Korg Forums

[ShaneLessor]

This was asked of me by one of the members. It's just a simple howto guide. Sorry that the picture quality isn't the greatest, but it should be fine. Let me know how/if it helps you and if you have any questions!

The result is that the ribbon controller is MUCH more responsive, this is something I'm sure builds up on everyone's keyboard over time. This guide should also apply to KRONOS and OASYS, but I can't say for 100% certain.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6499291/Triton/How_To_Clean_Repair_Ribbon_Korg.pdf

[ConnorP]

Thanks for that. It is very informative.
I will try that later. Can you describe in some detail the wierd effects you were experiencing prior to cleaning the RC?

In my case I am getting a four semitone pitch increase when I touch the RC anywhere on most patches! It never did this before so it is quite strange. When I put my finger on the controller the pitch of the patch instantly jumps +4 and when I release my finger it glides back down slowly to the original pitch.

Has anyone else seen this ?

[ConnorP]

Just a little update from earlier:

I dismantled my Triton Pro (again) today. I focussed on the (1) Joystick, (2) Ribbon Controller and (3) Analog Audio PCB.

Actions & Results:

(1) I completely stripped the Joystick down because lately I noticed it wasn't properly centring after use and resulted in slight detuning. None of the plastic parts were cracked or majorly worn with the exception of some minor bedding-in marks where the tails of the spring made direct contact with the plactic rocker housing. Metal on plastic, plastic rarely wins over time!

I figured that the spring had lost some of its tension over time (my trition is 10 years old this year), so using a pair of pliers I slightly bent the spring legs in toward each other, creating a tighter grip overall. This seemed to do the trick and the Joystick is now working properly.

(2) I then took apart the Ribbon Controller and basically gave it a good cleaning, then reassembled it and it works fine now. No more gremlins. Strange really, it didn't appear to be all that grime-ridden so I am not entirely sure how this procedure worked, but it did!

(3) About 4 years ago whilst working late one night in the studio, I went behind the Triton to grab someting and accidentally stood down on two audio cables which were connected into the tritons Left and Right Main Outputs. Then I heard the dreaded crunch and knew instantly that I had done some serious damage.

it turns out I had completely cracked the Analog PCB (the one the output jacks are affixed to). As a trial repair, I soldered bridging cables across each crack on the PCB, effectively reconnecting the signal path where I had broken the board. it worked, but on occasion I would get some serious noise from the outputs, or inadvertent drop-outs.

Today I redid all of that work and was careful to ensure that there were no dry joints or incomplete trackways on the PCB. Fingers crossed I reconnected the board and reassembled the unit and it works perfectly now.

Finally: I am noticing (and have for a while) a slight noise from both outputs and I have read that this is related to the volume slider not having a good enough ground wire..or one that depletes over time. That is the next repair I will make and hopefully it will eliminate that annoying problem. In a live environment the noise is negligable and if you push the volumne fader closer to max and reduce the input gains on the mixer, the noise floor is reduced so it is workable. In a studio environment, however it is unacceptable, so here's hoping that a simple earth wire soldered between the chassis of the volume fader and the chassis of the keyboard will isolate the issue.

I am posting this in case anyone else experiences any of the issues I have described, so you know there is a possible fix for them.

[ShaneLessor]

I have the noise issue too, but wasn't sure if it was normal or not. Is there just one wire that needs to be replaced? I was always able to eliminate noise with subtract EQing in my DAW and it sounded fine.

[ConnorP]

The next time you are looking at the inside of your Triton, remove whatever boards are necessary to gain access the the volume slider. Solder a ground wire onto its external metal casing and solder the other end to a decent ground within the chassis of the keyboard. Noise gone.

[ShaneLessor]

I'll have to find my solder and let you know how it goes. I might as well make a guide for this as well.

[Tsunami.Warning]

Hello there, does anyone by any chance have saved the PDF guide shared by Shane? Unfortunately, the original link no longer works.

Thanks!