K5synth

Hi Chris,

The lines missing in the display are usually because the rubber contact strips are not making good contact. There is a rubber contact strip on the top and bottom between the glass and the contact pcb. Many times you can bend the metal tabs so there is more pressure holding the display together and this will fix the contact issues. The strips are designed so they really have to be grossly misaligned or folded over to not make contact. One more thing never use glue on them. It will interfere with the connection.

The inverters do fail or become intermittent in the K5's. The K5 is also plagued with cold solder joints. Last time I checked Kawai US still had these inverters for around $37.00. You can tell if the inverter is working by listening very carefully. You should hear a whine that's about 15khz or so. If you're like me and have older rock and roll ears ask a youngster to listen for it. I'm not sure if Kawai  still has the whole LCD display available but I would bet it would be pricy if they did... 

Good luck,  Fran  

--- In k5synth@yahoogroups.com, "cristoforcolombo" <sharm.band@...> wrote:

>
> Hi guys I need help, 
> my K5m has a defective display: nobackilght 
> So I replaced the foil but nothing happened and, more, the display has now some lines of text not alligned. I suspect of a defective inverter too.
> What can I do? Were in the world can I find a replacement (the whole display)? Or, if this is impossibile, how can I adjust the lcd, I mean, the plastic cover that lost alignment? 
> Many thanks in advance
>

very good advice(s)

my K5's inverter is dodgy too, and sometimes the backlight goes out for a while...

-------------------------------------
O.T.

holy crap it's been a while since last time I played it... 

the fact that it's very hard to program prevents me from enjoying it like my other synths...

but I know I'll master the beast, one day... 

but, when?

O.T. end
-------------------------------------

Fabio

--- In k5synth@yahoogroups.com, "narfman96" <narfman96@...> wrote:

>
> Hi Chris,
> 
> The lines missing in the display are usually because the rubber contact strips are not making good contact. There is a rubber contact strip on the top and bottom between the glass and the contact pcb. Many times you can bend the metal tabs so there is more pressure holding the display together and this will fix the contact issues. The strips are designed so they really have to be grossly misaligned or folded over to not make contact. One more thing never use glue on them. It will interfere with the connection.
> 
> The inverters do fail or become intermittent in the K5's. The K5 is also plagued with cold solder joints. Last time I checked Kawai US still had these inverters for around $37.00. You can tell if the inverter is working by listening very carefully. You should hear a whine that's about 15khz or so. If you're like me and have older rock and roll ears ask a youngster to listen for it. I'm not sure if Kawai  still has the whole LCD display available but I would bet it would be pricy if they did... 
> 
> Good luck,  Fran  
> 
> --- In k5synth@yahoogroups.com, "cristoforcolombo" <sharm.band@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi guys I need help, 
> > my K5m has a defective display: nobackilght 
> > So I replaced the foil but nothing happened and, more, the display has now some lines of text not alligned. I suspect of a defective inverter too.
> > What can I do? Were in the world can I find a replacement (the whole display)? Or, if this is impossibile, how can I adjust the lcd, I mean, the plastic cover that lost alignment? 
> > Many thanks in advance
> >
>

Replaced mine a few years ago with an inverter from this company https://www.jkllamps.com. I think I paid about $15 sourced from Mouser or Digikey. The NDL-205 is what is recommended, but I used the NDL-206 for a brighter display. EL strips are also available on eBay!

Thanks all! I'll try to realign the display, first, then if nothing happens, I'll buy a new one. 
@Mo Morgan: thanks for your advice. Where can I get a suitable display? 
I bought a foil from Conrad deutschland but it's smaller - also cheaper - than the original one. I also wrote an email to the Kawai us guys..
cheers
--- In k5synth@yahoogroups.com, Eric Friedly <ejfriedly@...> wrote:

>
> Replaced mine a few years ago with an inverter from this company https://www.jkllamps.com. I think I paid about $15 sourced from Mouser or Digikey. The NDL-205 is what is recommended, but I used the NDL-206 for a brighter display. EL strips are also available on eBay!
>

Here is what I've found on Ebay: 
http://shop.ebay.it/i.html?_nkw=240x64&_sacat=0&_odkw=Optrex+240x64&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313
Please help me chosing the right one!

--- In k5synth@yahoogroups.com, Mo Morgan <lightsforsynths@...> wrote:

>
> Hi
> I sell backlights for the K5M. Once you have misaligned the display it isn't easy to get it back to normal. You may have to replace the whole display. You have to get a display
> with the T6963c controller language, but that isn't the only requirement. Not all t6963c models match either. 
> Some modelsOptrex and Toshiba make 240x64 will match but they are hard to get. Then it sounds like you may have to replace your inverter also. Some modding can be required for that to get one that fits your board.
> Hope that helps
> --- On Wed, 6/29/11, cristoforcolombo <sharm.band@...> wrote:
> 
> 
> From: cristoforcolombo <sharm.band@...>
> Subject: [k5synth] K5m Lcd display
> To: k5synth@yahoogroups.com
> Received: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 6:31 PM
> 
> 
> Â  
> 
> 
> 
> Hi guys I need help, 
> my K5m has a defective display: nobackilght 
> So I replaced the foil but nothing happened and, more, the display has now some lines of text not alligned. I suspect of a defective inverter too.
> What can I do? Were in the world can I find a replacement (the whole display)? Or, if this is impossibile, how can I adjust the lcd, I mean, the plastic cover that lost alignment? 
> Many thanks in advance
>

--- In k5synth@yahoogroups.com, "narfman96" <narfman96@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Chris,
> 
> The lines missing in the display are usually because the rubber contact strips are not making good contact. 

That's an interesting point; I have a radio with a similar problem, and I wonder if something like that might be causing it. 

I just replaced the backlight on my K5 last week and was having some trouble a few days later; previously it would sometimes reset itself and I would see some random lines running across the display, but after I put the new foil in it started happening more and more until I wasn't able to use the Kawai for more than a few minutes at a time. The connections seemed okay, so I thought it might have something to do with the power supply. I moved the K5 into another room, plugged in a different power cord, and it's been working fine ever since. I know that there is a problem with the circuit breaker for the room it was in (it's an old house); maybe the K5 was just sensitive to the fluctuations in current.

Chris