Unresponsive PA800, any suggestions?

Hi ,
I gave my old Pa800 to my grand daughter, it seems to have died.
Basically it has got power but the screen stays blank and the buttons aren’t responsive, so I can’t try reloading operating system.

Is anyone aware of any sort of boot up procedure , if not it’s heading for the bin.

Too expensive to ship backwards and forwards for repairs , plus goodness knows what they charge for repairs.

A few years ago it cost me $600 for a simple screen replacement, and we actually dropped it off and picked it up.

Rikki, years ago, on a very cold night I dropped my PA800 as I carried it to the stage. The screen went black. Turns out - there was a ribbon connector that bumped loose inside on the display. It's a pain to open up, but I just may be something like that.

I know my Korg Tritón Extreme needed a changed battery years ago. Maybe this Korg has the same feature?

Oh, sorry to hear this! If you do a Google search, sometimes you can find the factory service manual posted online. These aren't meant for players, and the companies don't routinely make them available to the public. But sometimes they are "leaked." If you can find such a manual, it may tell you a test sequence, such as holding certain buttons down at boot-up to run diagnostics.

The tip about loose connectors might be true if it was jarred or handled roughly. What happened before it stopped working?

I have a GEM module that has a dead battery for the keep-alive memory. It still boots, but it has to go through a lengthy load process every time, and it won't save the settings. Any good electronics tech that has skill of precise soldering to a PC board should be able to replace a battery like this.

You can also find replacement parts and whole non-functioning instruments sold on eBay. If it can't be fixed you could try selling it there. You might get $100-$300 for it, even in non-working condition. If you installed the video board, that can be removed and sold separately. A little extra money for a new Pa1000 maybe!

One thing someone on the Forum told me a long time ago, that I absolutely live by... These keyboards are like computers. Over time, spikes from lightning, etc., and "brown-outs" (undervoltage) damage the memory chips, the processor, etc. Especially older models like your Korg that take an AC cord without a power brick, ALWAYS plug them into a UPS / power conditioner. I wish you luck!

Hi Dave,
thank you, I might pull it apart , nothing to loose. Noway is it worth the expense of shipping it off.
I had it apart a few months back to replace a broken key, so worth a try.

Thanks Steve,
not sure about PA 800, but my PA3x had a battery pack.
All it did on the pa3x was help start it up more quickly
I hadn’t used it for over a year, and couldn’t workout why it took ages for it to boot up.
Penny finally dropped, dead battery pack. I took the pak out, Pa3x still kept booting up , albeit slowly.
I finally managed to find a place that still sold them in the USA, they shipped it over, PA3 x back to normal.

Thank you Ted,
all good points.
Wish I knew what happened before it wouldn’t boot up again.
The grand kids had it.
I’d thought of selling it for parts or as a non functioning keyboard. If I still lived in the city, I would have just dropped it off at the store, and gotten a quote to get it repaired.
Unfortunately, live in the country now, my pa 3X/ Pa4x cost a couple of hundred dollars to ship to the buyers, doubt someone would spend money that sort of money on a non functioning keyboard? there again suppose might be worth checking.

One lousy replacement key cost me $10 plus postage. I might be sitting on a hold mine of spare parts. Haha

There are tons of screws to deal with, but it's not really "HARD" to do. Go for it! Just look carefully at all the connections inside. There's a ribbon that connects right to the screen that's I'd search out.

Roland VA7 repair comes to mind

A few tips if you decide to take the keyboard apart:
1. Work in a "clean" well-lit environment. Like a bathroom or kitchen with hard floor, so you can see the screws if they fall to the floor. Block any drains, grates, etc. with cardboard so you don't lose small parts.
1a. Have tweezers and a magnifying glass (loupe) handy in case you need them.
2. Take lots of pictures with your phone for reference as you go.
3. If you notice that screws/fasteners are "different" from each other- different length, different thread pattern, etc., make a note as to which kind go where.
4. Don't "force" anything. If it isn't coming off, there's probably another screw that has to come out. Keep looking!
5. Respect your own limitations. If you reach a point where you start to have doubts about being able to put it back together, then stop.

My $.02. Good luck!

Haha, tell me about it, I had it pulled apart for my key replacement. Probably pulled it further apart than we needed to. Put it back together, picked it up and something rattled. (Like those surgeons who leave a clamp inside, then sew you up . Haha.)
Had to undo it all again. Found a small piece of the broken key. Put it back together.
Was working perfectly till I gave it to the grand daughter. Oh well.

I ‘ll check those connectors out. Thank you..

Thank you Ted.

Photo’s sound like a great idea, So easy to forget where something belonged.
Won’t take any risks. If keyboard gets wrecked , I don’t particularly care, but sooner not wire something wrong and blow myself up. or worse still the house. Haha

I'm wondering if your grand kids spilled something? Mine never would.

Donate it to a charity and write it off income tax!!

Hi Larry,
with those 2 anything is possible, probably fighting over it.
My fault, it’s the second time they’ve handed it back, non functioning, first time reloading operating system worked, this time , no.

Hi Don,
I’d be happy to give it away if someone wanted it.
Problem is, keyboards aren’t a big thing , in this area. Closest music shop about an hour away, doesn’t stock any. Only acoustic instruments.
Don’t think it would be of any use to someone, for the same reason as it is useless to me, trying to get it fixed.

Postage to the USA would probably be $100 U.S. I'm guessing that if you list it on eBay for a dollar plus shipping, someone would buy it. Even $50 plus shipping; that's $50 in your pocket!