Hi Santi and Fellow VFX Freaks
I found this bit of information and used it to repair
MY first VFX:
VFX Keyboard Recalibration Errors
Note: Follow the instructions below at your own risk!
It seems that everyone agrees that the VFX keyboard
problems were finally solved by the hardwired keyboard
fix. I think everyone who might be buying a used vfx
(and thus looking to the net for info) should know
about this and be certain that the keyboard they buy
has had this done. From the tail end of the Keyboard
Recailibration Failed saga on the vfx list:
This afternoon I decided to get the low down on the
VFX problems myself from Ensoniq's own Joe Paschal, an
Ensoniq Customer Service Rep with whom I have delt
with before (To my satisfaction). Beleve it or not the
Apex problem and the Keyboard Calibration problem ARE
RELATED and CAN BE FIXED. (finally:-)
Under the keyboard proper, there are 3 circut boards
that control the poly- key (tm) pressure. They do
this:
| # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | #
# # | # # | # # # |
| # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | #
# # | # # | # # # |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
+---------------------------------+
+----------------------------------+
| | |
|
| Board #2 +------------------+
Board #3 |
| | Board # 1 |
|
| +------------------+
|
+---------------------------------+
+----------------------------------+
Now, It turns out that Ensoniq misdiagnosed the
problem TWICE! and this new (one month old) conclusion
is the result of the senior Ensoniq Tech's reseach and
testing. The first problem (they thought) was the
solder flux thing which would be on board #1. No. They
then thought it was the cable that goes from board #1
to the motherboard. Wrong again.
There is a connector that connects board 2 to board 3.
Over time and use, the keyboard begins to sag a little
bit and this connector eventually starts to corrode
(get dirty), come loose and the like. THERE"S THE
PROBLEM! Ensoniq has determined that hard-wireing that
connection solves the problem.
Of course this also explains the Apex deal, supporting
the keyboard in the middle causes the connection to
bend the other way, pry loose, etc.
Ensoniq will fix the problem free of charge and has
instructed the service centers to do the same. (BTW my
service center has decided to send bad VFX's to
Ensoniq for repair.) I immedately posed the question
to Joe: "Will this effect my old ESQ-1, SQ-80, Mirage
(old Ensoniq's)." No. On the older synths, boards 2&3
are just one long board- thus no connection=no
problem. I think the orginal EPS falls into this
catagory as well, but I'm not sure.
Service Centers have been instructed to perform this
mod to ANY Ensoniq that comes in for repair,
regardless of the problem. If you want the repair done
request that the service centers refer to bulletins
#11 and #9B.
Here's the killer: the first SD-1's that came out have
the SAME CONNECTOR! (that gives you some idea how long
it's taken Ensoniq to fix this thing! :=) Now, of
course, they just wire the two boards together, but
still.
And a quote from Joe McMahon regarding the keyboard
problem:
To quote the guys from "Car Talk":
"This [machine] will take you to Nirvana."
"Yeah, but you'll have to get towed back..."
After totally disassembling my VFX, pulling the
keyboard bed out and removing ALL the keys, (placing
the springs in a can and setting the key aside in
their proper order) I desoldered the connectors from
either board, cut 12 wires of equal length, and bent
both ends 90 degrees. I placed all 12 into their
respective holes and, holding both boards and a finger
on the wires, turned the assembly over. Supporting the
wires in place
with a piece of foam rubber, I soldered all 24
connections, cleaned the joints with denatured
alchohol, and reassembled the circuit boards, keys,
and
unit. Holding my breath, (optional) I fired it up and
plugged it into an amp. It worked beautifully. It has
been about a year now and I haven't had a single
calibration error. And I use the VFX a minimum of 3
times a week. I have been so impressed with the sounds
I get from it that I bought another last month. I
haven't disassembled it yet because I haven't had a
problem with it, but if I do, I wouldn't hesitate to
repeat the procedure on the new one. Hope this helps.
Roegster
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