Yamaha PF-15... out of tune!?

[fissellska]

Hello all. I've got a Yamaha PF-15 that seems to be out of tune. I don't know how that's even possible. I've adjusted the key transposer, the pitch control and gone over the passive components for shorts and losses, still no luck with finding out how it's losing its tune.

C is playing more like D but nothing is wired improperly. I checked the connections on the serial cables and again, nothing amiss. Is it possible that one of the ICs has gone awry?

There is also a synthed sound at the tail end of every note played. It's very strange and very quiet, but it's there. Any ideas on that, too?

Finally, if anyone out there has a schematic for this beast, I'd love to see it, thanks.

Matt

 

[Burn4Him]

your gonna hate this but sometimes on the circuit board there is a screw somewhere that controls it, its gonna be hard to find, and get exactly back to where it needs to be......sorry for the bad news.

 

[Burn4Him]

here is where you can download the manual, if you dont have it it may have the schematics.....its not much of a help but better than nothing sorry

 

[olamide akinlua]

Hello all. I've got a Yamaha PF-15 that seems to be out of tune. I don't know how that's even possible. I've adjusted the key transposer, the pitch control and gone over the passive components for shorts and losses, still no luck with finding out how it's losing its tune.

C is playing more like D but nothing is wired improperly. I checked the connections on the serial cables and again, nothing amiss. Is it possible that one of the ICs has gone awry?

There is also a synthed sound at the tail end of every note played. It's very strange and very quiet, but it's there. Any ideas on that, too?

Finally, if anyone out there has a schematic for this beast, I'd love to see it, thanks.

Matt

I have the same issue with mine. Have you been able to resolve yours?

 

[Nalk]

I have the same issue with mine. Have you been able to resolve yours?

I hope you have figured it out. I know, this is an old post, but the answer might help others if not you.

Last week I bought a PF15 because i figured I would use the Yousician app to learn how to play just for fun. Turns out that plan fell through a little as it was out of tune. When I played the middle C it played C# according to the tuning app on my phone so my Yousician plan didn't work. Anyway I only paid 20$ for it, so I wasn't too sad.

Being the little tinkerer though, today I figured I'd have a second look at it. On the back is a little plastic screw that you ought to try adjusting first.
I tried that but it didn't help. It didn't have enough range to go from C# to C. Here is a photo of that:

pf 15 pitch back copy.jpg

drive.google.com

I the opened it up and this is where I have to put a disclaimer. You do this at your own peril.

Use only a PLASTIC screwdriver and NOT a metal one. The screw you have to adjust is made of a very, VERY brittle carbon material. A metal screwdriver can splinter it very easily. Only nudge it a little at a time while using a tuner at the same time. It is very sensitive. A quarter turn adjusts the tuning more than a full step.

The red box in this photo shows where the screw with which you can adjust the tuning is located:

pf15 tuning copy.jpg

drive.google.com

I did that on my PF15 using a piano tuner app and now I can start learning how to play. Be very careful when you adjust the carbon screw.

 

[pigslayr]

I hope you have figured it out. I know, this is an old post, but the answer might help others if not you.

Last week I bought a PF15 because i figured I would use the Yousician app to learn how to play just for fun. Turns out that plan fell through a little as it was out of tune. When I played the middle C it played C# according to the tuning app on my phone so my Yousician plan didn't work. Anyway I only paid 20$ for it, so I wasn't too sad.

Being the little tinkerer though, today I figured I'd have a second look at it. On the back is a little plastic screw that you ought to try adjusting first.
I tried that but it didn't help. It didn't have enough range to go from C# to C. Here is a photo of that:

pf 15 pitch back copy.jpg

drive.google.com

I the opened it up and this is where I have to put a disclaimer. You do this at your own peril.

Use only a PLASTIC screwdriver and NOT a metal one. The screw you have to adjust is made of a very, VERY brittle carbon material. A metal screwdriver can splinter it very easily. Only nudge it a little at a time while using a tuner at the same time. It is very sensitive. A quarter turn adjusts the tuning more than a full step.

The red box in this photo shows where the screw with which you can adjust the tuning is located:

pf15 tuning copy.jpg

drive.google.com

I did that on my PF15 using a piano tuner app and now I can start learning how to play. Be very careful when you adjust the carbon screw.

I've been coming back to this thread for the last few years hoping for an update lol. Glad to know there's a solution. Only issue is I don't have a plastic screwdriver and can't seem to find one in any nearby stores. Is it worth the risk using a regular screwdriver? Trying to find something else that would work, any ideas? Also any solution to the faint synth like noise? it doesn't hinder the playing but its kinda annoying.

 

[Nalk]

I've been coming back to this thread for the last few years hoping for an update lol. Glad to know there's a solution. Only issue is I don't have a plastic screwdriver and can't seem to find one in any nearby stores. Is it worth the risk using a regular screwdriver? Trying to find something else that would work, any ideas? Also any solution to the faint synth like noise? it doesn't hinder the playing but its kinda annoying.

The reason why I mention the plastic screwdriver is that the metal ones, especially the cheaper ones tend to have tiny sharp edges in my experience. Those tiny sharp edges can chip the screw or even break it completely. Especially if they are old and hence a little stuck.

An emergency solution I have used a couple of times is putting soft electrical plastic tape on the entire tip of the screwdriver to make the surface softer. The plastic screwdriver I have used in the past came from an old VHS machine and was used to tune the channels with. yeah, I'm old.

Anyway, you still do this at your own peril.

As for the faint synth sounds I have no solution. That dont bother me that much... Probably because I have a slight case of tinnitus from working in noisy factories for most of my life coupled with a minimalistic approach to life sort of based upon the Maslow hierarchy of needs.
As long as it produces sounds in tune I'm okay with it.

As an aside, I once met a music teacher who couldn't afford a piano while she was studying music at the college. She had this very cheap plastic melodica which she hooked up to her vacuum. For 4 years that was the instrument she learned how to play piano on. Meeting people like her shaped my outlook on life, which is why I wont be looking to solve the synth sound problem. Sorry for rambling.

 

[pigslayr]

The reason why I mention the plastic screwdriver is that the metal ones, especially the cheaper ones tend to have tiny sharp edges in my experience. Those tiny sharp edges can chip the screw or even break it completely. Especially if they are old and hence a little stuck.

An emergency solution I have used a couple of times is putting soft electrical plastic tape on the entire tip of the screwdriver to make the surface softer. The plastic screwdriver I have used in the past came from an old VHS machine and was used to tune the channels with. yeah, I'm old.

Anyway, you still do this at your own peril.

As for the faint synth sounds I have no solution. That dont bother me that much... Probably because I have a slight case of tinnitus from working in noisy factories for most of my life coupled with a minimalistic approach to life sort of based upon the Maslow hierarchy of needs.
As long as it produces sounds in tune I'm okay with it.

As an aside, I once met a music teacher who couldn't afford a piano while she was studying music at the college. She had this very cheap plastic melodica which she hooked up to her vacuum. For 4 years that was the instrument she learned how to play piano on. Meeting people like her shaped my outlook on life, which is why I wont be looking to solve the synth sound problem. Sorry for rambling.

I ended up cutting a twist tie in half and using that. Worked surprisingly well. The synth noise has seemed to disappear as well! Thanks again for your help, I was about to send it into a shop to get it looked at. This saved me a couple hundred bucks.