Damaged NL3 keybed

[login]

So I dropped beer over the last keys of my Nl3. The last two keys (b and c) stoped working.

I opened the NL3 and cleaned the rubber and contacts from the beer.

I got the B key working again, but C5 is still not working the strange part is that aftertouch does work.

Other problem: I tried to get the velocity output to see if I could get all 127 velocity levels, from 1 to 90 i get most, but then there are big jumps 95, 100, 112, 127, nothing between them. Havent noticed this before, Could the keybed be damaged or does Nord lead have such a bad velocity response? Maybe someone with a NL3 could test if they can get all velocity values?

Do you think I need to replace the keys? If so, does nord ship supplies?

[pablomastodon]

Hi Login,

I am your tech support rep, covering both Canada and the USA, so you can contact me via my regular work connections as shown below. Please feel free to contact me directly for any advice and/or parts ordering needs.

Parts, like whole instruments, are only distributed by the exclusive distributors for the respective nation in which the customer resides. In Canada, that is Jam Industries out of Montreal. You cannot purchase parts directly from Nord -- only from Jam. Please also note that Nord does not make individual parts available for these Fatar keybeds -- only complete keybed assemblies. However, since they are in reality Fatar parts, individual supplies can be obtained directly from Fatar at a better price than what Nord would have to charge by having them shipped through Sweden on their way to you.

Either your cleaning job was incomplete on that one note, the contact surface on the PCB has worn thin and become unreliable, or a diode on the contact PCB is broken.

There is nothing strange about AT still working on that note. We're talking mono AT here, not poly. AT is accomplished by a single mylar strip running the entire width of the keybed beneath the keys.

The velocity results you report sound odd. You should get smooth velocity response across the entire range. Not sure what would cause this, though...


Bless,

Pablo Mastodon
Nord Technical Support USA/Canada
pablo.mastodon@AmericanMusicandSound.com
(800) 994-4984 x3030 USA
(800) 431-2609 x3030 Canada
(813) 644-8480 (direct line)

[login]

Thanks a lot for your input Pablo,

So about the three possible explanations: I would clean again, I havent cleaned the back of the rubber hope that works. If that doesnt work, Is there any way to diagnose and fix the other two possibilities?

And about getting parts, which kb model is should I ask from fatar in case I have to?

[pablomastodon]

I don't think that Fatar will sell directly either. Korg Canada is the exclusive distributor of Studiologic, Fatar's street brand name. It is likely that Korg Canada also has exclusive on parts distribution.

Cleaning "the back" of the rubber will do nothing if I understand "the back" correctly. You wish to clean the underside, the contact surfaces themselves. The two black dots on the rubber strip come down and close the gaps between the two pairs of black ovals on the PCB. It's all about the contact surfaces.

If the contact surface on the PCB is too worn, it's basically toast. If there is any hint of shiny copper peeking through the black on the ovals, forget it. I did once see some post from someone who had actually sourced some little paint-on black conductor stuff to refurb such things, but as I recall it was exotic and expensive. And the thought of painting 196 little black ovals to refurb a 49-note synth contact PCB is enough to drive me insane. Those PCBs can be completely replaced at a reasonable cost.

I'm not a component level tech, but something in my schooling tells me that diodes allow current in one direction only and not the other. This suggests that an ordinary continuity tester or ohmmeter is likely to read no continuity/infinite resistance when probed one way and continuity/zero resistance when probed the opposite way. Sometimes these little bits of glass break and you can see a crack or the thing might separate completely, although this is harder to see when both ends are still soldered down. In approx. 220 cases of dead notes I've handled over the past 4-1/2+ years, a broken diode was the culprit exactly once. That's it. I often forget to mention that possibility entirely.

There is the additional possibility that there may be cable issues, but generally if a ribbon cable line is blown it will not affect only one note, but several, either in intervals of 8 semi-tones or in groups of 8 consecutive notes. It seems pretty clear that this is not your problem, but this whole long-distance diagnosis thing is a highly inexact science...

If you want more from me, please contact me via my regular work connections. My participation in this forum is voluntary free time and personal enjoyment/satisfaction. My day (and night) job includes servicing the Nord needs of Canadian customers. When handling my job, I very strongly prefer to do so through my work email and phone. This allows me to make a record of my efforts and create a searchable archive for myself.

Bless,

Pablo

Pablo