Korg Forums

No difference. When the parts have run out, it will still be repairable, whether it's 5 years from now or 20. The beauty of using PC components is that there is nothing proprietary other than the OS itself.

Francois wrote:A motherboard can always be repaired. The cost is always higher than buying a replacement, but this doesn't mean it is not possible. Same remark regarding the power supply. So 20 years from now, labour will not be cheap. but mobo and PSU will be repaired if they need to be.

I know about all the mobo dead posts. You made me think about the PSU, that has a failure rate, too. A long term Kronos ( how many yrs ?) owner that worries might consider figuring out that replacement list. Lets hope its a short list.

It's REALLY disappointing and scary when you shell out this high of a dollar on a flagship workstation that doesn't last more than a couple years and 10 hours of use without dying. I didn't abuse this thing, I babied it. I kept it covered with a keyboard protector AND a sheet. I never left it on for long periods of time. It went thorough a UPS.

IT DIED WHILE IT WAS UNPLUGGED. That's unacceptable IMHO.

mikeyd wrote:I'd start with replacing the battery. I think (you'll know when you get to it obviously) it's a CR2032.
There is a lot of posts on the subject.
If your Kronos had been off for months I would think that'd would be where to start.

Nope, that won't affect booting, as McHale notes.

mikeyd wrote:After that probably have to restore it.

Nope, the battery won't affect sounds etc. It's the clock battery.

I'm thinking about what can happen while something is unplugged, and one thing that comes to mind is expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. That would lead me to make sure that all connections - anything that's slotted or plugged in (ram, cables, SSD) - are solid and well-seated.

In general, my impression is that most reports of "motherboard replacement" have simply been people (techs or otherwise) swapping parts until things work again. As far as I know we've seen very few actual motherboard failures. So, that's not what I would suspect first.

The screen is actually not controlled by the motherboard, so if the screen doesn't show anything at all, that implies a different problem.

danatkorg wrote:I'm thinking about what can happen while something is unplugged, and one thing that comes to mind is expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. That would lead me to make sure that all connections - anything that's slotted or plugged in (ram, cables, SSD) - are solid and well-seated.

In general, my impression is that most reports of "motherboard replacement" have simply been people (techs or otherwise) swapping parts until things work again. As far as I know we've seen very few actual motherboard failures. So, that's not what I would suspect first.

I did unplug and replug everything which didn't seem to make any difference. But I agree with the motherboard statement. I recently threw away an 8086 with an RLL harddrive that worked flawlessly. And I've never had a Korg synth NOT work.

The screen is actually not controlled by the motherboard, so if the screen doesn't show anything at all, that implies a different problem.

THIS is incredibly helpful. Thanks!

Do you have the same RAM modules as spares so you can try a swap?

Francois wrote:Do you have the same RAM modules as spares so you can try a swap?

Yah but without ANY RAM, it should fail at post and throw an error I think. But I did try swapping RAM.

I might have lost track on this post, but did you take the battery out of the motherboard, wait a few seconds, 30 or 45. Then put it back in. This would clear the CMOS.

McHale wrote:

Francois wrote:Do you have the same RAM modules as spares so you can try a swap?

Yah but without ANY RAM, it should fail at post and throw an error I think. But I did try swapping RAM.

The motherboard isn't really involved in what you see on the display until about halfway through boot-up. With no RAM and an otherwise functional system, I would expect to see "startup failed" message.

danatkorg wrote:

McHale wrote:

Francois wrote:Do you have the same RAM modules as spares so you can try a swap?

Yah but without ANY RAM, it should fail at post and throw an error I think. But I did try swapping RAM.

The motherboard isn't really involved in what you see on the display until about halfway through boot-up. With no RAM and an otherwise functional system, I would expect to see "startup failed" message.

Thanks. Just got home from work a little while ago. Reseated everything on the power supply and mother board. No change. All that happens is the green LED lights on the motherboard but the fan doesn't spin and the display doesn't do anything. Should the fan turn on immediately after hitting the switch regardless if the motherboard is good or not? If that's the case, it sounds like a power supply issue.

McHale wrote:

danatkorg wrote:

McHale wrote: Yah but without ANY RAM, it should fail at post and throw an error I think. But I did try swapping RAM.

The motherboard isn't really involved in what you see on the display until about halfway through boot-up. With no RAM and an otherwise functional system, I would expect to see "startup failed" message.

Thanks. Just got home from work a little while ago. Reseated everything on the power supply and mother board. No change. All that happens is the green LED lights on the motherboard but the fan doesn't spin and the display doesn't do anything. Should the fan turn on immediately after hitting the switch regardless if the motherboard is good or not? If that's the case, it sounds like a power supply issue.

I'm not much of a hardware guy, but the power supply seems like something to look at.

Yes, from what you say, the PSU seems to be a likely candidate. Anything looking suspicious?

Francois wrote:Yes, from what you say, the PSU seems to be a likely candidate. Anything looking suspicious?

I'll yank it out and post a pic but I'm thinking it's the power supply. Based on the fact that nothing is getting power.

-Mc

Although I wasn't able to help I must say that you guys are amazing with your willingness to make suggestions. Especially Dan from Korg as well. Not many companies monitor forums or if they do respond in such a helpful manner.

McHale pulling for you buddy!