Korg Forums

[KK]

Hi there,

Will need advice from anyone who knows what to be done after delicate electronics like a Kronos stayed below zero Celsius for several days.

Here in the whole Eastern part in North America, a gigantic winter hurricane with 120 km/h winds destroyed power lines everywhere. I could not bring my K2 as I had to jump over a power line on ground to cut water valve in house and avoid even more mess, etc. I could only place the foam from original Kronos box around the K2 and also a blanket.

Will greatly appreciate your advice, it can be technical or needing to open unit, dry it from inside, etc. Any advice or procedure will be greatly appreciated once the nightmare go to step 2 and I go look at damage. For now I have to wait power line guys fix stuff. Will update once back in house.

Sorry to those who asked for video comparing Korg Kronos pianos in other thread. I hope to still be able to do it after saving my K2.

In the mean time, stay safe and hopefully all in the US states and Canada provinces affected by this monster are doing OK.

[tunaman]

Hope things are OK with you and your family. Please be safe - we need you in the community!

Electronics are quite resilient, and it is typically heat that tends to kill them. I had one that got overheated, and I was having issues with intermittent shutdowns so I took it to the local Korg service person and am waiting for good news (hopefully).

One issue with cold is sweat - if things heat up unevenly the components can sweat and, of course, moisture and electronics don’t mix.

Try to keep the temps even as possible as you are able to bring it up to temp, and watch for signs of moisture present. As long as you keep the moisture away, I suspect you will be fine. Bring it up to comfortable room temp and fire it up.

Good luck, and Merry Christmas!

[KK]

Thank you tunaman for your words of encouragement. It will have been a tough Christmas time for us, but at the same time it opens one's eyes on bigger problems in the world, so I had thoughts today for the homeless in all countries, the Ukrainians who can't even go to hotel to warm up, etc. So even in my situation I feel lucky.

[SeedyLee]

I’m really sorry you have been through that - I hope you, your family, friends and community are okay and safe. Climate change is the real deal - these types of events are becoming more commonplace it seems.

As for your Kronos, I have ever confidence it will be fine if you take the right precautions. The biggest issue will be condensation, but condensation is relatively pure water so shouldn’t pose too many problems once dry. In addition, modern electronics are typically resin coated to prevent such issues.

Most electronic components are rated for storage to sub-zero temperatures, but it depends on the specific component, manufacturer and design. The most important thing is not to expose it to thermal shock - let it warm up gradually, let the condensation dry and all should be well.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
_________________
Current Equipment:
Korg Kronos 2 88, Reface CS, Roland JV-1080, TE OP1, Moog Subsequent 37, Korg ARP Odyssey, Allen & Heath Zed 18, Adam F5, MOTU MIDI Express XT, Lexicon MX200 & MPX1, Yamaha QY700, Yamaha AW16G, Tascam DP008ex, Zoom H6, Organelle, Roland J6 & JU06A

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[KK]

Hi SeedyLee and thank you for your nice words and advice. Unfortunately with digital thermostats, you can't change their temp settings once power is out and I couldn't turn off heater breakers so that the house can warm up when the power line guys fix their things.

So it will switch from minus something to 23 C pretty quickly, maybe an hour or two. The K2 is unplugged though, so I guess I will open it a couple of days for inspection and also to allow any remaining condensation to evaporate. Not there yet, but I truly appreciate all advice. Thanks so much again and I'll update in the coming days.

[geoelectro]

Consider putting a fan on it blowing into the back vents. That will help diminish any condensation helping it to evaporate.

George
_________________
Kronos 61 : 3GB RAM 120GB 2nd Drv.
Kronos 2 61
Synthesizers.com Custom Modular
N.I. Komplete 11, Omnisphere 2, VB-3.
HP i7 8GB Win 10
Yamaha P-80 Weighted Keyboard. NanoPad2

[Jogger]

I hear ya. That was serious cold storm. A number of homes near me lost electric for a day and had pipe issues. I just had my furnace replaced 2 weeks ago and had no heat for 4 days until managing to get it somewhat working til the new one was installed a week after ordering it. They are busy this time of year.
That is life. I just had shoulder surgery and in sling. My tubed water bed just had a leak! Good thing the other arm is ok.
As suggested, I would try to put a fan on it to air moisture and relax.

[blazerunner]

This man is a true synth head dangerous weather, destruction, terror and an uncertain future... but all he can think about is saving his Kronos. My friend I salute you to the fullest. The music must go on no matter what.

I have a secret hobby where I repair busted electronics. I'm no master, I don't know if I'm even any good but I've learned a few things. Don't turn on the equipment. If you think it has gotten moisture contact from frost or anything inside of it when you can get it to a spot where it's warm and dry and take off the bottom panel and let the electronics air dry for a few days. Then put it back together and power it on.

moisture alone won't really kill electronics it's when you have an active current meeting that moisture that things fry and get damaged. Other than that they they're pretty resilient. So I wouldn't worry too much. Most I've ever seen from Keyboards that were stored in places with moisture for long periods of time was rust on the screws and exterior panels. Lets to the Korg Gods to keep your keyboard safe.

[Pedja]

I'm really sorry to hear that, and especially that this is happening to you. I can't give you any reliable advice, because I haven't been in such a situation, but I think the recommendations they wrote to you are good and logical. Especially the blazerrunner one.
I wish you all the best, and that Kronos works (after drying), as it did before the storm, and that the storm stops.


P. S. Please blazerrunner to answer me (if he can), the question I asked him on the page:

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=127939&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

Post: #537.

Thanks in advance.
_________________
Pedja
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[voip]

If the Kronos is put into a large plastic bag whilst it is still in the cold environment, the cold dry air will be trapped inside, and condensation should only affect the outside of the bag. Once it gets up to temperature in the new environment, it should be fine to remove the bag and use the keyboard straight away. If not bagged in this way and the Kronos is brought into the warm, and condensation forms on the outside, then the chances are there will be condensation inside, too, and this could take a good day or more to evaporate, before any attempt should be made to use it.

.

[KK]

Hi all, this is my update after an exhausting week. Minimum temp recorded in the house was -1 C, so we got lucky as the pipes and water heater didn't have time to freeze, so we avoided an horrible mess.

Most importantly, thank you very much to all who wrote and gave advice. It was truly appreciated after going through this nightmare. To all here, enjoy playing your Kronos every time you use it. It is a great machine.