Changing the lower manual ...

So, today the new keyboard arrived. I ordered a Fatar TP/8L, DF version. There was no notion in the schematics if it is a DF or a DR, but the DF is the standard so, keep fingers crossed.

Removing the old keyboard is pretty straight forward. Remove the power cable! Remove the upper three screws that hold the top lid. Slip it - carefully - forward and put it away. Be careful not to scratch anything as the clamps holding the lid are pretty sharp. 


Remove the roll-cover by puling out at the back and watch out that is does not fall into the cabinet. 



Next is to remove two screws (see picture, upper right corner) that hold the front panel in place. Once gone, you just remove four screws below the manuals with an Allen key and you can flip both manuals up. 


Unscreew the keyboard from the two aluminum rails, cut the copper, remove the two cables and you can lift it out.

Mounting is everything in revers order. Everything seems to fit perfect and after one hour the new keyboard was in place and ready to test. So, switching on and - nothing.

Taking a closer look at the PCB of the old keyboard and comparing it with the new one, you see they don't match. Hard to say if the DR variant would have worked, but looking at the wire patches on the old PCB this looks Roland proprietary - whatever the reason.

Good news is though, that the old PCB is mechanically compatible with the new keyboard. So, Plan B is to transplant the board.


Again, this is pretty straight forward. You can leave the keyboard in place and just unscrew the two boards from the keyboard chassis. 


The rubber contacts are (mostly) compatible as well. So, removed it from the new board and transplanted it to the old. There is one tiny difference on the right board and on the there most right key, where the holes would not fit the rubber mat having a different layout. Here, I had to reuse the old contacts, but that part was not very worn anyhow. Why they made it different will be an eternal secret of the engineer that designed it. They changed it in the new models.

  

Mounting the contacts worked best using a paperclip to stick the long pins through the board, the small ones you have to gently massage into the fittings. Be careful not to bend the board.

Finally, putting everything back together gain, and voila:




The action of the new keyboard feels very different compared to the old. The "Snap" point is more subtle and key pressure much more constant from start to end. Construction is the same, but the springs obviously degrade after 25 years. Mechanically the old keyboard was not that bad and if you change the wear parts and clean it, it should be as good as new. The "Snap" simulation mat, the contact mats and the rubber dampers you can get as replacement parts, IF you find a Fatar dealer and he has those stocked or is okay to get the parts organized. I was lucky to get a complete one. Parts would have taken four months.

So, when you come across an elder 5xx: You can replace everything in the key section, but take care of the old PCB and make sure that is still intact. The repair is not that tricky, but there is a certain risk to break things and you have to feel comfortable with it.

So, next time we work on the Midi bits ...




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