Hi! My name is Jorick and I live in the Netherlands. This blog is about one of my hobbies. If you have any questions about repairing your keyboard feel free to ask me any questions you might have!
Hi! My name is Jorick and I live in the Netherlands. This blog is about one of my hobbies. If you have any questions about repairing your keyboard feel free to ask me any questions you might have!
Synths and Keyboards 
Hi Jorick
I found your blog while looking for websites that may stock sliding potentiometers for a Roland JD800. I read your blog on how you restored your JD … I’m very impressed!!! Great job!! Judging by the dates on your blog, it looks as if we both got our JD’s at around the same time … mine was in much cleaner condition than yours but it still had a few bugs in it. The keyboard had been replaced by the previous owner but the sliders were shot and it kept self-editing all of the time. I took it in for a service and the tech found a few other things wrong with it (dry solder joins etc) but he wasn’t able to fix the self-editing problem 100% … it’s much better now but it will occasionally go a bit crazy. I’m looking out for replacement sliders all of the time but the only supplier I’ve found so far wants 10 Euro per slider (about AUD $15 for me) … too expensive and I’m not even sure if the sliders are brand new or if they were salvaged… I’ll keep looking but I’m not hopeful … you’d think that somewhere on this planet there would be a supplier of generic electronic parts that you could use to replace your old gear … oh well. Anyway, your blog was a great read… good luck with your JD … ps – I also have a Roland R8 Mk1 … a fantastic drum machine .. you’ll love it.
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Hi Darryl,
I used to buy new sliders directly from Roland but when I tried to get a new volume slider recently for my JV-90 project they said they couldn’t supply them anymore.. bummer. I found the volume slider at synth-parts.com (german site) but they don’t have the regular sliders on their website. I’ve taken apart the old wornout volume slider of the JV-90 and those things are so incredibly simply made it’s almost criminal that shops charge you 10 euro’s for a part that should only cost a few dimes 🙂 probably because they are getting rare. I believe the original manufacturer was Panasonic. I took one to a electronics store once and they tried to find a replacement but they couldn’t find it in any catalogue..
My JD-800 doesn’t really have the self editting problem. I happend a few times but if I move the slider up and down it went away. (and stayed away) The only problems I have with my JD-800 is the volume slider that makes a lot of crackling noises when you move it and the aftertouch doesn’t work at all. The partno for the volumeslider is a little different than that of the JV-90 but I might order 2 and see if it’ll fit in the JD-800. On the outside the sliders look the same I think. Only the stem height is different but thats easy to trim off. When I’ve fixed the volume and aftertouch I’ll update the JD-800 post.
If I ever find a website that sells replacement sliders that fit I’ll let you know 🙂
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Dag Jorick.. ..I’m surprised you are not trying a simple solution like spraying WD40 inside the slider.. 😉 ..did you try ?
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There is never any scenario in which WD40 is the answer / solution when it comes to repairing electronics :p WD40 is for squeeky door hinges.
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Good morning Jorick:
Thank you so much for the response regarding the Main boards for XP-60.
Here is my problem:
After 7 years of storage, I unwrapped my XP-60 which is like new, protective plastic still on the LCD.
I plugged it in and everything looked great BUT, no sound! So I turned it off and when I turned it on again, the LCD became solid green, no text, no sound or characters, just solid green.
I used a pressure spry can to remove any dust or particles but no luck.
Based on some suggestions, I purchased a used power supply and installed it but same result. Solid Green Screen and no sound.
I want to replace the main board but cannot find any parts.
Do you have any suggestions for me?
Thank you so much!
Marc
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Hi Marc,
These are common issues for an XP-50 🙂 so they probably also apply to the XP-60. No text on the display of an XP-50 means 2 or 3 capacitors need to be replaced. These are part of the contrast mechanism. The caps used in XP-50’s, XP-60’s and XP-80 are terrible as they all go bad over time. (well all caps go bad eventually but the XP series break down sooner instead of later 🙂 ) This is a real problem for the XP series. No sound also indicates one or several broken capacitors and / or opamps. The problem with the caps is that they start leaking electolite when they go bad and if the synth is stored vertically this electrolite can run down the circuitboards eating away the traces and cause a lot of damage. I’ve read so much about this online (because a lot of XP’s have these problems) that I decided to buy a broken XP-50 just to see if I could fix it. Mine had only very distorted sound. I replaced all the caps but that didn’t fix the problem unfortunatly. Someone later suggested that there might have been some broken op-amps as well.. I sold it as a ‘for parts’ unit.
You need to be a ninja with a soldering iron if you attempt to fix this your self 🙂 the parts are very cheap (all caps, and you need about 30, only cost a few euro’s in total) but it’s a complicated job.
Well, you have seen my XP-50 post.. 🙂
You could have it fixed by a professional but that could be expensive..
Jorick
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Hello Jorick!
I just found your website and it is very impressive. Great work. I was hoping you could give me some direction into repairing my Roland U-20. I am the original owner and have taken very good care of it since I purchased it 26 years ago. I still treasure it as my favorite keyboard.
Recently, I set it up to use at church and discovered that my sounds are slightly distorted. When playing, there is a slight bit of static or distortion at the end of the sound (no matter what tone or patch I’m playing) and there is an occasional echo as well. I hope this is a repairable issue.
Can you offer any suggestions as to what the root cause may be? I am fairly competent at performing DIY repairs, including soldering, but I am not so good at electronic troubleshooting.
Any assistance you could provide would be most appreciated.
Thank you!
Mark
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Hi Mark,
I still have my U-20 and I love it 🙂 I haven’t experienced the problems you descripe with my U-20. But I have had a XP-50 with these problems. I would say it’s probably a leaking capacitor or a broken op-amp (or both). The XP-series suffers from this a lot. I just replaced all the capacitors on the broken XP-50 I bought a few years ago (because this seems to be the solution if you read the forums about XP -series problems, some capacitors start to leak so better replace them all while you’re at it..) and this didn’t fix my XP-50 unfortunatly.. later I read it could also be a broken op-amp but I already sold it ‘as-is’ / for parts by then.
I’m also pretty good with a soldering iron but I’m not an electrician. If there are clear instructions online that tells you which parts to replace I can fix it. (I’ve even repaired TV’s with Youtube tutorials :-)) But it takes certain skills (and an oscilloscope) to actually find the problem I guess 🙂
Here is a link to the servicemanual:
Click to access ROLAND_U-20_SERVICE_NOTES.pdf
The problem might be on the ‘jack’ board (see service manual page 9)
I hope you can fix it and I wish I could have been of more help!
Regards, Jorick
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Thank you for the reply, Jorick.
Although I am a fairly competent repairman myself, I would prefer someone with much more experience to repair this board as this board has a lot of personal value to me.
With that said, if it is something like a leaking capacitor, is this something that you can visually see or would you have to find it with more specialized tools, such as an oscilloscope? I may open it up just to see if I can find something obvious like broken solder joints, corrosion, etc…
I appreciate your help very much.
Mark
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Hi Mark,
With through-hole components you might be able to see if a cap is leaking but with SMD (surface mount) usually it requires removing the component before you can see the leakage.. (this was the case with the XP-50). So it’s hard to say without looking at it. But maybe an experienced technician (with an oscilloscope) and a electrical diagram of the U-20 will be able to find the problem in no-time..
Regards, Jorick
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Hi Jorick, like many here I have found your website when searching for Roland keyboard tips and repair info. Thank you for sharing your info. I recently had the red-glue issue with my Roland JV-80. I took it completely apart and also replaced all the switches as some were becoming unresponsive (approx 60 switches in total). For the glue problem which was not too bad at this point, I scraped away any that had oozed out, and then filled the underside of each key where with key-weight is inserted, with 100% silicon. I did not bother removing all the weights, but simply sealed it from oozing out. However, since putting it all back together, I have 2 issues. 1) the transpose button lights up when I press it, but it does not display anything on the LCD screen as far as parameters to change the key. So right now, I can only either keep the transpose off, or when I click it on, it seams to remember my last key setting used and I can’t do anything else other than toggle between these two.
2)when I power on the synth, it goes to what looks like the test screen and shows me all the options for running tests. No matter what button I press (enter, exit, function, etc) it exits that screen and brings me to my patch screen as normal. Not sure why this is happening and these are the only two issues I have discovered since repairing it.
Any help on these would be much appreciated!
Nick
(Canada)
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Jorick, I think you put up a batch of great information on this blog! Had fun reading your articles and the corresponding hits and misses!
How would we contact you in case of any questions?
I assume you did not put up your mail address intentionally.
I was wondering if you have any suggestions on which type of glue to use to reattach the weights after NaOH application. I have a hot glue gun but have no idea whether that will last or add too much weight to the keys.
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Hi Erik,
Sorry for the late reply 🙂 I accepted your invite so you can send me questions if you like. As for the glue: I always use Pattex Montagekit (black) I believe this one:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj20Z6uoInhAhXGhrQKHSi2B_4QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.karwei.nl%2Fassortiment%2Fpattex-montagekit-power-fix-300-g%2Fp%2FB178754&psig=AOvVaw17lpOcxGCwvN5eLakPZ7S6&ust=1552914736176140
I wouldn’t use hot glue. Don’t know if it will last.. never had problems with the Pattex glue.
Regards, Jorick
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Hi Jorick,
I bought the U-20 for 25 years ago. At that time I used an Atari STE 1040 and a cubase midi sequncer program.
I liked the sounds and the multi-timbral properties very much.
Hello there,
My U-20 has some problems right now.
Some buttons are defective. In addition, the metal weights of some keys have fallen.
Required to repair the keyboard.
Some new buttons are required for these Damaged Buttons. And necessary to repair the keyboard cleaning and glue etc. I need supplies.
Where can I find them? Or an old U-20, for to use the buttons and like parts of it?
Can you help me?
Thanks in advance.
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Hi,
The tactile switches are just simple 6x6x4.5mm 2 legged switches. You can buy them at any big electronics store (or cheap on sites like AliExpress). Getting to them is a big tedious though.. It will require soldering. The messy glue can be removed with caustic soda. Buy a drain cleaner that contains sodium hydrixode and leave the keys in a solution overnight (see some of my blog posts for instructions, search for red glue)
This offcourse requires you to remove all keys. Not very difficult. Beware of the super super super fragile flex cable connecting the keybed to the mainboard. Disconnect at the mainboard carefully. Do not touch the connector at the keybed side!
I still have my U-20 and I also like it a lot. Very nice keybed and I have collected all 15 cards 🙂 Some very good sounds can be found in the stock U-20 and the cards. Love it.
Good luck with the repairs. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Jorick
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Hi Jorick
My name is Carl and I have an old Roland E-70 that I used to play when I was younger (early 1990’s)
I then gave it to my son and he played in a band for a few years when he was young.
Now I just dug it out and am re-living the joy of this amazing keyboard – and just found your amazing blog.
But I have some questions that you might be able to help with – regarding getting music styles on to the keyboard or an old Roland memory card I have – and some other things.
I would be eternally grateful if you have time to point me in the right direction.
Hope to hear from you – and keep up the good work!!
Best regards
Carl
Barcelona
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Hi Carl,
The E-70 is still an amazing sounding keyboard isn’t it? I have sold the one I repaired a while ago because I bought an E-86 which needed some attention. The E-86 has a diskdrive (that I’m currently replacing with a USB floppy emulator). I will create a blog post about it soon. The reason I’m sticking with the E-86 for now is that the E-70 has limited expansion possibilities. No diskdrive, no usb. The only way to expand the onboard music styles is with the E-series music style cards (which are hard to come by and pretty expensive). There is a second option: the Roland Super Card. This is a device which contains (most?) of the available expansion cards in one unit. This gives the E-70 about 100 new music styles.
The E-86 with it’s diskdrive gives it virtually unlimited expansion options for the music styles.
I you have any question feel free to ask them 🙂
regards, Jorick
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Hi Jorick
Many thanks indeed for your reply.
Was the E-86 basically the same – but just with a disk drive?
I think we will just use the E-70 for practising and I will also try connecting it via midi to my PC – which I never tried before back when I was using it.
We do have a blank Roland card and I have downloaded some extra music styles – so now I just need a Roland card reader USB thingy to transfer the styles to the card…!! Do you know of anyone who offers that kind of service?
Great having someone to chat to about pre-internet equipment 🙂
Take care
Carl
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Hi Carl,
You have a blank Roland card? Is it a M256 of M512 card? There cards can only be used to store patch information from Roland synthesizers, not the E-series keyboards. It might physically fit in the card slot of the E-70 but it won’t work with the E-70. You can’t store styles on a card like that unfortunately..
Regards, Jorick
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Jorick, wat is het formaat van die kaarten? Ik neem tenminste aan dat het destijds een industriële standaard is geweest, zoals PCMCIA. En mijn vraag is of het mogelijk zou zijn de data van de kaarten af te halen en ze op een PCMCIA/compact flash conversiekaartje te zetten of iets dergelijks. Want de prijzen van de kaarten lopen zover op, dat een leuke alternatieve optie voor die kaarten wenselijk wordt. Tevens zou het fijn zijn om data van nieuwe patches naar een geheugenkaartje te kunnen schrijven. Dan hebben die sleuven op de oude synthesizers ook nog wat zin. 😉
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Hoi, het ligt eraan welke kaarten je bedoelt 🙂 sommige Roland’s zoals de E-50 hebben een pcm-cia slot. Waarschijnlijk bedoel je de oudere en daar zitten helaas alleen speciale Roland geheugenkaarten in. Er zijn mensen die ze nagemaakt hebben (ik heb er een artikel over geschreven op dit blog) maar die kaarten zijn moeilijk te krijgen. Voor de ROM kaarten van bijvoorbeeld de D-50 kan je eenvoudig backups maken door de inhoud van de ROM kaart naar het interne geheugen te kopiëren en het geheugen daarna via midi te dumpen naar een computer. Dit kan natuurlijk niet met wave-form kaarten zoals ze in de JD-800 gebruikt worden. Voor veel Roland’s zijn programma’s beschikbaar waarmee je de patches die je op de ROM kaarten vindt eenvoudig naar een synthesizer kan sturen via midi. Je hebt dan eigenlijk geen dure geheugenkaarten met nodig. Wel een computer of een laptop.
Groet, Jorick
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I’ve looked at your U-20 to JD-800 transplant pictures quite a bit to see if it can help me with repairing at U-20 keybed. It appears that the seal between the keybed pcb and the flex cable has become unreliable. When you did your soldering iron and baking paper repair were you just heating each trace section in the cable overlap to release and re-join the two traces together? Also did you have to use the knife to start the separation because the clear ends of each flex cable were heat sealed together? Just trying to get more info as I will want to try to reseal the two flexes together on the U-20 for now. I have a customer with a JD-800 (who also owns this U-20) that might want to try the keybed transfer. I want to make sure I can do both correctly over time. Thanks. There’s some real ingenuity in your repair work on the keybeds!
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Hi Steve,
Yes I used a soldering iron on low temperature (180 – 200C I think) to release and reattach the cable. I used a knife to start the separation at one of the sides yes. You have to be very careful when doing this and make sure you always have a clamp or your finger on top of the connection somewhere. When the cable is say 75% disconnected the tension that is in the bend can rip the remaining traces of the flex cable. But if the connection is unreliable and works fine if you put some pressure on it you can also opt for a slightly bent metal plate secured by 2 nuts and bolts where the plastic rivets used to go on top of the connector to keep pressure on it. Good luck with the repairs!
Regards, Jorick
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Hi Jorick, I’m looking for a replacement bender for my Juno 106. Do you have one or know where I can get one?
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Hi Ryan,
Sorry, I have no idea..
Jorick
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Hi Jorick, My name is Sam. I have a Roland em2000 which has a fading display. I have read from a few forums in the past that there is a way to use a 240×64 display, similar to the one you used for the Roland D70, to replace the LCD found in the Roland em2000. The only issue is that 240×64 display that are available have an IC controller on them in which I read needs to be removed due to the fact that the LCD found in the EM2000 does not have that driver on the LCD but on the keyboard itself. So in order to use the 240×64, we would need to desolder that IC controller on the new LCD and do some rewiring on the new LCD to have it behave similarly to the LCD found on the EM2000. Is this something you have experience/knowledge about that you can help me with please? Appreciate your help. Thanks.
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Hi Samuel,
I know the G-600 / G-800 and G-1000 probably share the same display as the EM-2000. But to my knowledge there is no replacement.. I have no idea if it’s possible to remove the controller of a T6963 240×64 display… I have on of those in front of my (for my next D-70 project) and looking at it I doubt it’s feasable..
grtz, Jorick
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