V-Synth switches are playing up

Hi Synthia, I'm the original owner of my X8 which is about 2.5 yrs. old. I have recently noticed that my piano button and my song edit button are both getting a little harder to push and a little intermittent. I"m guessing it's because I press those two buttons the most. I don't bang on them (never have) and I'm the only one using my X8.

It could just be that the buttons are not the most reliable instead of the previous owner hammering on them.

Anybody else notice buttons on their Roland gear getting a little funky?

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When most people go to work they work. When musicians go to work they play. Which do you prefer?

I noticed my V-Synth, only a few months after getting it, had some buttons which would double-trigger a lot. I suspect the switches are either a bit out of spec, or the V-Synth OS doesn't de-bounce the switches enough. I haven't opened up my board to see what exact model of switches are being used; but they're definitely replaceable.

If the buttons have just 'worn out' and won't activate at all, it's not too hard for a tech to remove and replace the microswitches. It should only cost an hour or so of labour.

Error 144 - Reboot y/n?

I think several of us have experienced the ill effects of contact spray cleaner.

It is a short term solution to noisey pots. But a long term problem. I've had pots freeze six months after use of cleaner agents. There are high end cleaners like Gold Plus, but I have seen warnings on vintagesynth.com about it also. If you have a noisey pot, replace it or never use it.

Isopropal alcohol may be acceptable since it evaporates and leaves no residue.

Roland is great about repair parts. Order your parts and find somebody that is good with a soldering iron. We work on surface mount components, so synth repair is easy. (Easy Peasy for you Brits.)

I did open the V-Synth this afternoon and had a good look at the guts.Everything looks very clean and I can't see anything wrong then again I'm no expert:)

Seems like the newer Rolands don't have the quality switches of the older ones.My old D-50 and Juno-106 still have perfect switches.

It's the same with Korg,their newer gear has also crappy buttons.It's a sign of the times.

At least the switches are not completly dead so I will leave at alone for the moment.Funny enough my Fantom S hasn't got this problem,all switches are perfect.

http://www.jupiter-music.com/synthia.htm
http://www.myspace.com/tritonia
Music keeps me sane in an insane world!

replacement switches can be bought for very little money (well under $1). i haven't opened my v-synth xt yet (got it new a few days ago, no need) but i can tell from the feel that they are tactile switches (also known as "tact"). these can be purchased from a number of sites. if you're not too familiar with what to look for, http://www.alliedelec.com have nice color pictures for most of their items. a good brand to look for is alps, although i'm not sure if allied electronics carries them. i know mouser does for sure. if you're going to try to change the switches out yourself, measure them (with a micrometer if at all possible) and check the data sheets on the site where you're browsing for new switches to make sure you get an exact match.

posting any pictures of the insides that you might take would also help any of us DIY electronic gear makers help you out.

I would never even attempt to replace the switches myself.I have no idea about soldering etc.
If it gets really bad than I have to send it to Roland UK to sort it out.I just hope that it doesn't come to that.At the moment the switches are still working.

http://www.jupiter-music.com/synthia.htm
http://www.myspace.com/tritonia
Music keeps me sane in an insane world!

Bouncing this ancient thread.

Most of the tact switches on my vsynth are dead or dying, and the envelope sliders are barely usable (smallest movement moves them to 127 or 0). Did anyone ever manage to locate the correct tact switch replacement part? Anyone ever had problems with the ADSR faders?

Would love for anyone with these issues to share some info.

Cheers