Korg Poly800/EX800 Users

Hi,

I just joined because I got an EX-800 this year. I used to have Roland
Juno-106, which was my only analogue synth for quite a long time. Due
to lack of time for music (and a need for second hand mountain bike) I
decided to sell it. But I learned the subtractive synthesis really
well. What I learned with it has helped - and still does - with what
ever tool I'm working with, freeware software plugins or other synths.

EX-800 is not the easiest one for somebody that has learned to use a
rich set of sliders or graphical interfaces! In order to take full
advantage of it, the buttons MUST work correctly, or you can get quite
frustrated. This unit had serious problem with buttons. But I cleaned
them, and now they could as well be new. No glitches, no multiple
triggering, they just work.

Firstly you need to open the case. The buttongs can be opened by
bending the "locks" of the caps with small flat screwdriver. Then the
inner part needs some forceful tweaking which made my fingertips sore.
I tried pliers, but they always slipped. I used household rubber
gloves in the end. I recorded parts of my procedure as a live webcast.
It could give some hints, although I couldn't zoom in or focus close:

http://bambuser.com/v/3508383

This is not a serious video, it shows more my own clumsiness when
trying to figure out what to do, but eventually (outside the video)
the rest of the process went quite smoothly.

I used a dry cleaning agent (for electronics components), screwdriver
and finally cotton swabs for the button base contacts. The metal plate
that works as a contactor and spring had pretty much the same process.

I can try to answer to more questions if you are interested.


-- 
Sami Jumppanen
[photo/music/blog/info] http://samijum.pp.fi