Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

On Sat, Jun 14, 2008 at 03:11:56PM -0000, Quazimodo wrote:
> Thanks for your reply Steve,
> 
> OK, I dissmantled the keyboard - removed all the keys.
> It has the multi-ribbon installed connecting the two boards. Looks
> like a factory-fit. I re-soldered all the points on the cable but I
> still get the same error message... "calibration error, keyboard not
> recognized"
> 
> Do I have to replace all keys before checking again - or can I test it
> without doing so? Should it 'calibrate' without the keys in place..?

I think you may need the keys in place!

You notice how there are metal plates in each key, and the keybed has
funny shaped "antena" traces?  I think this keyboard works like 61
tiny metal detectors, each detecting how close the metal piece on the
corresponding key is.

The "calibration" would probably require those metal pieces to be in
rest position.

So, is it failing calibration because you don't have all the keys in
place, or are you asking because you did put all the keys back this
time, but would rather not have to do so each time?

If you had all the keys in place, where to go from here... Did you
disconnect and reconnect every conector from the ribbon connection on
the mother board, to the smaller mezzanine board, to the larger boards
under the keys?  The idea is to clear any oxidation that may be
present by exercising the connections a few times.

If that still fails, your problem is beyond my level of experience,
and off to general electronic troubleshooting.  You could take an OHM
meter to each connection -- following traces, making sure everything
that should be connected is.  

You could visually inspect the traces on the board, too.  I had an
apple computer keyboard recently that got pop (soda) in it, and that
actually ate through a trace on the flexible circuit board.  The
printed circuit traces in the VFX are more substantial, but stuff may
have had more time to eat through.

Oh, I just forced a calibration error on my keyboard.  The message I
get is "KEYBOARD CALIBRATION ERROR" "RECALIBRATE" "IGNORE".  Does
yours really say keyboard not recognized?  If your error message
differs from mine, it could be a clue.  But I'm assuming you were
probably just going from memory and didn't quote it exactly...

--> Steve

-- 
Steve Wahl    steve@...

I write to make people think. Sadly, in many cases my writing makes
people think, "Man, this guy is really an idiot".
   -- Nizo, on Slashdot