Members Dharma Techster Posted February 19, 2008 Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 Hi guys, I'm new here so treat me well. I've been reading these forums off and on for a couple of years, and finally thought I should start posting a little myself, seeing as there are so many knowledgeable people here that I wouldn't mind learning more from. Anyway, a couple of years back I traded in a my VS-1680 (I think it was that one) for a (obviously) used E-mu E4K (ok, so I'm a hardware idiot). Got it home and switched in on eager to try it out. It powered up perfectly and everything seemed fine, until I actually started pushing some of the buttons on the front panel. Except for one of the assignable buttons (when pushed it send you into effects mode) nothing at all worked. Long story short, I had a lot of stuff going on in my life at the time, and by the time I was ready to complain about the problem (which was a bit late anyway, considering the age of the unit when I got it) the shop had gone out of business. So there I was, stuck with a pretty useless big lump of a sampler. I've recently put together my home studio again and starting working with a little sequecing and whatnot, and now I'd really like to get this baby to work. However, I am NOT much of a techie, and I have no clue how to do anything about this. As I said, it powers up perfectly and everything looks normal, and the keyboard also sends midi, so I'm using it to control one of my modules when jamming. The screen seems fine. However, only one button on the panel works, and that is, as mentioned already, the "Assignable" button number two. Except for that everything - including the big dec / inc wheel - does squat all. If anyone here could give me some advise on what to o about this, how much it might cost to get parts or whatever I need, I'd be very, very thankful indeed. And if my English sucks, I'm sorry, it's a little rusty and it's been a long day over here in Norway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drxcm Posted February 19, 2008 Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 Open it up and have a look, may just be a loose connection between the panel and the mainboard.. There's not much inside these machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dharma Techster Posted February 19, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 Open it up and have a look, may just be a loose connection between the panel and the mainboard.. There's not much inside these machines. I did, and so far I haven't really been able to spot any loose connections, unfortunately. I'm really green when it comes to this stuff, though, so perhaps I really should take a closer look in there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mike Conway Posted February 19, 2008 Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 I still have my VS1680 and E4K, so I won't grill on you about hardware. You might want to search around for some keyboard service techs. I have 2 that I regularly use, in my city. Last year, I had a couple of buttons fixed on my E4K, and now it's perfect. I wish I was more technical, but I'm not. I always have my synths checked by someone qualified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members leitner6 Posted February 19, 2008 Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 It might be cheaper to buy a new one. I've seen e6400 ultras go for $350. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drxcm Posted February 19, 2008 Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 even try unplugging the ribbon cable from the controls then plug it in again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dharma Techster Posted February 19, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 It might be cheaper to buy a new one. I've seen e6400 ultras go for $350. I like the keyboard. Besides, I have an E-Synth rack and a E-6400.... Yeah, I know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dharma Techster Posted February 19, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2008 even try unplugging the ribbon cable from the controls then plug it in again Good tip, thanks, I'll try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lonelagranger Posted February 20, 2008 Members Share Posted February 20, 2008 Did you try reloading the Operating System. Just a thought. I have the E4K and like it very much. I think checking the cabling inside was also a good idea. Even if they looked connected, pull them off and put them back on. Be careful not to be to rough. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Scharf Posted February 20, 2008 Members Share Posted February 20, 2008 It would be very unusually for *every* control to not work. Its either one of two things I can think of: either there is a loose connection between control boards, or whatever board controlls the panel has gone out. the first should be easy to fix/check - just unplug and replug everything to make sure its seated properly. If its the second...well..you'd be better off finding a new one I'd think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members plus321 Posted February 21, 2008 Members Share Posted February 21, 2008 Do these buttons not work at all or do they work once in awhile? I have one of these as well and they are very nice. However, I had to replace the switches and the data encoder, but it was very cheap. You can get the switches from Mouser for something like $0.17 each and an encoder for around $20 or so. I would open the machine and reseat all connections. Ensure that they are all connected properly and don't have pins sticking out from being improperly connected. Then check for visible damage such as spills and etc. If you find that the connections are seated correctly and no visible damage is present, then you may try to replace some of the switches to see if they have all gone bad. This seems unlikely but it is possible. Also, if you decide to get rid of it, then please inform me because I would be interested in buying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.