Hi, I have an old PSR-520 and many of the keys don’t work. I’ve opened it up and cleaned the dust off, and the cleaned the key contact boards ands then replaced all of the contact rubber strips, but to no avail. As a matter of fact, less of the keys work now than before. I don’t want to give up on this old work horse, as I really love the sounds and it works great for midi too, but also don’t want to waste too much time or money. Could anyone suggest what I might try next that could be the culprit? Or is it time to say goodbye to my 520?
How did you go about cleaning the key contact board? A cotton swab and 99% isopropyl alcohol is the usual method. If that doesn’t solve it then the problem is probably some kind of damage or corrosion to the key contact board or the cable(s) from the key contact board. You can test the cable with a multimeter set to continuity or resistance and look for near 0 ohms from one connector of the cable to the other connector for each wire.
Contact board damage/corrosion can be tricky to find. Looking over the board with some kind of magnification is a good start. Also using a multimeter set to continuity/resistance to verify traces are intact.
Also since you said less keys work than before, make sure those contact strips are on just right, they can be a bit finicky during the reassembly process. Hope this helps!
Thanks Travis. I did use a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol. The replacement rubber contact strips seemed to go into place quite easily and I had removed and set in place the old ones a few times to see if it made any difference. I am suspecting there may be something going on with the contact boards as you say, but not sure I’ve got the skills to check those much further apart form replacing them, which I’m not sure I would want to purchase if I’m not sure that’s the issue. I’m not altogether sure they’re available for the PSR 520 either. I’m reading your suggestions regarding the multimeter and that’s “greek to me” I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thanks again.
Thank you, I’ll take a closer look when I get a chance this week. And I suppose if I find a broken area, the solution is a new key contact board. Thank again.
The cables haven’t been removed, but perhaps have gone bad. I haven’t had a chance to open it up again and look as I’ve been busy showing my home this week, but hopefully will get a chance in the next few days. Thanks again for your comments.
I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thanks again.