Ketron, AJ; SD-1 Repair

AJ,
I just got an estimate from our local Ketron rep here in Houston on the repair of my SD-1, sight unseen, and it is quite disappointing. I don't think I'd be willing to spend more than $1000 to repair without even having the keyboard looked at or analyzed.

The estimate includes replacement of two boards and a vocalizer kit as follows:
1 PB362 Board $495.00

1 PB343 Board 325.00

1 Vocalizer Kit 200.00

Is it Ketron's policy to just replace the boards when something doesn't work? Seems to me that it would cost at least a few hundred to fix ANYTHING that goes wrong with the SD-1 if the policy is replacing the boards without analyzing what is wrong with it.

Sorry if I sound disgruntled but truly, I am. I don't replace my computer's motherboard if it doesn't boot up, or if it crashes or if slows down. Anyway, I hope that I didn't make a big mistake in buying a Ketron keyboard.

Phil
Houston, TX

Philh,

Pls. list for me what is wrong with your SD1. I will be able to let you know if those replacements are required or not.

Thanks,

AJ

Thanks AJ. Here's what's wrong with my SD-1:

I bought this keyboard used from Connecticut about a month ago. The first time I plugged it in and turned the power on, the screen lit up but it did not complete the boot. I was told by the previous owner that the same thing has happened to him one time, but after flipping the on/off switch several times, it finally booted up and was able to use the keyboard. I did the same thing and it worked. The keyboard had an operating system of 2.0, and I upgraded it to 3.0. I've been using the keyboard everyday and the same boot problem only re-occurred one more time.

The second problem with the keyboard is the "ticking noise" when the microphone is set to "active". The ticking noise disappears when I set the microphones to inactive. Microphone 2 always works, but when the ticking noise is on, microphone 1 goes on and off at the same timing as the ticking noise. The ticking sound is not always there, but when it starts, the only way to get rid of it is to turn the keyboard off and on again. Sometimes the problems repeats, sometimes it doesn't.

Those are the only two problems I have. Everything else seem to work just fine.

Thanks for your help, AJ.

Phil

Phil,
You need to call the people in New York who distributes Ketron products. They are Bell Duovox. I would suggest you call Lou Lazaro at 845-268-1001 and explain exactly what you wrote here to AJ. There have been many SD1's experiencing display problems as you have mentioned and I would think Bell Duovox would like to know of your problems and might be able to resolve them for a more reasonable price. Just taking your keyboard to a local service dealer who has perhaps not had many SD1's come back to him, and might not have been aware of the display problems in the past makes me think it is important for you to communicate directly with Bell Duovox in New York. It might be a little more difficult to pack up your SD1 and ship it to New York, but it might save you a lot of money.
George Kaye
kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
You can email Lou at BellSolton@aol.com

Thanks, George. I listened to your advice and phoned Lou. He's such an accomodating guy. His recommendation is for me to pack the SD-1 and send it to New York so they can analyze the problem and they will let me know what it would take to get it fixed. So, that's what I'll do!

Thanks again.
Phil

That's great Phil. I knew you could count on Lou for help. Let us know how things end up.
Regards,
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

My SD-1 LCD display finally gave up. The keyboard still works but the display is all garbled and not legible. Could this be just a loose connection inside the keyboard? If so, can someone tell me how I can safely open the keyboard to check? There are several screws at the bottom of the keyboard and I'm afraid I'll loosen the wrong ones. If I find a loose connection and it fixes the problem, it will save me the trouble of sending it to NY for repair. Just wondering. Your advice is appreciated.
Phil

[This message has been edited by philh (edited 11-24-2002).]

You have to loosen all the big black screws on the sides and on the back of the keyboard, plus some small ones. Don't lose the big screws which go in parallel (two at a time) along the middle of the keyboard because they just secure the keybed.
You have to experiment a bit.

Thank you Dreamer. I will try what you suggested. Funny thing, I turned on the keyboard this morning and the display is back to normal again! I really hope it's just a loose connection somewhere inside the keyboard.

Phil,
this is why I suggested to contact Lou in New York. There were many SD1's with the same problem when the keyboard first came out. There is a large circuit board under the display which is connected to the top board by screws. Right in the middle of this board is a smaller board which is connected with a couple of fasteners (not soldered) and it is possible that these connectors come loose. Now, Ketron is soldering these boards in and the problem has been taken care of. You can open up your keyboard, but if you are not sure of what you are doing, I really do suggest sending it to New York.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

I will try to open the keyboard tonight and check those connections you mentioned. I'll keep everyone posted. Thank you so much for your help. I love this forum!
Phil

I did it...I opened the keyboard and saw the connector in the middle of the small board coming from the display LCD. It seems that it is tight but not tight enough to make sure that it doesn't get loose during transport. It has some resistance when I pulled it but not a lot. I debated whether or not I would cut the two wires and solder it to the two socket pins...and I decided to put it off. The keyboard is working again. I also checked all the connectors and I found one that was pulled out a little on one side(I hope it's the one for the vocalizer. (I was having problems with it too.).

Dreamer, thanks for identifying the screws I should remove.
George, thanks for telling me about the display connectors. I wish you were here in Houston so I can buy you both a drink..and a table dance if you so desire.

Time to play some music!

Phil

Houston, uh? Just let me check that flight schedule...

Have lots of beauties here in the clubs! Most of them know me by my first name...."Sucker!", He He. The invitation is for real. Just let me know if you will be in this side of town. BTW, I'll be travelling to Scotland next week..Dunfermline and Glascow area. Maybe I can swing by Rome and pay you a visit!

I forgot to mention something about my keyboard exploration last night....the power supply line connectors going to the on/off switch were not grabbing tight enough. I tightened all four of them with a needle nose. That could have been one of the problems. The keyboard is working again. It turns on when I tell it to and the vocalizer is not making any more ticking sound.

Time to go to work. Have a great day everyone..especially you, Dreamer. Go and do some endocrinologing (sp?) today!
Phil

Phil,
if you happen to drift towards Rome, just let me know; maybe not the same beauties as in Houston, but...
Thank you for your words and your invitation too; I am almost a fixture in your country, but have never been to Texas, so...
Andrea

You can ease on up to Shreveport, it's only about 3 hours from Houston. You'll like the girls here. We send all the ugly ones to Texas.
DonM

Phil,

I spent a year at U of H some 30+ years ago. My 2 favorite spots were the "Dome's Shadow" (near the Astrodome) and the Jug Club, where I played piano-bar. I'd be surprised if either of those places still exist!

Glenn