Roland fp5 repair

[Horatio Parker]

Hi all,

I love my fp5, but after 8 years, some midrange notes don't always sound.

Since I'm broke at the moment, I thought I'd take a shot at fixing it myself.

Taking off the cover, the keys and the counterweights was no problem. But over the circuit board with the velocity sensors are sectional plastic housings. There are screws, which I removed, but they are fastened in another way that I can't detect.

Calling Roland didn't help, they only referred me to a service center. There's little info online that I can find.

Has anyone here dug into the fp5?

Thanks.....

 

[happyrat1]

Here's a few youtubes on Roland keyboard repair.

 

[Horatio Parker]

Thanks, I've seen those.

This goes deeper than replacing keys. The housings don't have to be removed to replace keys.

The first video could have interesting implications, if I ever get to the circuit board....

 

[happyrat1]

Could you by any chance post a few detailed photos of the housing in question from different angles?

It would help if I could see exactly what you're dealing with.

Gary

 

[Horatio Parker]

Good idea.

Here it can be seen that the left, highest, section has only five keys. The screws, visible in the next section to the left are removed.

Below are two views from the side. The circuit board fits into the housing, but that's not the only point. I can't tell where the other is. Removing the screws allows a little side to side play, but that's it.

 

[happyrat1]

Check to see if they slide forward or backward a bit. There may be some sort of snap in plastic tab holding it to the underchassis.

Worst case scenario, if you snap one module trying to remove it you could order a replacement part from Roland.

Otherwise also check the underside for any hidden screws or fasteners. Be gentle and careful but work the part a bit to see if it gives any slack when you apply a little force.

That's all the advice I can give for now.

Gary

 

[happyrat1]

Also look from every angle to see if you can find any hidden access holes where you can slip in a screwdriver to unscrew a hidden retaining screw.

 

[happyrat1]

Also peel back the felt strip in the photo a bit and see if there are any screws underneath.

 

[happyrat1]

You might also want to post this over at the Roland Clan Forums where you'd be more likely to get a specific answer.

http://forums.rolandclan.com/

 

[Horatio Parker]

You might also want to post this over at the Roland Clan Forums where you'd be more likely to get a specific answer.

http://forums.rolandclan.com/

Thanks, I'll try it, but seeing Roland's logo, I'm not hopeful.

I tried calling, and all they would do is refer me to a service center.

 

[Horatio Parker]

Also peel back the felt strip in the photo a bit and see if there are any screws underneath.

This was the clue. The felt was not moving, which suggested that despite the apparent sectional construction it's all one piece. I removed all the screws in the back, and the entire assembly lifted up. The circuit board (or boards, there are three sections) with velocity sensors screw into the plastic assembly.

Thanks everybody.

 

[happyrat1]

You're very welcome. Stuff like this is always a jigsaw puzzle but a little poking and probing generally gets results.

Gary

 

[Horatio Parker]

Two other questions, for those more experienced than I:

1 - The ribbon cables - do they just plug into the receptacles on the boards? That's what it looks like....

2 - does anyone know what type of lubricant is used. Grey, viscous stuff. I'm removing some just by handling the parts, and am thinking it might be a good idea to reapply....

 

[happyrat1]

The ribbon cables came unplugged? That's bad news. You can't just start guessing which one plugs into whatever socket.

The grease is probably plastic gear grease. But best not to mess too much with the grease and leave the original stuff.

You might want to google around for a Factory Service Manual if you basically started taking things apart without carefully noting where they went back together again.

Gary
\

 

[Horatio Parker]

The ribbon cables came unplugged? That's bad news. You can't just start guessing which one plugs into whatever socket.

The grease is probably plastic gear grease. But best not to mess too much with the grease and leave the original stuff.

You might want to google around for a Factory Service Manual if you basically started taking things apart without carefully noting where they went back together again.

Gary
\

The ribbon cables are not unplugged. It seemed prudent to ask before unplugging them.

 

[happyrat1]

Well usually ribbon cables are simply a friction fit over a header row of pins on a motherboard but sometimes they have an additional locking mechanism to keep them from sliding off. In that case look for a couple of tabs on the ends of the connector that squeeze to open and snap to lock in place.

Sometimes there's a box around the header pins to "idiot proof them" and sometimes there's not.

Just be careful to note which connector goes where and which end is which and make sure you don't slide over by one pin when you replace them.

It might be wise to put a mark with a permanent marker on the Pin#1 end of the connectors to help you align them properly when the time comes to reassemble.

 

[happyrat1]

As for the grease, like I said, it's probably plastic gear grease but I'd contact Roland and order the exact same grease as it may be a proprietary formulation that won't mix well with others.

Gear grease is usually white in color.

 

[hari seldon]

99 times out of 100 your problem is simply the contact strips. Either find some you can buy, or move the faulty contacts to the top or bottom of the keyboard onto keys you usually don't use. It's a $5, 20 minute fix.

 

[hari seldon]

you can occasionally just paint the contacts again both on the rubber strips (and circuit board if you've been playing hard and they're indented), or even just build it up with a pencil, but it's invariably microscopic degradation in the rubber contact strips, and they just need to be replaced. So cheap, so quick.

 

[oxlacey]

I am having a weird problem with my fp5 and you're right, roland's customer service is basically send the keyboard to a $ervice center.

Recently, the sound is harsh and echo-y whenever i press one or any keys. The sound is the same through the main outputs and both earphone jacks. If i send a midi file to the keyboard it's the same or the onboard demo song. If i spray contact cleaner on the volume knob, the sound returns to normal, but then gets bad again. i sprayed some on all the circuit boards and connectors and the little circuit board that has a single cable coming from the display circuit board seems to be the culprit. But if i play the keys or a single key staccato-like, this too fixes the problem temporarily. I have lifted and replaced all cable connectors with no solution. Anyone else have ideas?