emulatorII-list

Excellent tips, Mike, on the keys.  Replacements are quite rare and almost impossible to find...The identical set can be found on Akai's VX600 Programmable Matrix Synth.  I would go with the contact cleaning first, and if that fails, some do it yourself key replacement may be the next step, heaven forbid...
I've been there, done that, on the end "C" keys, using plastic chipped off some unidentified spare keys, carved to match and super-glued on the original broken keys...It worked "a bit" and I have to be careful with my energy release (coming off my electric fingers !) when playing, but cosmetically it looks great.
 
Tommy

--- On Fri, 1/29/10, Mike de Vries <mrjdevries@...> wrote:


From: Mike de Vries <mrjdevries@...>
Subject: Re: [emulatorII-list] Fixing up non working keys.
To: emulatorII-list@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, January 29, 2010, 7:13 PM


  



If you have a few keys that don't work, or play at max velocity etc, it's generally just dirt or a hair or something under the rubber contacts in the keyboard mechanism.
 
It's not too hard to take the EII's keyboard out and take it apart, wash the rubber contacts in warm soapy water, then rinse in water, then completely dry.. also, wipe down the PCB with a damp clean cloth to clean the contacts.
 
I did this to my EII, and fixed up the few keys that were unreliable.. it works perfectly now.
 
Another possible problem of non working keys, which has happened to a few things I bought cheap & broken in the past is corroded tracks on the keyboard PCB.. It's hard to know without looking at the pcb, but once found is easy to repair. (Solder thin wires to bridge the corroded tracks)
The symptom from this is often keys that are not working and they are all say 7 semitones apart etc.
 
Best of luck
Regards
Mike
 

--- On Sat, 30/1/10, Gil <gilwe@hotmail. com> wrote:

From: Gil <gilwe@hotmail. com>
Subject: [emulatorII- list] Re: Just joined the group and considering buying a E-II...
To: emulatorII-list@ yahoogroups. com
Received: Saturday, 30 January, 2010, 4:11 AM

  

Thanks !

OK so I opened it up, took a few connectors out and in - and viola ! it works !!

I could load and play a few disks so far. I found 3 keys which doesn't respond. I guess this monster will need some service and refurbishment. I might go and replace some caps in the power supply and in few other places.

Does anyone know which type of keys are these ? I heard they are the same as the Kawai K1... Do they match the keys of other synths ?

The lock handle of the bottom drive is missing as well... Which type of drive should I look for ?

--- In emulatorII-list@ yahoogroups. com, "hexafuzz" <gclip@...> wrote:
>
> 
> 
> --- In emulatorII-list@ yahoogroups. com, "Gil" <gilwe@> wrote:
> >
> > Now we need to get it work :)
> 
> Just to further clarify what has already been said: When powered on with a latched disk in either drive, the E-II should boot on its own. Top or bottom drive makes no difference; it should locate and auto-boot from either one on a dual floppy E-II.
> 
> When powered on -without- a disk in the drives, the display message should quickly change from "Boot in Progress" to "Insert Diskette", and both drive status LEDs should begin flashing in an alternate pattern. If your display message doesnt change, and your drive LEDs never get lit, it may not be seeing the drives.
> 
> If you are knowledgeable working on electronics (dont get zapped!), do as Elm suggested: Inspect, remove, and clean all floppy drive data & power cable connections (Deoxit and q-tips may help). Then hit the drives with compressed air to remove any built up dust or debris. Reconnect everything and look for improved/changed behavior.
> 
> PS: Whenever the E-II is transported, remember to latch scrap disks in both drives to avoid damage.
>

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _
Yahoo!7: Catch-up on your favourite Channel 7 TV shows easily, legally, and for free at PLUS7. www.tv.yahoo. com.au/plus7

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]









      

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]