[sdiy] DX7IIFD Keyboard and Alternatives

[ChristianH]

On Mon, 5 Jul 2010 13:00:13 -0400 Paul Cunningham <paul at cometway.com> wrote:

> I just picked up this Yamaha DX7FDII on Friday for $100 from a blind musician. Aside from a couple of button contacts that need to be cleaned, it's in fully functioning condition -- including the floppy drive. I haven't opened it up yet, but I have been able to get it fairly cleaned up on the outside. This guy was a smoker, so it's got this yellow tinge to it that's coming off with alcohol just fine. Having just removed the braille labels from under the button, I'm taking a break because I realized something about it that I don't like.
> 
> I don't like the keyboard. It's very clacky like a DW-8000, and I'm even wondering if they didn't share the same keybed. The Korg M1 shares keyboards with a few Yamahas and I'm wondering, particularly because the DX7II series was released close to the SY77 and just before the M1, if they weren't compatible. I love the keyboard on the M1, and I think it would make this DX7 into a nice instrument were it to have the same keyboard. I'm betting that they keyboards are not compatible, but thought I'd see if anyone here knows.

I'm pretty surprised to hear that. I always considered the DX7II
keyboard as excellent (at least for my taste). Recently, I even got me a
second one as a donor for DIY projects.

However, when I bought my first DX7II back in 1989 (new!), it made some
rattling noise when playing, but that came from the 32 preset button
caps. I opened it up and inserted a thin transparency sheet (for
overhead projectors) between the buttons and the switches. No rattling
ever since.

There may be keyboard assemblies slightly more silent, but e.g. those
rubbery Rolands (D50, XP50 etc.) tend to have contact problems over the
years. My DX7II still has to have its first key problem :-)
I don't even know what kind of contacts there are in the DX - there
simply wasn't the need for maintenance in the last 21 years. From the
mechanical sound, I always thought it could be gold plated metal
contacts, just like in the old days.

Christian