AW: Re: An (almost) new keyboard for my Prophet

[Haible_Juergen#Tel2743]

>     Are you thinking of putting a Pratt/Read keyboard assembly into your
>     OB-8, to replace the Panasonic keyboard?

Yes. As soon as I can get one in good shape. I could have had one
in exchange some months ago, but it had the bushing problem like
most P/R keyboards. If only I'd had these new bushings back then ...
but now that Rich has them, I'll keep my eyes open for another
P/R keyboard.

>     Physically I think there's room - I seem to remember a couple of spare 

>     inches between the back of the keyboard and the circuit boards (the
>     P-5 keyboard is deeper than the OB's).

The OB-Xa had P/R's, and maybe early OB-8's too (?). At least in my
OB-8 the mounting holes for the (larger) P/R keyboard are already there!
But I don't really know if the P5 keyboard/keybed/strappings have the same
dimensions as the the Obie ones. I think I will get me another Obie (Xa)
and swap the two keyboards.

>     The OB's circuitry does not seem to detect the rubber contacts well
>     unless they have been recently cleaned (like a few hours). I have used 

>     the same rubber contact keyboard assmebly in my own digital designs,
>     and they NEVER have a problem, so I wonder if the OB circuitry will do 

>     better with J-wires.

The rubber contact keyboard in my OB-8 has no contact problems at all.
It's only that I don't like the feeling of the keyboard action, and the 
mechanical
noise it produces.

I am so sad that these wooden Hermann keyboards are too large to fit
into the OB-8. Now *that* would have been a keyboard action !!

JH.