Roland E-20 synthesiser keyboard

[Roy]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me with this. Two of the keys do not produce
any sound and one of the keys (approximately in the middle) seems to be
sticking up about 8 mm proud of the other keys. Although I am from an
electronics background (TVand Video servicing) I have never had any dealings
with one of these before. If anyone can point me in the right direction for
a workshop service manual or has any tips I would really appreciate it! I
have spent a couple of hours googling but all I can find is that it was
manufactured in 1988 or thereabouts. I found how to do the factory reset but
this didnt do anything, and also got the user manual. Thanks in advance for
any help.
Roy

 

[jakdedert]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can help me with this. Two of the keys do not produce
any sound and one of the keys (approximately in the middle) seems to be
sticking up about 8 mm proud of the other keys. Although I am from an
electronics background (TVand Video servicing) I have never had any dealings
with one of these before. If anyone can point me in the right direction for
a workshop service manual or has any tips I would really appreciate it! I
have spent a couple of hours googling but all I can find is that it was
manufactured in 1988 or thereabouts. I found how to do the factory reset but
this didnt do anything, and also got the user manual. Thanks in advance for
any help.
Roy

I expect you're going to have to open it up. Since you already have one
strictly mechanical issue with the keyboard--the misplaced key--I think
it's reasonable to at least suspect mechanical issues with the other
two. In any case, it's going to have to come open to fix the one key;
so repost if you can't figure out the problem with the other two *after*
you've looked inside.

jak

 

[Gareth Magennis]

The key that is sticking up is almost certainly broken. The keys that don't
sound are almost certainly because the key contacts are dirty or worn.

You don't need a service manual. Just take off the lower casing and work
out what is required to remove the keyframe assembly - usually unscrewing
lots of screws and perhaps removing some circuit boards.
The key contact strips are under the keys. On some keyboards you need to
remove the keys to access them, on others you unscrew the circuit boards
from under the keys to access them leaving the keys in place.

You may be able to clean the dirtry strips and the PCB they act on, or it
may be better to buy a new set of strips with the new key you will need to
buy from Roland, neither are particularly expensive. Clean the PCB contacts
carefully with alcohol and cotton buds before fitting the new or cleaned
strips.



Gareth.

 

[Roy]

The key that is sticking up is almost certainly broken. The keys that
don't sound are almost certainly because the key contacts are dirty or
worn.

You don't need a service manual. Just take off the lower casing and work
out what is required to remove the keyframe assembly - usually unscrewing
lots of screws and perhaps removing some circuit boards.
The key contact strips are under the keys. On some keyboards you need to
remove the keys to access them, on others you unscrew the circuit boards
from under the keys to access them leaving the keys in place.

You may be able to clean the dirtry strips and the PCB they act on, or it
may be better to buy a new set of strips with the new key you will need to
buy from Roland, neither are particularly expensive. Clean the PCB
contacts carefully with alcohol and cotton buds before fitting the new or
cleaned strips.



Gareth.

Thanks for the responses guys. I will probably be ok once I manage to get
into the beast (one of the reasons I was after a service manual). So far
have removed all of the arrowed screws on the underside together with a
couple that were not arrowed. (7 x 20mm round head, 2 x 12mm roundhead and 2
x 20mm countersunk).The only ones I have not removed are four marked "Do Not
Remove" (natch!). Judging by the spacing I think they are probably securing
the power supply/transformer. The top does still not want to part company
with the bottom and I do not want to start jemmying. It seems to seperate by
about 20mm all the way round except at the back.

Roy

 

[jakdedert]

Thanks for the responses guys. I will probably be ok once I manage to get
into the beast (one of the reasons I was after a service manual). So far
have removed all of the arrowed screws on the underside together with a
couple that were not arrowed. (7 x 20mm round head, 2 x 12mm roundhead and 2
x 20mm countersunk).The only ones I have not removed are four marked "Do Not
Remove" (natch!). Judging by the spacing I think they are probably securing
the power supply/transformer. The top does still not want to part company
with the bottom and I do not want to start jemmying. It seems to seperate by
about 20mm all the way round except at the back.

Roy

Use something like a heavy guitar pick to work around the seam. Likely
either top needs to flex in, or vice versa, to release a tab.

(Almost as likely: you've already figured this out....)

jak

 

[Roy]

Use something like a heavy guitar pick to work around the seam. Likely
either top needs to flex in, or vice versa, to release a tab.

(Almost as likely: you've already figured this out....)

jak

Yes thanks jak, tried all the usual stuff, but all encoragement/ideas
greatly appreciated. Just discovered a screw at the middle of the bottom -
in a deep hole. Guess what? the screw wont turn...bugger! Assuming its the
same cross head as the other screws found a driver bit with a perfect fit -
still no good. Also noted two holes at the rear of the top which look like
they may have been plugged with something, whatever it is, its not rubber
and not soft. Wonder if there are screws hiding under there?

Roy

 

[Gareth Magennis]

Yes thanks jak, tried all the usual stuff, but all encoragement/ideas
greatly appreciated. Just discovered a screw at the middle of the bottom -
in a deep hole. Guess what? the screw wont turn...bugger! Assuming its the
same cross head as the other screws found a driver bit with a perfect
fit - still no good. Also noted two holes at the rear of the top which
look like they may have been plugged with something, whatever it is, its
not rubber and not soft. Wonder if there are screws hiding under there?

Roy

I've never found any screws in Roland keyboards covered by any sort of cap,
and I've opened hundreds. This might be for a music stand?

You will have to get the screw on the bottom out first anyhow. With the
keyboard upside down on the bench and protected, put in your perfectest
fitting screwdriver and hold it tight and bang it hard with a hammer a few
times, that should loosen whatever is holding it tight. This may sound
drastic, but a confident bang or two is gonna shift it, pussyfooting around
is going to round the head and you will be in real trouble.



Gareth.


Gareth.

 

[Roy]

This probably goes without saying, but it might be necessary to remove
any grub nuts, binding screws, etc. from the various connectors on the
back panel and/or knobs etc. from the switchgear on top.

--
Andrew Erickson

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot
lose." -- Jim Elliot

Hi again guys, finally managed to get into the beast. The screw in the
middle was an absolute pig to remove. Turning the unit rightside up, I was
able to flip the lid over to the rear. This revealed a pleasant surprise,
not a surface mount component in sight! Oh Joy!. The keyboard itself was a
complete unit retained by 4 screws into the cabinet base, electrically
connected via a pcb connector on a short ribbon cable to one of the main
boards so I was able to remove it in its entirety. The contacts, if you can
call them that, look like short lengths of springy heavy gauge silvered
guitar string, soldered at pcb ends and passing between two wire contacts to
the end of the key. The wires to the ends of the dead keys had popped out of
the ends of the keys. Fixed in a jiffy! The other fault with the key
standing proud of the others seems to be the loss of a plastic or rubber
stop which fits on a metal tab beneath the key. It doesnt seem to be
floating around in the cabinet anywhere so I will probably improvise
something ie bit of coax sleeving or somesuch. I an going to have to remove
the key to get at it though - and its not immediately apparent what holds
the keys on.
Thanks for all the help and advice so far.

Roy

 

[N_Cook]

Hi again guys, finally managed to get into the beast. The screw in the
middle was an absolute pig to remove. Turning the unit rightside up, I was
able to flip the lid over to the rear. This revealed a pleasant surprise,
not a surface mount component in sight! Oh Joy!. The keyboard itself was a
complete unit retained by 4 screws into the cabinet base, electrically
connected via a pcb connector on a short ribbon cable to one of the main
boards so I was able to remove it in its entirety. The contacts, if you can
call them that, look like short lengths of springy heavy gauge silvered
guitar string, soldered at pcb ends and passing between two wire contacts to
the end of the key. The wires to the ends of the dead keys had popped out of
the ends of the keys. Fixed in a jiffy! The other fault with the key
standing proud of the others seems to be the loss of a plastic or rubber
stop which fits on a metal tab beneath the key. It doesnt seem to be
floating around in the cabinet anywhere so I will probably improvise
something ie bit of coax sleeving or somesuch. I an going to have to remove
the key to get at it though - and its not immediately apparent what holds
the keys on.
Thanks for all the help and advice so far.

Roy

I usually use a bit of silicone sleeving for those rubbery things. If it is
the wrong sort of material it grabs at the key, it should be only slightly
resistive to motion , ie a damper of sorts AFAIK. You may want to swap
it/them with those under keys at the, less used, high or low end of the
keyboard as they are quite critical to the action of the keys.