The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

The kb on my an1x has started to show some signs of aging.
Some keys (mostly black)have lost their ´sensitivity` completely.
I get the same sound if I press very lightly or when i *hit* it a bit
harder.
Any way to fix this at home?

Not to be insulting, but did you check to make sure that you
don't have a fixed Velocity on?

Cheers,
Jt

--- e_mannikko <ihana@...> wrote: > The kb on my
an1x has started to show some signs of aging.

> Some keys (mostly black)have lost their ´sensitivity`
> completely.
> I get the same sound if I press very lightly or when i *hit*
> it a bit
> harder.
> Any way to fix this at home?
>
>
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Hasn´t anybody got any idea how to fix this?
Very irritating.
Anybody done synth maintenance - this is hardly an1x specific stuff.

----- Original Message -----
From: John Temprile <jtemprile@...>
To: <AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 7:42 AM
Subject: Re: [AN1x] an1x keyboard


> Not to be insulting, but did you check to make sure that you
> don't have a fixed Velocity on?
>
> Cheers,
> Jt
>
> --- e_mannikko <ihana@...> wrote: > The kb on my
> an1x has started to show some signs of aging.
> > Some keys (mostly black)have lost their ´sensitivity`
> > completely.
> > I get the same sound if I press very lightly or when i *hit*
> > it a bit
> > harder.
> > Any way to fix this at home?
> >
> >
> > Community email addresses:
> > Post message: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
> > Subscribe: AN1x-list-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > Unsubscribe: AN1x-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > List owner: AN1x-list-owner@yahoogroups.com
> >
> > Shortcut URL to this page:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AN1x-list
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Everything you'll ever need on one web page
> from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts
> http://uk.my.yahoo.com
>
> Community email addresses:
> Post message: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
> Subscribe: AN1x-list-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Unsubscribe: AN1x-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> List owner: AN1x-list-owner@yahoogroups.com
>
> Shortcut URL to this page:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AN1x-list
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

> Hasn´t anybody got any idea how to fix this?
> Very irritating.
> Anybody done synth maintenance - this is hardly an1x specific stuff.

Bruce... do you want to handle this one? ;-)

(Bruce Wahler, a member of this list, has done much more work on synths than
me.)

But I'll tell you what I know anyway.
It's hard. Really hard to fix keyboard mechanisms. They're hard to get to
inside the unit, therefore you usually have to pull out the whole key
assembly sub-chassis. Then the method each manufacturer uses to detect the
key press differs... but usually it's via membrane switches - the same kind
of thing as on your cell phone. Not very sturdy, and not easy to repair
once the membrane or rubber or whatever gets bad.

That's the bad part. The good part is that if the membrane stuff is still
good then the problem is likely that the pressure pads need cleaning. But
that's still bad because it usually involves removing each key seperately to
be able to get to the part that needs cleaning.


Ed Edwards
Leader: Ezekiel's Wheel »»»»Retro-Progressive Rock««««
http://www.untiedmusic.com/ezekiel
http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/227/ezekiels_wheel.html
°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°

thanks for your reply Ed

Sounds like I´d better take it to the dealer and let them fix it.
They said they could do it. I got the impression it was just a minor fix.
Price was just too high. Don´t remember the exact amount but it made me
wonder if I should buy a "new" one instead.
The problem is maybe partly due to me not handling it that well.
There was quite a bit of dust inside when I opened just couple of months
ago.

----- Original Message -----
From: Ed Edwards <edward.edwards@...>
To: <AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 3:21 AM
Subject: Re: [AN1x] an1x keyboard


> > Hasn´t anybody got any idea how to fix this?
> > Very irritating.
> > Anybody done synth maintenance - this is hardly an1x specific stuff.
>
> Bruce... do you want to handle this one? ;-)
>
> (Bruce Wahler, a member of this list, has done much more work on synths
than
> me.)
>
> But I'll tell you what I know anyway.
> It's hard. Really hard to fix keyboard mechanisms. They're hard to get
to
> inside the unit, therefore you usually have to pull out the whole key
> assembly sub-chassis. Then the method each manufacturer uses to detect
the
> key press differs... but usually it's via membrane switches - the same
kind
> of thing as on your cell phone. Not very sturdy, and not easy to repair
> once the membrane or rubber or whatever gets bad.
>
> That's the bad part. The good part is that if the membrane stuff is still
> good then the problem is likely that the pressure pads need cleaning. But
> that's still bad because it usually involves removing each key seperately
to
> be able to get to the part that needs cleaning.
>
>
> Ed Edwards
> Leader: Ezekiel's Wheel »»»»Retro-Progressive Rock««««
> http://www.untiedmusic.com/ezekiel
> http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/227/ezekiels_wheel.html
> °·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°·.·°
>
>
> Community email addresses:
> Post message: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
> Subscribe: AN1x-list-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Unsubscribe: AN1x-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> List owner: AN1x-list-owner@yahoogroups.com
>
> Shortcut URL to this page:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AN1x-list
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

Hi Ed,

I had a major workstation crash on Wednesday, and I just got to this ...

>> Hasn´t anybody got any idea how to fix this?
>> Very irritating.
>> Anybody done synth maintenance - this is hardly an1x specific stuff.
>
>Bruce... do you want to handle this one? ;-)
>
>(Bruce Wahler, a member of this list, has done much more work on synths than
>me.)
>
>But I'll tell you what I know anyway.
>It's hard. Really hard to fix keyboard mechanisms. They're hard to get to
>inside the unit, therefore you usually have to pull out the whole key
>assembly sub-chassis. Then the method each manufacturer uses to detect the
>key press differs... but usually it's via membrane switches - the same kind
>of thing as on your cell phone. Not very sturdy, and not easy to repair
>once the membrane or rubber or whatever gets bad.
>
>That's the bad part. The good part is that if the membrane stuff is still
>good then the problem is likely that the pressure pads need cleaning. But
>that's still bad because it usually involves removing each key seperately to
>be able to get to the part that needs cleaning.

That's a pretty good synopsis of what goes on inside the keyboard of most electronic instruments. There are four things that can happen:

1) The membrane switches can wear out (not very common).

2) The little plastic "strikers" (my term) on the bottoms of the keys that press the switches can wear down a bit. The mechanical tolerances are pretty tight, so that one of them hits before the other, allowing the velocity to be clocked. The solution is usually to replace the key; sometimes you can swap it with another one, and everything starts working again.

3) Dirt, fuzz, etc. can clog up the striker/switch interface. A little TLC can work wonders.

4) The connectors can loosen up, which can appear as many other issues. Re-seating the connectors often clears this up.


Regards,

-BW

--
Bruce Wahler
Design Consultant
Ashby Solutions™ http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@...

Okay thanks for ytour input guys - problem solved.

Worked up my courage and opened up the damn thing.
After half an hour of hair pulling and screwing I found this rubber strip
which was *very* dusty. Vacuum cleaned it and the whole keyboard section and
Voilá everything is working just fine.

Erkki

----- Original Message -----
From: Bruce Wahler <bruce@...>
To: <AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, December 09, 2002 7:18 AM
Subject: Re: [AN1x] an1x keyboard


> Hi Ed,
>
> I had a major workstation crash on Wednesday, and I just got to this ...
>
> >> Hasn´t anybody got any idea how to fix this?
> >> Very irritating.
> >> Anybody done synth maintenance - this is hardly an1x specific stuff.
> >
> >Bruce... do you want to handle this one? ;-)
> >
> >(Bruce Wahler, a member of this list, has done much more work on synths
than
> >me.)
> >
> >But I'll tell you what I know anyway.
> >It's hard. Really hard to fix keyboard mechanisms. They're hard to get
to
> >inside the unit, therefore you usually have to pull out the whole key
> >assembly sub-chassis. Then the method each manufacturer uses to detect
the
> >key press differs... but usually it's via membrane switches - the same
kind
> >of thing as on your cell phone. Not very sturdy, and not easy to repair
> >once the membrane or rubber or whatever gets bad.
> >
> >That's the bad part. The good part is that if the membrane stuff is
still
> >good then the problem is likely that the pressure pads need cleaning.
But
> >that's still bad because it usually involves removing each key seperately
to
> >be able to get to the part that needs cleaning.
>
> That's a pretty good synopsis of what goes on inside the keyboard of most
electronic instruments. There are four things that can happen:
>
> 1) The membrane switches can wear out (not very common).
>
> 2) The little plastic "strikers" (my term) on the bottoms of the keys that
press the switches can wear down a bit. The mechanical tolerances are
pretty tight, so that one of them hits before the other, allowing the
velocity to be clocked. The solution is usually to replace the key;
sometimes you can swap it with another one, and everything starts working
again.
>
> 3) Dirt, fuzz, etc. can clog up the striker/switch interface. A little
TLC can work wonders.
>
> 4) The connectors can loosen up, which can appear as many other issues.
Re-seating the connectors often clears this up.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> -BW
>
> --
> Bruce Wahler
> Design Consultant
> Ashby SolutionsT http://consult.ashbysolutions.com
> 978.386.7389 voice/fax
> bruce@...
>
>
>
> Community email addresses:
> Post message: AN1x-list@yahoogroups.com
> Subscribe: AN1x-list-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Unsubscribe: AN1x-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> List owner: AN1x-list-owner@yahoogroups.com
>
> Shortcut URL to this page:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AN1x-list
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

Well i didn't used to the an1x's keys - maybe a bit strange question but can anyone recommend me a compatible and nice feeling midi keyboard in order to change the keys
reggards!

Hi !
strange indeed !
IMHO unless you are a grand piano afficionado and you want to play synth
with the feeling of your favorite Steinway it is not very useful to
change the AN1x keyboard , other standard MIDI keyboards are
similar...or worse regarding the keys. Except those with 76 or 88
weighted keys, "hammer action" and so on, trying to emulate the feeling
of an acoustic piano.
Technically speaking most of the MIDI keyboards currently available are
compatible, for the note on - note off and velocity codes at least. If
you've planned to get a keyboard with a lot of knobs and switches be
careful that all these extra knobs are user programmable to address the
AN1x functions (= all the standard AN1x knobs and switches and/or the
MIDI controllers hidden in the menu).
If you only want more knobs and switches you can find some so called
MIDI control panels or MIDI control surfaces that are MIDI keyboards ...
without keys and of course an user programmable one again.
Cheers.
J.F.



kalin_progg a écrit :

>
> Well i didn't used to the an1x's keys - maybe a bit strange question
> but can anyone recommend me a compatible and nice feeling midi
> keyboard in order to change the keys
> reggards!
>
>