Korg Forums

tunaman · Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2019 Posts: 427

I just spoke with the Korg tech who is troubleshooting my second K2 73, and he has yet to get it to fail (as described in another thread). It failed intermittently, but frequent enough, that I had to get it diagnosed and serviced.

I had already bought a new power supply and piggy-backed it on the original for testing purposes, and it still failed indicating that it wasn’t due to the PS.

He checked the Korg site, and it showed the motherboard as discontinued. However, I seem to recall seeing someone post that they were able to source a replacement relatively recently?

CliveJ · Junior Member Joined: 30 Dec 2020 Posts: 91

This is probably a dumb question - won’t a Nautilus motherboard do the job?
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Now let’s think of a reason why it CAN be done...

tunaman · Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2019 Posts: 427

As they say, the only dumb question is the one not asked Smile

Not sure if they are compatible or not, but it is worth looking into. I’ll ask my Korg tech to check into it, thanks!

CliveJ · Junior Member Joined: 30 Dec 2020 Posts: 91

Please let us know how you get on.
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Now let’s think of a reason why it CAN be done...

McHale · Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2023 3:49 pm Post subject:

When my Kronos died I was positive it was the power supply. It was not. It was the motherboard. I picked up mine from ebay for like $40. Since then I have picked up 2 more spares that sit in a box just in case.

Korg used off the shelf PC motherboards. I believe yours is an Intel Atom D525 (mine's a 510). BUT... open it up to confirm. Ebay has them all the time.

-Mc
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Current Korg Gear: KRONOS 88 (4GB), M50-73 (PS mod), RADIAS-73, Electribe MX, Triton Pro (MOSS, SCSI, CF, 64MB RAM), SQ-64, DVP-1, MEX-8000, MR-1, KAOSSilator, nanoKey, nanoKontrol, 3x nanoPad 2, 3x DS1H, 7x PS1, FC7 (yes Korg, NOT Yamaha).

tunaman · Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2019 Posts: 427

Thanks. I took a glance this morning and see several different motherboards available, with several different I/O configurations for connectors and such. I’ll have to dig in deeper and get one of mine opened up to look at the specifics more closely.

Appreciate the suggestion!

Xenophile · Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2017 Posts: 349

My understanding is that, though there are several commodity motherboards that will work, some will require modifications to either the board or Kronos due to physical size constraints and location of connectors. I think I read that here a few years ago.

Xenophile · Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2017 Posts: 349

This is the one that is spec'd in the service manual for Kronos X / Kronos 2
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Dual-Core-Mini-ITX-Motherboard-BOXD525MW/dp/B0041RSC94

Several much less costly listed on eBay, supposedly brand new.

average_male · Senior Member Joined: 07 Feb 2011 Posts: 278

Xenophile · Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2017 Posts: 349

Xenophile · Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2017 Posts: 349

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=96799

average_male · Senior Member Joined: 07 Feb 2011 Posts: 278

For the OP (or anyone else that currently needs a K2 motherboard), this seller has two of them (used and from the UK).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/404095085468
(Apologies to anyone referencing this link in the distant future as the listing will be expired at some point. I did attempt archive it at: https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.ebay.com/itm/404095085468* or here: https://web.archive.org/web/20230109174208/https://www.ebay.com/itm/404095085468)

These are the same 140D Plus model, however, if you compare these with the ones currently in the Kronos 2, the Kronos 2 motherboards have some components removed, like the "mini PCIe" and "mini-SATA" ports on the back of the motherboard. There are several other components on the top side of the board also have been removed. Guessing with the model currently on eBay, these motherboards may consume more resources (processing power and current) and may need to have some bios settings changed to match stock Kronos 2 motherboards?

Xenophile · Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2017 Posts: 349

I see someone in Pakistan trying to sell those ASRock boards for $950 plus shipping.

I'm not sure, but I think Korg service centers can still get the original boards for around $400. I had mine replaced a few years ago, while my K2 was still under warranty. I think that is kind of a default repair when Kronos gets flaky.

cjfox · Joined: 08 Oct 2012 Posts: 38

For what it's worth, I've replaced the MB in my original Kronos 61. I got a used D510 off ebay, It worked, but shortly after that the power supply went, taking out the video driver board. I documented all my efforts in another thread. I've got it back working, but it freezes after exactly one hour. I've tried to change the BIOS settings with no change. The Korg repair tech near me was no help and it sat in his shop for months before I finally took it home to do the work myself. From researching the forum, I have found out: Korg does not sell the D510 MB anymore, they will sell the D525 which requires the V2 operating system discs, and also a different power supply harness, and a different I/O board. I am frustrated with the whole situation, as I loved my Kronos when it was working. Too many parts on the original are no longer available, and you risk going down the rabbit hole of replacing multiple parts.

JFree · Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2023 12:45 am Post subject:

Looks like I'm in the need a motherboard boat. Looking for an original new, or if anyone discovers documented info on a substitution if there is such a thing. It seems like all of a sudden lots of people are having issues.