[sdiy] U-20 questions

[Bob Weigel]

That seems unusual.  Hmm.  U-20 is a rompler. In some designs I can 
imagine perhaps thinking certain notes are missing because you are 
playing in a cyclic pattern and you really have a voice out.  Here I 
doubt such a thing is possible..
      So there are like..consistent notes missing BOTH from keyboard and 
MIDI?  Is there a pattern?  (Like every so many keys?)  The MIDI comes 
straight into the cpu on that one from the interface.  Keyboard comes 
into a gate array which shares the same clock.  Separate clock for PCM 
custom chip IC19 it shows.  Anyway...I mean it's all happening in the 
digital domain where..you can't like just have say bad solder on the leg 
of a processor or something and cause a problem like that as far as I 
can see without fouling up other things major.  So you might check and 
see if other things don't work right as well.  That's a strange one.   -Bob

Tony Kalomiris wrote:

> Hi Tim,
>
> I have a U-20 here with 'dead' keys problem too, except it doesn't 
> respond even over MIDI.
> Only some notes in each octave (I forget which) work.I removed every 
> key, spring - pain in the arse !
> I washed the keys, but didn't touch the carbon pads.
>
> I read here http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/9276/ that 
> "it's normal" to get a bum unit with the busted keyboard problem . . . 
> hmm.
>
> My version is 1.03.
>
> Also have you had success 'initialising' the machine ? I was about to 
> do it (after backing up data), but wasn't sure I'd lose the iRAM sounds.
>
> Anyway good luck with it, I sorta gave up on this one for now.
>
> Oh, have you tried CircuitWorks Rubber Keypad Repair Kit ? (#CW2605)
>
> I've never tried it myself.Anybody else ?
>
> Tony
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> At 07:30 PM 6/22/2005 -0700, Tim Parkhurst wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I love the sounds on my Roland U-20 but it has two problems:
>>
>> 1) Funky key contacts. Many keys don't sound, or trigger a dozen 
>> times when
>> you hit the key once (a really neat effect if you could turn it on 
>> and off).
>> I pulled the rubber contact strips and used conductive ink to 
>> "re-plate" the
>> contact pattern about two years ago. This helped a little, but now the
>> problem is as bad as it ever was. Is there a better way to refurbish the
>> contacts, or do I just replace the contact strips? And where do I get
>> replacement contact strips? I'm just using the U-20 as a sound module 
>> right
>> now, and this is a reasonable workaround, but the machine has a nice
>> keyboard and I'd probably use it as my master controller if the darn 
>> thing
>> worked properly.
>>
>> 2) A Two line LCD and four buttons do NOT make a user interface!!! 
>> Are there
>> any editor/librarians for the U-20 out there? I know Unisyn has a U-20
>> 'module' but I just don't have the $200 or so right now to spare. Any 
>> other
>> choices?
>>
>> Thanks as always!
>>
>>
>> Tim (more than two problems) Servo
>>
>> "Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
>>
>>
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