NE3 keys playing like morse code!!!

[elmo75]

Hi everybody, I need help with my NE3!!!

Two days ago, while I was in a gig, I changed the program in my NE3 for the next song, looked at the drummer and when I played the first chord no sound comes around. I look at the NE3 and see just a zero (0) in the middle of the screen...
I switched it off and on, unlug the sustain and control pedals, switched it off and on again, pressed the panic button, (yes I was in Panic mode) tried everything but nothing worked.

Now, something funny happens when I try to play it: If I'm in piano, clav or sample mode, there's no sound when I play a key, but if I hold it (not all of the keys, just some) it triggers the sound randomly like if it was sending morse code. If I'm in organ mode and play the key softly, it sounds, (I have the fast trigger mode in the settings) but if I hit it till the end makes no sound at all or the same beahviour as the piano: it triggers the notes ramdonly. If I change the trigger mode to normal, it behaves exactly as the pianos, etc.

I reinstalled the OS (3.08), opened the case and cleaned inside (pretty clean inside since I use it mostly in my studio), even dissasembled the key bed and unplugged it, clean with air and plugged again all the cables, but nothing changes. Looking around it doesn't seem to be bad connections, faulty solderings or burnt components.
If I play the NE with a MIDI keyboard everything goes fine so I presume the problem must be on the keybed or something between it and the main board.

Anyone can help? I can use the keys in the studio via MIDI, I don't care about it but I play in a band now and I need it for reherasals...


PD: Sorry if my english isn't very good

[Berretje]

Sounds you need a professional technician for this. There are people on this forum who could help you.

*bump topic*

[Mr_-G-]

Did you clean the key contacts (the rubber bubbles?).

[elmo75]

Yes, not all but some of them. But it's got nothing to do with it, it happens in all the keyboard and it happened suddenly, in one second no key was working so it doesn't seems dirt. In fact when I opened it, it was almost factory clean...

[JiminWales]

Could be the keyboard scanning is at fault.
Is there a little "secret" connector on the back of an E3 (there is in my E4)? I believe it's used for factory calibration of the keyboard and therefore, (probably), directly connected to the key scanner. If there's any damage or contamination to that connector, it could be the cause. Otherwise, I'd say it's a service centre job.

[elmo75]

Could be the keyboard scanning is at fault.
Is there a little "secret" connector on the back of an E3 (there is in my E4)? I believe it's used for factory calibration of the keyboard and therefore, (probably), directly connected to the key scanner. If there's any damage or contamination to that connector, it could be the cause. Otherwise, I'd say it's a service centre job.

Yes I presume is all about the keyboard scanning or something around it... I took a look at the "secret" conector as I read your post and it seems to be ok (no dust, oxid or dirt, no bad soldering points, etc.) but looking into that I noticed a couple of smd componets near it that doesn't look very well, it looks to me as it were overheated in some moment. I use to service my old analog synths, but never dealed with smd so I think it's time for the service center...

[OBDave]

Has nothing to do with the "secret" connector. I'm pretty sure the "secret" connect is a two-wire serial interface to the microprocessor so the factory can reflash the bootloader and OS without having to open the unit up. It wouldn't have anything to do with key scanning.

My first guess would be that one of the internal connectors has become loose, but you reseated those already. It could also be a bad solder joint somewhere on the main processor board, and that would require professional to resolve. Has the keyboard been exposed to moisture or had liquids spilled into it?

[pterm]

but looking into that I noticed a couple of smd componets near it that doesn't look very well, it looks to me as it were overheated in some moment. I use to service my old analog synths, but never dealed with smd so I think it's time for the service center...

Hi elmo75,
Sorry to hear about your traumatic gig experience.

I agree that sending it to the service center seems like the right option. The failure mode you describe and the subsequent symptoms suggest a component failure (rather than a bad connector whose failure I would normally associate with a mechanical shock). Diagnosing it likely requires an oscilloscope.

The answers to these questions might speed the diagnosis at the service center:

1. Do you see any pattern in the behaviour when you press different keys? For example, do all the C notes have similar behaviour?
2. Does a certain part of the keybed behave better or worse than other parts?

For my own interest:
Does the keyboard still show any odd display messages?
Can you send any pictures of the possibly damaged components (and which circuit boards they reside on)?

Best wishes for the quick return of your Nord.
-Pterm

[elmo75]

Hi elmo75,
Sorry to hear about your traumatic gig experience.

I wasn't that bad, 'fortunately' it was the last song of the show...

I agree that sending it to the service center seems like the right option. The failure mode you describe and the subsequent symptoms suggest a component failure (rather than a bad connector whose failure I would normally associate with a mechanical shock). Diagnosing it likely requires an oscilloscope.

The answers to these questions might speed the diagnosis at the service center:

1. Do you see any pattern in the behaviour when you press different keys? For example, do all the C notes have similar behaviour?
2. Does a certain part of the keybed behave better or worse than other parts?

Tomorrow I will call the distributor here in Spain to ask for the service center, there's nothing else I can do now...
About the behaviour of the keys, there is no pattern or it's to complicated for me to understand, and it doesn't seem to be better or worse along the keyboard.

For my own interest:
Does the keyboard still show any odd display messages?
Can you send any pictures of the possibly damaged components (and which circuit boards they reside on)?

The keyboard never showed any error message again, just once when it failed for the first time (as I mentioned, one zero in the middle of the screen). It disappeared when I switched it off and on again hoping it was just a momentary failure. Whe I switch it on now, everything seems ok: no error message or anything weird except the keys failure.
I attach pictures of the components (F18 and F19, between the usb conector and the "secret" conector on the main board). I'm not used to work with smd componets so maybe it's ok, but it seems like burnt or something comparing with others, maybe I'm wrong or maybe this components got nothing to do with thw scanner or the keyboard...

The big picture:


Detail:


Anyway, it's time now for the guys of the Service Center to take a look...

Best wishes for the quick return of your Nord.
-Pterm

I hope it won't be long for the repairing... I'll post the veredict as soon as I know something just in case this happens to anyone else.

And thanks everybody for your comments and help!!

[pterm]

Hi elmo75,
Good eye spotting those components. It looks to me, from the misalignment of F18, that they underwent a repair or rework. The yellow discolouration looks like flux from flux-core solder used in repair with hand tools. Some re-work like this is common if manufacturing mistakes occur. The repair job looks sloppy: The flux normally gets cleaned off after repair.

I don't think this is the cause of your problem.

Thanks for the photos and for sharing your experience!

-Peter