Casio CZ/ VZ/ FZ - Pro Series

The keyboard just says 9v. I use 9v, 850 mA.

I don't have any batteries to try it with, I don't know if that affects 
my memory issues.

I tried higher milliamps and it wouldn't even start up.

Hi,
These synths take a pretty hefty power supply (850 ma or higher).  I would get a 1 amp (1000ma) or maybe even a 2 amp (2000 ma)REGULATED power supply.  You can't have a power supply with too high a millamp rating.  A higher millamp rating than specified won't prevent the equipment from running (unless it's a really cheap, unregulated supply as described below).  The keyboard will only draw what it needs.  As long as your power supply has the correct voltage, polarity and equals or has a higher millamp capacity, it should work.

The biggest problem with cheap wall supplies that are unregulated is that the voltage swings too much with it loaded or unloaded.  It may be rated for 9v at 850 milliamps.  If you were to read it with a volt meter without the keyboard plugged to it, it may read as high as 15 volts DC. When you plug the load in, the voltage drops to the 9volt rating.  If you try and use a 300 ma power supply with equipment that needs 850 millamps, the voltage may drop as low as 4 volts.  Either too high or too low a supply voltage may be enough to kill some electronics in the board.  The too high voltage will cause component break down.  Too low a voltage causes too much current to be drawn, causing heat and burn-out.  This applies to any power supply and load.  A regulated power supply has circuitry that keeps the voltage at around 9volts whether a load is on it or not.

The biggest problem I've seen with Casio keyboards is that the required polarity is REVERSED compared to most other consumer electronics.  I'm not sure about the CZ-1/101/1000, but my CZ-230 has CENTER NEGATIVE.  I've read that all the CZ's have Center Negative, but I'm not sure.

If you hook a center negative keyboard  up to a Center Positive supply, you very likely will kill stuff.  I hope this isn't what you did with the "higher milliamps" supply (was it marked Center Negative? or did you check and match the polarity before plugging in?).  Many CZ owners modify the inside of the keyboard by either putting in a protection diode, or they actually reverse the power jack wires inside the unit and re-label the outside to Center Positive.  I've read where some of the keyboards sold on ebay may or may not have this mod done.  

Radio Shack sells a good line of "regulated" power supplies with their Adapta-Plug  changeable jacks.  You get one free plug with the wall supply.  The polarity can be set by reversing the orientation of the adapta plug on the cord.

If you are going to pursue the CZ';s as a hobby, do yourself a favor and buy a cheap multi-meter.  You can get one from Radio Shack, any home center, or even WalMart for less than $15.  It's the only way to be sure of the power supply polarity.


Hope this helps.

BTW, I'm an electrical engineer, and electronics enthusiast as well as a muscian, so if you have any other electronics questions, just ask.  I may be able to help.

Stuart
CZ-230S
(I'd really like to get a CZ-101 or 1000)

runbeerrun <runbeerrun@...> wrote:     The keyboard just says 9v. I use 9v, 850 mA.
 
 I don't have any batteries to try it with, I don't know if that affects 
 my memory issues.
 
 I tried higher milliamps and it wouldn't even start up.
 
 
 
 
 
             

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The previous power supply I tried(9v 1300mA)was center-positive, and 
didn't work-I tried 9v 1000mA center-negative, that worked fine. But 
after I put in the cartridge, all the same memory problems, start-up 
problems occurred.

oh well