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Roland U20 Repairing dead keys
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harley_gator



Joined: Apr 30, 2007
Posts: 1
Location: Florida

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:04 pm    Post subject: Roland U20 Repairing dead keys Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have a U20 that has not been used for quite some time and has several dead keys now. Has anyone done this? Are the contacts sealed? How easy are they to clean if able..etc. Help will be appreciated!!
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blue hell
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Harmony Central says :

Quote:
The keyboard was very sensitive for failure, you see a lot of U-20 on eBay or in Holland on 'Marktplaats' (translation Marketplace) with a faulty keyboard, fixing it is not difficult but it is 4 to 5 hours work, you will have to open the case, everything sits on the wrong side (top side) of the case, so you have to turn it around, put something very soft beneath it, the knobs can't handle the pressure for long. If non of the keys work than:
1: turn it on it's head, 2: remove all screws, 3: disconnect the pcb's from the case but DON'T remove the cables that connects the pcb's with each other, 4: remove the keyboard, 5: the keyboard cable is clipped on the mainboard so carefully remove it. 6: remove the keys. 7: remove one of the rubber contacts on top of the flexible pcb, clean the pcb and put the rubbers back, place the mainboard/pcbs back on the case without installing the keyboard, connect the flex pbc to the mainboard, put your U-20 on and try pressing the rubbers, when no sound!! order the patched (modificated) cable at your local Roland dealer, and ask for the manual!


Which looks a lot like this to me Very Happy

welcome to the forum !

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Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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elektro80
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Blue Hell wrote:
Which looks a lot like this to me Very Happy

welcome to the forum !


Right!
AFAIK, the U20 keyboard should be pretty close to what is in that one.

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galphir



Joined: Aug 14, 2008
Posts: 4
Location: boston

PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:12 am    Post subject: Roland U20 Repairing dead keys
Subject description: I have done this
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I have done this with complete success......if anyone
is currently trying it i will post my experience...

...you don't need a new cable, roland wants $153
for the whole thng.........they will not sell you just a cable.

Dave
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blue hell
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

welcome Dave,

not trying it myself ... but your experience would be useful here!

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Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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Marconeglia1976



Joined: Sep 16, 2009
Posts: 3
Location: Italy

PostPosted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:10 pm    Post subject:  Dead keys Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

[
Quote:
Ciao, I'm Marco From Italy, please explain to me what it Pcb. I have only some dead keys, I put U-20 on the back, how can I to take away the keys and to arrange them?
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galphir



Joined: Aug 14, 2008
Posts: 4
Location: boston

PostPosted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:54 am    Post subject: U-20 cleaning
Subject description: Roland U20 Repairing dead keys
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I have been asked to share so:

Follow the Harmony Central post in this forum and.............

Take it all apart....carefully! And do not separate the keyboard
ribbon at the keyboard. separate at the circuit board. If you
screw up the ribbon connection you will have to clamp it down
with tiny nuts and bolts from the hardware store, a small piece of
bar steel (1'4"x1/16"x1.75" approx), and two pilot holes drilled
through the aluminum sheet to either side.

After you pull off every single key, saving your place and the
spring steel bars IN ORDER, you will need alcohol and a q-tip
to clean BOTH the contacts on the green circuit strip AND the
black carbon contacts inside the grey rubber shells, (pull these
suckers off carefully and keep your place.

Bear in mind you have to take the board nearly completely apart
and you should keep EVERY SINGLE PIECE IN ORDER of removal
for reassembly...........you should not pay more than $10-$20
for one of these boards in broken form because it will take you
8 HOURS to repair it and @ $50 per hour thats $400.......already
well over its worth.

IF the problem is several identical keys not working it IS the
ribbon cable conection at the keyboard. Moisture gets between
the mylars and the stick together and lift the contacts apart. The
plastic posts from Roland DO NOT provide enough pressure to
clamp the conatcts together again. (I ran into a problem where
the board worked when apart but not back together???? When
together the mylar ribbons were pushed apart.......OUCH).


It was a labor of love for me because the first keyboard player
I played with in a band had one and he was such an AS--OLE
for trying to write me out of the band with it, I figured I'd have
one, and have a beer...........beer was good.......a german import.

Dee Jayy
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Marconeglia1976



Joined: Sep 16, 2009
Posts: 3
Location: Italy

PostPosted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:10 am    Post subject: Re: U-20 cleaning
Subject description: Roland U20 Repairing dead keys
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galphir wrote:


Thank you so much from your suggestions! I cleaned all the contact, and it was enough...no it plays perfectly!
It was 8 hours work indeed..an as-ole, you are right! But the satisfaction is great...It was my first keyboard too, it didn't play since 10 years (I use a GEM PRO1 piano), but now I need for playing rockabilly with a new band, and I need a "lighter" keyboard to move..

Thank you so much
Marco
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galphir



Joined: Aug 14, 2008
Posts: 4
Location: boston

PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:01 am    Post subject:  Sucessful cleaning
Subject description: Roland U-20 cleaning
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Hey Marco,

I got much satisfaction reading of your success due
to my post.

Good luck with the only keyboard named after a submarine.....!


DJ
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Marconeglia1976



Joined: Sep 16, 2009
Posts: 3
Location: Italy

PostPosted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:19 am    Post subject: Re: Sucessful cleaning
Subject description: Roland U-20 cleaning
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galphir wrote:
Hey Marco,

I got much satisfaction reading of your success due
to my post.

Good luck with the only keyboard named after a submarine.....!


DJ

Ciao Galphir, I hade some trouble indeed, after some days....Now, if I press too many keys togheter, keyboard starts playing the same keys again 2 or 3 times as an echo...do you know what could have happened?

Regards
Marco
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galphir



Joined: Aug 14, 2008
Posts: 4
Location: boston

PostPosted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 6:05 am    Post subject: U-20 too many notes
Subject description: U-20 issues
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Hey Marco,

Assuming you know how to use it: keyboard patches, types, etc.

And that you know it is only 8-note polyphonic, i.e. you can only
press 8 notes at one time..................?



The only other things in "my experience" I can think of is:

You did not clean all the key contacts effectively enough

OR

When you pulled the board bed out the thin mylar ribbon cable attached
to it became separated from the thing it is clamped down on.

Things to know:
the clamps that push the two pieces of mylar are flimsy and get
weak over time.

Also, moisture gets in between, fuses the two and when they are
bumped, or moved, it breaks and pulls off(breaks) the sliver finger
coatings that touch each other. I know, I broke them.

DO NOT TRY AND PULL THEM APART EVER!

to clamp the mylar cables together tighter, I used a small metal
bar the same size, or a little bigger, as the existing bar, a piece
of felt or thin rubber to go between the metal bar and the mylar,
and two tiny/thin nut and bolts.

if you have to drill out the holes so the nut and bolt will fit, do so.
Then drill out holes in the metal bar replacement clamp to match.
put the felt between the metal bar and the mylar, put through the bolts,
and nuts and tighten, but only just snug, don't over tighten,

See if that helps.

If none of the above works, it "may" be electronic and thus beyond
my knowledge.
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GuyGreggo



Joined: Jun 26, 2010
Posts: 1
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 1:11 am    Post subject: U-20 Dead Keys
Subject description: Tried Cleaning Contacts without sucess...
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I followed the instructions, dismantled the unit and cleaned the contacts. Took me about three hours (I'm fast) but unfortunately not all the keys had come back to life, half still dead.

On this basis I would not recommend this repair as sucess is not guaranted. I'll keep the keyboard as a sound module.
Cheers Guy
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mrplinsky



Joined: Jun 23, 2012
Posts: 2
Location: Milano, Italia

PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:37 am    Post subject: I want to try too! Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Just bought a U20 with a lot of deadkeys...
I'm going to fix them following your instructions.
I hope for the success...
I'll post my experience in the next few days...
Keep in touch!
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blue hell
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Good luck! and welcome
_________________
Jan
also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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mrplinsky



Joined: Jun 23, 2012
Posts: 2
Location: Milano, Italia

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:00 am    Post subject:  Very difficult...
Subject description: It's a hard work!
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Hello! This work is really hard. You should be brave or a technician.

After opening the instrument, I moved carefully all the pcs to reach the keyboard...

Then with a lot of care I took away all the keys, and started to clean the contact strip board below the first ribbon... The ribbon is very difficult to remove without damaging the little gum points that block it to the flat green pcb...

Success: first octave ok.

Then I started with the second ribbon. Again a little alcool with a cotton BUT... I found a broken line on the contact strip board! Probably it was the alcool that dissolved the plastic? I don't know but if you try don't use alcool ... What a shame! Embarassed

I would tell you one thing: the keyboard was with 50 dead keys... After a little cleaning on the contact strip board only 11 are dead now - probably for this circuit line broken (by me? I don't know!)

Now I think that it is better to go to a very good technician... I found one...
In conclusion: it's very difficult to do this work but not impossible!
Cheers!
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