Roland A-80 ISSUE (any clue of cause/fix?)

traxkeyzvox · 4th July 2011

Hey all!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend thus far.... I wanted to know if ANY technicians out there (pro or freelance :-) might be able to give some ideas as to what could be causing this problem. I have a BEAUTIFUL Roland A-80 Midi Keyboard Controller in 99.9% mint condition. I've been in a smaller place for about a year now, so its just been sitting (have yet to really set it up). Tried it before however, & it worked perfectly with the exception of the highest B-natural which was staying down & simply needed to be adjusted internally. I absolutely LOVE the feel/action of this controller & planned to keep this for a lifetime, so I knew that eventually i'd get around to fixing that key & setting it up once i'm in a bigger place. Well I finally got around to adjusting the key, & shortly after doing so things have gone somewhat haywire for a reason unknown to me (weird characters on the LCD display screen, seeing a "zzzzzzz" on the LCD display screen at startup [or when I hit the "panic" button], it will NOT allow me to perform a factory reset & patch number/patch bank buttons seem to send midi but the keyboard keys/pitchbend & modulation levers don't)...

I initially thought the problem was caused by a bad battery, but I replaced it with a new one & the problem continued. I also meticulously checked all cable connections & they are all secure/firmly seated. As a means of troubleshooting, I pulled then re-inserted the long silver cable that runs from the keyboard keys to the circuit boards & i'm still having the same issues... I grabbed a PDF of the service manual & it looks like it has tons of information including schematics (21 pages total) but i'm still kinda stumped. Just want to see if I can possibly stumble across a fix for this issue before dishing out the cash to have it repaired (worst case would be shipping it out to Roland & paying probably more than what I paid for it initially after totaling 2-way shipping & the service fee :-)... Hoping that its at least repairable as i'd hate to put this beautiful keyboard controller in the dump over some weird unknown malfunction like this... I TRULY hope someone can help. Thanks!

-Trax

EDIT: I'm kicking myself over the fact that I just paid $11+ dollars for a service manual & only now am I finding it online for free... In any event, here is the url to the service manual:

http://www.synfo.nl/servicemanuals/R...VICE_NOTES.pdf

Megacurve · 4th July 2011

Hi,
I actually developed that unit! It will put ZZZZZZZZZ on the display when ever it is in Panic Mode, and trying to reset your sound modules by sending midi note off messages.

It sounds like it thinks a front panel button is being pressed. CPU-A is responsible for scanning the keys on the SWITCH-A Board. May be the connections to MAIN A or the switches themselves need cleaning. Try CRC CO CONTACT CLEANER on the connectors and switches.
Good luck!

-
Megacurve
Megacurve's sets on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

traxkeyzvox · 4th July 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Megacurve

Hi,
I actually developed that unit! It will put ZZZZZZZZZ on the display when ever it is in Panic Mode, and trying to reset your sound modules by sending midi note off messages.

It sounds like it thinks a front panel button is being pressed. CPU-A is responsible for scanning the keys on the SWITCH-A Board. May be the connections to MAIN A or the switches themselves need cleaning. Try CRC CO CONTACT CLEANER on the connectors and switches.
Good luck!

-
Megacurve
Megacurve's sets on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

WOW, small world!!!! Well you did an awesome job man, especially when it comes to the key action!!! I'm really hoping I can get this thing fixed. I have a Yamaha KX88 to hold me over but I really love the A-80 keyboard action so much more (& i'm a YAMAHA guy lol)... I have a can of de-oxit & i'm a little nervous to use it, but i'll see if I can open it back up & get spraying on the connectors/switches.

If all else fails, we have an Authorized Roland service shop here in Phoenix & i'll probably drop it off in early August (moving by 8/1 so funds are tight). I know its an older unit & I just hope the problems i'm having aren't fatal (i.e. if one of the circuit boards needed to be replaced & the parts are no longer available)... Keepin my fingers crossed! Thanks for reaching out with that info man!!! I'll post updates on my findings between now & whenever I either get it fixed, part it out or trash it.

-Trax

Megacurve · 5th July 2011

Thanks, but I can take no credit for the keyboard action!
That just came from the Keyboard Design and Development group, and was the top of the line home piano unit with the poly aftertouch sensors added.

traxkeyzvox · 24th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Megacurve

Thanks, but I can take no credit for the keyboard action!
That just came from the Keyboard Design and Development group, and was the top of the line home piano unit with the poly aftertouch sensors added.

Hey man, check your gearslutz inbox when u get a sec!!! Back up & running & had 1 more question. Thanks!

-trax

4th July 2011	#1
traxkeyzvox Gear Head Joined: Sep 2008 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 47 Thread Starter	Roland A-80 ISSUE (any clue of cause/fix?) Hey all!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend thus far.... I wanted to know if ANY technicians out there (pro or freelance :-) might be able to give some ideas as to what could be causing this problem. I have a BEAUTIFUL Roland A-80 Midi Keyboard Controller in 99.9% mint condition. I've been in a smaller place for about a year now, so its just been sitting (have yet to really set it up). Tried it before however, & it worked perfectly with the exception of the highest B-natural which was staying down & simply needed to be adjusted internally. I absolutely LOVE the feel/action of this controller & planned to keep this for a lifetime, so I knew that eventually i'd get around to fixing that key & setting it up once i'm in a bigger place. Well I finally got around to adjusting the key, & shortly after doing so things have gone somewhat haywire for a reason unknown to me (weird characters on the LCD display screen, seeing a "zzzzzzz" on the LCD display screen at startup [or when I hit the "panic" button], it will NOT allow me to perform a factory reset & patch number/patch bank buttons seem to send midi but the keyboard keys/pitchbend & modulation levers don't)... I initially thought the problem was caused by a bad battery, but I replaced it with a new one & the problem continued. I also meticulously checked all cable connections & they are all secure/firmly seated. As a means of troubleshooting, I pulled then re-inserted the long silver cable that runs from the keyboard keys to the circuit boards & i'm still having the same issues... I grabbed a PDF of the service manual & it looks like it has tons of information including schematics (21 pages total) but i'm still kinda stumped. Just want to see if I can possibly stumble across a fix for this issue before dishing out the cash to have it repaired (worst case would be shipping it out to Roland & paying probably more than what I paid for it initially after totaling 2-way shipping & the service fee :-)... Hoping that its at least repairable as i'd hate to put this beautiful keyboard controller in the dump over some weird unknown malfunction like this... I TRULY hope someone can help. Thanks! -Trax EDIT: I'm kicking myself over the fact that I just paid $11+ dollars for a service manual & only now am I finding it online for free... In any event, here is the url to the service manual: http://www.synfo.nl/servicemanuals/R...VICE_NOTES.pdf __________________ "When the ball drops, don't call him an 'overnight success'... He's BEEN doin this lol"

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4th July 2011	#2
Megacurve Gear interested Joined: Jul 2011 Location: Australia, NSW Posts: 6	Hi, I actually developed that unit! It will put ZZZZZZZZZ on the display when ever it is in Panic Mode, and trying to reset your sound modules by sending midi note off messages. It sounds like it thinks a front panel button is being pressed. CPU-A is responsible for scanning the keys on the SWITCH-A Board. May be the connections to MAIN A or the switches themselves need cleaning. Try CRC CO CONTACT CLEANER on the connectors and switches. Good luck! - Megacurve Megacurve's sets on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

5th July 2011	#4
Megacurve Gear interested Joined: Jul 2011 Location: Australia, NSW Posts: 6	Thanks, but I can take no credit for the keyboard action! That just came from the Keyboard Design and Development group, and was the top of the line home piano unit with the poly aftertouch sensors added.