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Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby aashideacon » 04 Nov 2011, 19:50

I had a dead Bb key, and decided that I would try to fix it. It worked! I documented the process here: http://blog.lunabell.com/My_blog/Blog/Entries/2011/11/4_Fixing_dead_key_on_Nord_Electro2_72.html

Hope this helps anyone who wants to brave the DIY world! The site is my home computer, so it might be a little slow to load.

aash

EDIT: Before following this blog, please scroll down and see the excellent notes and caveats by pablomastodon!!
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Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)


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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby aashideacon » 04 Nov 2011, 20:27

(corrected broken link)
Last edited by aashideacon on 31 Jul 2012, 12:26, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby Hanon_CTS » 04 Nov 2011, 20:58

aashideacon wrote:Hope this helps anyone who wants to brave the DIY world! The site is my home computer, so it might be a little slow to load.

aash

Hello aashideacon,
Welcome to the forums!
aash,
double thanks for taking time to document the process and post it to help others.
Cheers, Hanon
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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby dlrshort » 05 Nov 2011, 09:53

You are a brave man!
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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby fontayne » 01 Feb 2012, 11:22

Thanks so much for documenting this, i just fixed a stuck key on my Electro 2 with your help! :)
Last edited by fontayne on 31 Jul 2012, 12:26, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby ghrt73 » 04 Feb 2013, 17:33

It seems this link is gone, i really need it; would you please repost or send it to me ? Thanks!!
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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby mjbrands » 05 Feb 2013, 00:30

ghrt73 wrote:It seems this link is gone, i really need it; would you please repost or send it to me ? Thanks!!

Link in first post has been updated.
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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby pablomastodon » 05 Feb 2013, 18:58

Kudos to the original poster for having gone to great lengths to document his operation, but as outlined this procedure will expose fellow Nordesians to UNNECESSARY RISK OF DAMAGING THEIR INSTRUMENTS.

1) Better practice would be to remove the two bottom screws FIRST. As the poster correctly notes, doing this last will allow the red upper chassis to come crashing down, ripping the ribbon cable from one or the other socket. It could take many weeks amd even more money to replace that cable.

On ALL synth and single manual organ action Nords (fully weighted is slightly different), there will be two long parallel rows of screws running the entire width of the instrument. Depending upon the model, there will be 1, 2, or 3 screws falling outside this dual parallel line pattern. REMOVE THEM FIRST as step one (while the rest of the chassis is still secure).

Then remove all screws along seam between red upper chassis and black lower chassis on the rear of the instrument.

WOODEN SIDES: DO NOT REMOVE ALL SCREWS. Leave one on each side, the ones at the rear and at the bottom of the instrument; simply loosen them slightly (1/2 turn or so). Those two remaining screws then act as hinge pins allowing the red upper chassis to lift up similar to a hood/bonnet on a car.

This allows one to get one's hand in there to disconnect the large ribbon cable/cables (two on Stages, one on everything else). Once disconnected, those two remaining screws can be removed and the upper chassis set safely aside.


The next step in the depicted procedure has the user removing all screws which secure the keybed to the lower chassis before/without disconnecting the keybed ribbons. THIS IS BEGGING FOR TROUBLE, again endangering ribbon cables needlessly. Those cables should be disconnected BEFORE removing screws which secure keybed to lower chassis. Most units will have two cables ~2.5cm wide (2-octave G1 and 3-octave G2 may have only one such). NE3s and newer Stages will also have a much narrower cable for the key calibration function. ALSO, be aware that AT-equipped units will have an AT cable at the extreme left end of things. Disconnect ALL such cables from the mainboard. In some cases, disconnecting the ribbon coming from power supply to mainboard will make access a little easier.

As noted by poster, IT IS NOT NECESSARY to remove keys on waterfall action, but the method shows/described for key removal from that action is a poor one and again asking for potential damage. Firstly, grabbing those springs with a needle nose will work, but when springs get old and tired this method can twist them out of shape, stretch them out unnaturally or otherwise affect their performance. Better practice is to use a slender driver (whether screwdriver or star or hex or...?) small enough to enter the concentric hole at the top of the spring but large enough to not fit through the hole at the bottom of the spring. Simply slide it in the hole to the bottom and press down just a little further until the widened flange portion of the bottom of the spring extends beyond the retaining collar of the keybed frame assembly, then swing it free. Complicated as hell to describe in words, but super simple in practice. When doing a complete overhaul involving removing all keys (and scrubbing them down one by one with an old toothbrush and a bucket of soapy water), this trick will make an otherwise difficult job very easy.

Another thing the poster overlooks on the waterfall action is that there are retention clips built into the heads of the keys. Ideally, a small flat blade screwdriver should be used to free this mechanism before trying to remove the key. Those are not usually mission-critical, but we can assume that Fatar put them there for a reason and that one is better off not breaking them. These appear inside the little rectangular hollow at the head of the key immediately below the note name label.

Note that key removal IS necessary on non-AT synth actions, but those keys do not have the extra little retention clips in their design.

The rest of the operation as shown looks good, but another tip which can make all the difference between making this an easy job and a difficult one: be prepared beforehand with two paper clips, one regular size and one slightly larger heavy duty size. The bent ends of those paper clips will make short work of coaxing those tiny little rubber nubs back into their corresponding holes on the key contact PCBs. Just insert into the corresponding indents on the topside of the rubber contact strips and press gently to avoid poking a hole right through (it won't be the end of the world if you do).


Lastly, keep in mind that the insides of the instrument can and will catch every bit of dust, dirt, pet hair, beer, smoke, fog juice, pyrotechnics ash, guitar picks, confetti, etc., which happens to drop into the cracks between the keys. And ALL of this misc. stuff will be a potential source of future contamination of the contact mechanism. HAVE A CAN OF COMPRESSED AIR on hand and take everything outside and blow it out, upper chassis, lower chassis, keybed frame assembly (best blown from underneath). If it's really nasty, it is good practice to remove all keys and do them one by one. You don't want to have to go through the whole thing over again next month. I saw one poster complaining about how often he does this and strongly suspect that he omitted this last step from his procedure. The bottom line is that those little rubber domes for each note which contain the actual contact switches would effectively be suction cups if not for the slight ventilation channels Fatar designed into the rubber strips. As a result, EVERY TIME YOU RELEASE A NOTE AIR IS SUCKED INTO THAT SPACE. There will always be a possibility that any loose crud laying around may be sucked in with it, causing these kinds of problems. Cleaning out every nook and cranny on the inside of the instrument will be the best way to avoid this from recurring anytime soon.

A clean Nord is a happy Nord!

Pablo
bun fyah weh fyah fi bun

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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby Johannes » 09 Aug 2013, 12:35

I just saw that the OT link is not working anymore, but there is also this awesome PDF document by member msfoto:
nord-stage-forum-f3/help-key-stuck-at-full-velocity-on-stage-ex73-t3617.html#p22246
Explaining very detailed with step by step images how to fix velocity or silent key issues with your Nord.
I was looking for this information since I have a stuck key, just so the information doesn't get lost.
Kudos to Marc Siegel for the great work!!
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Re: Fixing a dead key on Nord Electro 2 (73)

Postby polive » 20 Sep 2015, 14:45

The link in the first post seems no longer current. I would be very glad if you could update it :)
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