Rubber Key Contacts

[mabcomp]

How many of you have had to carry out replacement of Rubber Key Contacts on the PA4X . I've done it twice now which is frustrating for a top of the range arranger keyboard. Cant Korg devise a better method than this.

[Musicwithharry]

How many of you have had to carry out replacement of Rubber Key Contacts on the PA4X . I've done it twice now which is frustrating for a top of the range arranger keyboard. Cant Korg devise a better method than this.

I think that I would find that a bit alarming, myself. Are you completely sure that it was the contacts that were going out? Did you clean the board that the contacts mount to before installing the new contacts? I assume that you did, and it is something that I would certainly do.

Can you remember the approximate dates that you replaced the contacts? How is the unit being kept up? What type of environment is the unit being used? Are you using it for multiple hours a day, every day? These things are important as well.

I remember when I used the Roland E-09 as my exclusive arranger from 2009 to around Dec 2017 for the nursing home performances I do. I also used the arranger from 2005 as the main unit in a band I led. I was performing an average of 80 times a month back then at the homes and I had Roland on speed-dial for replacement buttons, power supply modules, and a couple of other things because of the extreme use of the unit at the nursing homes and at gigs.

I also have a Kross 1-88 and when I bought it used from the music store (May 2020), it was in terrible shape (even though the store said it was in 'Very Good' condition). I brought it back and asked that they repair it. Well, it needed all sorts of things, including the key contacts. It took months to get it back from the repair center (due to COVID) and as of a month ago, the contacts were failing again. I bought new key contacts from Syntaur (located in Texas here in the USA). I have not installed the new contacts yet, because I am considering making this particular Kross 1-88 into a tabletop module.

Maybe there is something wrong with Korg's supplier of the contacts. Maybe getting them from another source would help with the problem. I know that COVID-19 has caused supply issues, but maybe it has also caused quality issues as well for certain companies...

Thank you for your post, as maybe others will speak up if they are having similar issues and establish a pattern of faulty parts in the chain...

Grace,
Harry

[mabcomp]

I had each problem about a year apart,. on the first occasion I took all the contacts off and cleaned the lot including the Board contacts and all was well until the recent B note went. This time I ordered 12 contacts direct from Korg and replaced four in the region of the middle B note. All is ok again. The Keyboard is Home studio Played. I have a well Sound proofed Music room.

Apart from this the pitch bender when pulled to the right doesn't return. I just think someone should have come up with a better idea than these rubber contacts that keyboards use and also make easier access.

[Musicwithharry]

I had each problem about a year apart,. on the first occasion I took all the contacts off and cleaned the lot including the Board contacts and all was well until the recent B note went. This time I ordered 12 contacts direct from Korg and replaced four in the region of the middle B note. All is ok again. The Keyboard is Home studio Played. I have a well Sound proofed Music room.

Apart from this the pitch bender when pulled to the right doesn't return. I just think someone should have come up with a better idea than these rubber contacts that keyboards use and also make easier access.

I have had to replace joysticks, myself. They are used in so many of their products, no matter the price point. The same joystick is used in the Kronos, PA Series, M50, Microstation, M3, PS60, and more. They are what they are, I guess.

One problem I had with the joystick in the PA700 is that the wire leads coming off of the joystick were not long enough and they actually ripped away from the assembly and I had to add jumper wires to extend them so it would work again. I beleive it to be a design issue, but putting the jumper wires in (there are three of them) was not that big of a deal. Once I did that, I have never had a problem with it.


Let's hope that your key contact replacement lasts longer than a year

Grace,
Harry

[Korghelper]

Even in a studio, use a plastic keyboard cover when not in use. Wash your hands before you play, keep the room smoke-free.

Helps enormously...