Fairlight-CMI

Hi Guys,

 My CMI series 3 music keyboard has very uneven keys from years of playing.
Has anyone looked at the possibility of being able to restore the keyboard
to its original playabilty? I would presume that the rubber contacts on each
key contact inside have become worn more on some keys than on others. There
must be a solution to repair the keyboards so that hey feel like they did
when they were new. It would be great if all the keys were even. Any
thoughts?

Regards,

James Thomson

Magic Audio Co.
The Studio
West Hampstead
London NW2 3RJ
U.K.

Hi James,

I had the same issue with my Series III music keyboard and I fixed it on my
own... (the good DIY method) It seams that Fairlight released many different
music keyboard versions... So what I did may not work with your keyboard.

And , of course, I can't be made responsible if you damage your keyboard... ;-)

Here is what I've done with mine:

Each key has a long and thin spring attached to itself. There's two parallel metallic
bar crossing the entire keyboard. When the key is released, the spring is laying on
one of the bar. When it's pressed, is is in contact with the other. With time, the
springs and the bars need to be cleaned. Also I had to adjust a few keys to align
them to the others. Once this process done, all the key are now working properly
and have the same dynamic and sustain.

If you decide to try it, please make sure to disconnect all power supply cables.

Hope it helps.

    Laurent.

Hi Laurent,

 Many thanks for the advice. Does your keyboard look even now across all of
the keys? In other words ,do all of the keys sit at the same height ? Also
what would you recommend as a cleaning solution for this job ?  I may
attempt to fix the keyboard tomorrow. Thanks.


James Thomson

Magic Audio Co.
The Studio
West Hampstead
London NW2 3RJ
U.K.

On 1/11/03 10:38 am, "Laurent Lemaire" <llemaire@sgi.com> wrote:

> Hi James,
> 
> I had the same issue with my Series III music keyboard and I fixed it on my
> own... (the good DIY method) It seams that Fairlight released many different
> music keyboard versions... So what I did may not work with your keyboard.
> 
> And , of course, I can't be made responsible if you damage your keyboard...
> ;-)
> 
> Here is what I've done with mine:
> 
> Each key has a long and thin spring attached to itself. There's two parallel
> metallic
> bar crossing the entire keyboard. When the key is released, the spring is
> laying on
> one of the bar. When it's pressed, is is in contact with the other. With time,
> the
> springs and the bars need to be cleaned. Also I had to adjust a few keys to
> align
> them to the others. Once this process done, all the key are now working
> properly
> and have the same dynamic and sustain.
> 
> If you decide to try it, please make sure to disconnect all power supply
> cables.
> 
> Hope it helps.
> 
>   Laurent.

Hi James,

You're right, once the key have been adjusted, they all sit at the same height.
To clean, you can use some sotf-tissue with alcool. If the metal is kind of rusted,
then you can use a verysoft sand-paper sheet to clean both the metalic bars and
springs. You can use a electricity continuity tester to check the contacts are correct.

Hope it help.

    Laurent.

Hi Guys,

When cleaning the contacts of the Fairlight (or any other) keyboard, 
don't use anything abrasive. The Fairlight contact bars are gold 
plated, and any abrasive will eventually destroy this thin gold 
coating. Alcohol is good (I'm drinking some now), but even better is 
a pencil eraser. I have for many years used one carved to a point 
with a razor blade... You can squeeze it in between the parallel 
bars, and clean both contacts at once. 

Hope this is helpful,

regards,

Peter Wielk 



> You're right, once the key have been adjusted, they all sit at the 
same height.
> To clean, you can use some sotf-tissue with alcool. If the metal is 
kind of rusted,
> then you can use a verysoft sand-paper sheet to clean both the 
metalic bars and
> springs. You can use a electricity continuity tester to check the 
contacts are correct.

Hi Peter,


 Many thanks for the tips regarding the CMI keyboard contacts. Are there any
rubber parts that wear out inside the CMI music keyboard ? I know my SCI
Prophet 5 has rubber parts within the mechanism which wear down over time.
In fact I recently bought a revival kit for the Prophet 5 which consists of
new rubber contacts and J-wires. The only problem is that you need a full
day or two to install the kit !

Regards,


James Thomson

Magic Audio Co.
The Studio
West Hampstead
London NW2 3RJ
U.K.

On 2/11/03 12:54 am, "horiprod" <horizontalproductions@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Guys,
> 
> When cleaning the contacts of the Fairlight (or any other) keyboard,
> don't use anything abrasive. The Fairlight contact bars are gold
> plated, and any abrasive will eventually destroy this thin gold
> coating. Alcohol is good (I'm drinking some now), but even better is
> a pencil eraser. I have for many years used one carved to a point
> with a razor blade... You can squeeze it in between the parallel
> bars, and clean both contacts at once.
> 
> Hope this is helpful,
> 
> regards,
> 
> Peter Wielk 
>