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ChristopherG | 4 Apr 2011 15:42
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First Impressions

Hello everyone,

My name is Chris Gross, and I recently joined the group. I bought a K5 last week and have been busy finding my
way around it... I've been interested in additive synthesis since I bought a Casio SK-1 many years ago, but
have mostly worked with it in software (generally Cameleon 5000). Apart from the Casio and a Seiko DS-101,
the K5 is my only additive hardware instrument.

It had a dead key, but after I opened the case and cleaned out some leaf fragments and a couple of dead insects,
the keyboard started working properly again. I guess I literally got the bugs out of it! I've been having
some trouble transferring patches over MIDI-- especially transmitting them to a computer. I don't know
if the battery needs replacing (my K4 has that problem too, and its battery is almost dead) or if a ROM
upgrade would help, but either way I usually get unspecified error messages when I try to transmit.

I like the sound very much; the harmonics aren't hard to figure out, but the envelope programming seems a
little complicated and I'll need to study the manual a little more...

That's about all for now; I've been finding the information here to be helpful, and I'll try to provide some
of my own when I come across it...

Chris

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bill bigrig | 4 Apr 2011 23:44
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Re: First Impressions

Howdy,

 Welcome Chris! hope you are lovin your "K". I'm still trying to get mine working, increment wheel and
display are a bit dodgy. For now I've got the whole seiko DS-250, 310, 320 rig. I think it's probably a bit
limited compared to the K-5. Until I get mine working, I'll have to keep wondering.
Rig

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mdmeadway | 5 Apr 2011 00:03
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New K5M owner

Hello, all!

  Just got a K5M from eBay, listed as having LCD problems but it seems there's some other stuff going on
internally.  Any repair hints would be much appreciated; it's a nice machine and I snatched it knowing that
I could (finally) do more than play with some layers and a filter setting or write csound scripts :-)

The LCD itself needs to be replaced (missing or flickering lines and columns), and banging on the machine
can cause it to produce nothing but static in the output (it still works and receives MIDI, but nothing but
continuous noise comes out).  Banging a bit more restores the sound and causes some of the LCD's lines to flicker.

My thought is to simply replace the LCD module and see if there's a cold solder joint somewhere else -- I've
read that this is in fact an issue with this model.

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

Mike

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Antoiine Deschênes | 5 Apr 2011 00:07
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Re: New K5M owner

The whole PSU board is prone to cold solder joints. First check it, it might solve every other problems you
have with it.

------- Message original -------
> De: mdmeadway <mmeadway@...>
> À: k5synth@...
> Envoyé: 4.4.'11,  18:03
> 
> Hello, all!
> 
>   Just got a K5M from eBay, listed as having LCD problems but it seems there's some other stuff going on
internally.  Any repair hints would be much appreciated; it's a nice machine and I snatched it knowing that
I could (finally) do more than play with some layers and a filter setting or write csound scripts :-)
> 
> The LCD itself needs to be replaced (missing or flickering lines and columns), and banging on the machine
can cause it to produce nothing but static in the output (it still works and receives MIDI, but nothing but
continuous noise comes out).  Banging a bit more restores the sound and causes some of the LCD's lines to flicker.
> 
> My thought is to simply replace the LCD module and see if there's a cold solder joint somewhere else -- I've
read that this is in fact an issue with this model.
> 
> Thanks for any help or suggestions!
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------
> 
> Yahoo! Groups Links
(Continue reading)

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mdmeadway | 5 Apr 2011 00:42
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Re: New K5M owner

Antoiine --

  Much appreciated!  I'll be getting the screwdriver and soldering iron out, most likely this weekend. 
Figured it wasn't the LCD driver per se, since the LCD still works (sort of).

Mike

--- In k5synth@..., Antoiine Deschênes <antdes45 <at> ...> wrote:
>
> The whole PSU board is prone to cold solder joints. First check it, it might solve every other problems you
have with it.
> 
> ------- Message original -------
> > De: mdmeadway <mmeadway <at> ...>
> > À: k5synth@...
> > Envoyé: 4.4.'11,  18:03
> > 
> > Hello, all!
> > 
> >   Just got a K5M from eBay, listed as having LCD problems but it seems there's some other stuff going on
internally.  Any repair hints would be much appreciated; it's a nice machine and I snatched it knowing that
I could (finally) do more than play with some layers and a filter setting or write csound scripts :-)
> > 
> > The LCD itself needs to be replaced (missing or flickering lines and columns), and banging on the machine
can cause it to produce nothing but static in the output (it still works and receives MIDI, but nothing but
continuous noise comes out).  Banging a bit more restores the sound and causes some of the LCD's lines to flicker.
> > 
> > My thought is to simply replace the LCD module and see if there's a cold solder joint somewhere else -- I've
read that this is in fact an issue with this model.
> >
(Continue reading)

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ChristopherG | 5 Apr 2011 16:53
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Re: First Impressions


--- In k5synth@..., bill bigrig <billbigrig <at> ...> wrote:
>
> Howdy,
> 
>  Welcome Chris! hope you are lovin your "K". I'm still trying to get mine working, increment wheel and
display are a bit dodgy. 
>

My own display is a bit dim, but it seems to be working all right. I'm still working on the MIDI issue because
the last time I transferred a bank from my computer it got scrambled somehow and I got some pretty
interesting sounds! Hopefully I'll be able to re-save them for future use, but if not I'll just sample
them... they will come in handy for a project I'm working on.

>For now I've got the whole seiko DS-250, 310, 320 rig. I think it's probably a bit limited compared to the
K-5. 
>

There's a rig like yours on eBay right now, but it's being sold "for parts or not working", so I'll probably
wait until a working 310 becomes available... without one of those, the DS-101 sounds like an old
CasioTone! It has a nice keyboard, though, and the presets sound pretty good when run through some effects...

Chris

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bill bigrig | 5 Apr 2011 23:46
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Re: First Impressions

Howdy,

 Yes, I also have an extra 320 sequencer that does not work, but then found another, WITH a cartridge. Don't
know whether to sell the dead one or keep it for parts. I just need to buckle down, go back into the main PCB on
the K5, replace all the ICs I did the 1st time, only use sockets this time to make sure none get overheated and
double check all the traces. The doggone thing ought ta work after that! It's hard to trace things back with
a scope without a legible schemo. First thing,,,, Get off my backside.
rig

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Antoiine Deschênes | 6 Apr 2011 00:33
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Re: Re: First Impressions

The only way you can reset it is by physically disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. You'll often get
RAM corruption issues with MIDI if you don't have at least OS V1.2. I can program 1.3 flash ROMs, but I'm
seriously out of time right now.

------- Message original -------
> De: ChristopherG <zmib23@...>
> À: k5synth@...
> Envoyé: 5.4.'11,  10:53
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- In k5synth@..., bill bigrig <billbigrig <at> ...> wrote:
>>
>> Howdy,
>> 
>>  Welcome Chris! hope you are lovin your "K". I'm still trying to get mine working, increment wheel and
display are a bit dodgy. 
>>
> 
> My own display is a bit dim, but it seems to be working all right. I'm still working on the MIDI issue because
the last time I transferred a bank from my computer it got scrambled somehow and I got some pretty
interesting sounds! Hopefully I'll be able to re-save them for future use, but if not I'll just sample
them... they will come in handy for a project I'm working on.
> 
>>For now I've got the whole seiko DS-250, 310, 320 rig. I think it's probably a bit limited compared to the
K-5. 
>>
>
(Continue reading)

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ChristopherG | 6 Apr 2011 02:07
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Re: First Impressions


--- In k5synth@..., bill bigrig <billbigrig <at> ...> wrote:
>
> Howdy,
> 
>  Yes, I also have an extra 320 sequencer that does not work, but then found another, WITH a cartridge. Don't
know whether to sell the dead one or keep it for parts. 
>

I ended up buying the Seiko rig ($56) anyway-- based on the seller's description it sounds fixable. At least
I hope so! But I've gone way over my synth budget this past year, which will be an incentive to stay off eBay
and get some work done... :-)

Chris

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ChristopherG | 6 Apr 2011 02:19
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Re: First Impressions


--- In k5synth@..., Antoiine Deschênes <antdes45 <at> ...> wrote:
>
> The only way you can reset it is by physically disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. You'll often
get RAM corruption issues with MIDI if you don't have at least OS V1.2. I can program 1.3 flash ROMs, but I'm
seriously out of time right now.
> 

Mine is only V1.0; I'd heard that the older ones sometimes have MIDI problems. I'm planning to test the
batteries in my older equipment (some of which has been in storage) and find out what needs to be replaced,
so maybe a new battery in the K5 will do some good...

Chris

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