had to replace quite a few screens for T1/T2 (*none* on T3, weirdly), and a small number of T4/T5 screens

Mark

[werikas]

I had to play with Tyros5, I didn't like the plastic sound, the bass sounded bad, you need a lot of settings to make the bass sound good. The Tyros4 is one of the best digital workstations YAMAHA has made.

[werikas]

One musician said he had played and owned all the Tyros, 1,2,3,4,5. Then he sold "Tyros5" and bought "Tyros4" again.

[ChrisH]

Good for him!

The only reason I would replace my Tyros 4 would be if it was "beyond economic repair" and then look for another one!! 

If you are a Tyros fan you have to watch this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFx5Xw44oL4

Chris

[werikas]

Thank you, I have seen this youtube recently. Anyway, Tyros4 sounds much nicer and better than Genos.

[Amwilburn]

:shrug:
The T4 and T5 have nearly identical sound libraries (one of the smallest differences in sound library for any upgrade ever); however, the real benefit turned out to be the 76 keys, and YEM, which was an absolute game changer.

But they share over 90% of the voices; and the T5 contains *all* the T4 sounds. It's even the same DAC, but the T4 used 24 bit DSPs. and I know the G2 uses 32bit (I wasn't sure if the T5 used 32bit or 24bit DSp's) If you think the T5 sounds like plastic, then you think the T4 does...?

However, I think they removed the sound creator on the T5 (might not have removed it until G1, but i think it was T5) and that's a genuine reason to reject it. But T5 contains all the same sounds as T4 and then some.

Incidentally the GNSMS01 speakers are *miles* ahead of the TRSMs04/TRMSMS05's speakers (I know, we had them all hooked up simultaneously; I briefly had a used T4, used T5, G1, and G2 and PA5x here all simultaneously routed into the same speakers.

[werikas]

I had to play with Tyros5, I didn't like the plastic sound and the bass in the style is poor compared to Tyros4. That's why I bought Tyros4, which sounds much softer even than Genos. If you talk about speakers, then where are the Chinese-made ones, they have a lot of noise, there is no detail. I use Italian-made speakers, the difference is big, you can feel the clarity, detail when you compare them with the Chinese-made ones.
I repaired my Tyros4, I didn't even have to solder anything, the screen is lit, I changed one circuit and it worked.

[KurtAgain]

I repaired my Tyros4, I didn't even have to solder anything, the screen is lit, I changed one circuit and it worked.

Congratulations!

Can you describe in more detail how you repaired your Tyros4? This would certainly be of interest to other Tyros4 owners, should their display backlight ever fail.

Kurt

[werikas]

I'm a musician, not an electronics expert. I had spare parts and I just replaced them and it worked. The screen was good, and there are left and right diagrams on the screen, I replaced one of them and the screen lights up.