Emax

Hi

I have an Emax II keyboard which started playing up a while back in 
terms of making sound but still worked as a master keyboard so I've 
continued to use it as my main live keyboard for triggering sounds 
elsewhere.

Recently the pitch and mod wheels have started playing up. 
Basically, after a short while they stop working and don't come back 
unless I switch off and let the machine completely cool down. I've 
tried re-seating the ribbon cable connector inside but it doesn't 
make much difference. It can temporarily restore them, but they go 
off again fairly soon. 

I suspect given the other problems that this is further signs of 
internal circuitry problems that can't easily be fixed and that I'm 
reluctantly going to have to consign it to the scrapheap. But if 
anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them - I have a gig this 
weekend and my only other MIDI keyboard isn't velocity sensitive.

Cheers

Steve

I would think the modulation wheels are moving potentiometers. If they 
are, verify that the wheel isn't held on by a set screw. If it is the 
screw may be loose, which would cause improper adjustment of the pot 
and it could then stay at an incorrect location in its turning radius 
(ie- turns, but when springs back, doesn't go back). When you modulate 
up again, you might then break the pot. If that is the case, you should 
be able to get a replacement fairly easily.   Just find out how many 
ohms it is and find out if it is a audio or linear taper... I have an 
Emax 1  so unsure if that part would be the same or not. Rob at emu 
archive might know what the values/ and taper are.....pots are pretty 
standard. There are a few varieties, but not that many, and if you can 
find the value, your good to go. You could get both styles of taper and 
see which one seems to work "properly" so to speak. You can also 
determine the value by hooking up a digital multimeter to the two 
outside lugs and noting the measurement.  many times the pot will 
indicate value on the side. or bottom.....

Thanks,
Ted
On Nov 15, 2004, at 6:21 AM, Steve Adam wrote:

>
>  Hi
>
>  I have an Emax II keyboard which started playing up a while back in
>  terms of making sound but still worked as a master keyboard so I've
>  continued to use it as my main live keyboard for triggering sounds
>  elsewhere.
>
>  Recently the pitch and mod wheels have started playing up.
>  Basically, after a short while they stop working and don't come back
>  unless I switch off and let the machine completely cool down. I've
>  tried re-seating the ribbon cable connector inside but it doesn't
>  make much difference. It can temporarily restore them, but they go
>  off again fairly soon.
>
>  I suspect given the other problems that this is further signs of
>  internal circuitry problems that can't easily be fixed and that I'm
>  reluctantly going to have to consign it to the scrapheap. But if
>  anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them - I have a gig this
>  weekend and my only other MIDI keyboard isn't velocity sensitive.
>
>  Cheers
>
>  Steve�
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks for the tip! I had a good look at the mechanism last night but it
seems to be sound. I'm convinced this is electronic. It fails the same way
every time after about the same time. Almost as if a once a certain
component has been running for a while and heats up, it cuts out and the
signal from the wheels goes with it.

While I'm at it, one of the keys is intermittently triggering a minimal
velocity value no matter how hard I hit it. If anyone's managed to fix
anything like this, I'd be interested to hear how it's done. I did look at
Emulator Archive for some tips and it says the keyboard assembly is a
difficult beast to fix, so again I guess this is another sign that I need a
new master keyboard!

Steve

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ted Summers [mailto:djtbs1@...]
> Sent: 16 November 2004 03:25
> To: emax@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [emax] Wheels not working
>
>
>
> I would think the modulation wheels are moving potentiometers. If they
> are, verify that the wheel isn't held on by a set screw. If it is the
> screw may be loose, which would cause improper adjustment of the pot
> and it could then stay at an incorrect location in its turning radius
> (ie- turns, but when springs back, doesn't go back). When you modulate
> up again, you might then break the pot. If that is the case, you should
> be able to get a replacement fairly easily.   Just find out how many
> ohms it is and find out if it is a audio or linear taper... I have an
> Emax 1  so unsure if that part would be the same or not. Rob at emu
> archive might know what the values/ and taper are.....pots are pretty
> standard. There are a few varieties, but not that many, and if you can
> find the value, your good to go. You could get both styles of taper and
> see which one seems to work "properly" so to speak. You can also
> determine the value by hooking up a digital multimeter to the two
> outside lugs and noting the measurement.  many times the pot will
> indicate value on the side. or bottom.....
>
> Thanks,
> Ted