Where do I find Alesis parts?

[Pat Azzarello]

Bought a QS7 on eBay, but the display is broken (I swapped my QS8 display in to confirm it is the display).

 

Anyone have any ideas where I can find a replacement display? I'll give Alesis a call tomorrow, but if you know of a place that may discount, I'd like to save the $$$ if possible.

[Dave Bryce]

I may be able to help.

 

I'll drop you an email.

 

dB

[Carlito]

Hi dB. I also have a little problem with my QS7.1. The keyscan chip only translates full velocity from some of the keys no matter how soft I play them. After doing some tests I found out the contact strip works fine.

I was wondering if I could send just the circuit board to be tested and fixed instead of the whole keyboard.

 

Also, I made a stupid mistake. I tried to remove the battery before finding a replacement.I didn't realize it was soldered to the socket until it was too late.

 

Any idea will be very much appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

Hey PatAzz, Hope you get yours fixed.

[synthetic]

Advanced Musical Electronics had a ton of spare parts for Alesis gear. They had parts for older stuff that Alesis didn't even have (i.e. X2 parts). Their number is (310) 559-3157 and they're in LA, CA on Venice Blvd. The last time I ordered parts from them, they had a $30 minimum.

[Carlito]

Thanks Synthetic. I'll call them.

[Dave Bryce]

Pat -

 

My friend the synth tech sez the display is just an OTS part. I'll have more info for you tomorrow.

 

dB

[NYKeys]

How much does a replacment keybed for a qs6.1 run

 

One of my contacts does not work and 1 key is damaged.

[Anoplura]

I'd suggest contacting Alesis Tech Support before spending any money on anything. The number is (401) 658-5760, or you can email them at support@Alesis.com. They can give you price quotes on parts and direct you to your nearest authorized service center.

 

Even if it's out of warranty, it's best to at least get a quote from one of the authorized service centers, because they already have an account with our parts department, and can get replacement parts quickly - if they don't already have them in stock.

 

I don't have access to parts or repair costs, but as far as your specific questions:

 

Carlito - I'm pretty sure that you won't find a service center willing to work on you PCB by itself. Not only is it very difficult to test without your power supply and keybed, but in many cases, it's cheaper to just replace the whole main PCB then to spend x number of hours fixing it. I suggest calling the number listed above first, and get a quote on both the repair, and a replacement PCB.

 

C Bull - Keybeds are pretty expensive. They can be repaired though, and it's usually pretty cheap. The keybed's contacts are built as long strips that cover multiple keys. Replacing the contact strip that includes the dead key should do the job.

 

Last I checked, Alesis only provides service manuals and support to authorized service centers, but since I'm not really involved in that area anymore, you should call them and verify this. In the case of replacing the main PCB - the repair itself is pretty simple, but you have to be very careful when handling the PCB so you don't damage it with static eletricity.

 

Replacing keybed contacts is less risky, but involves a bit of mechanical disassembly. As per my warning above, you might have trouble getting advice from Alesis' or other repair techs (mainly for liability reasons), so I'd only try doing it yourself if you are mechanically inclined. As long as you are careful and don't damage the sensors or PCBs, the worst that will happen is that you'll have to have a service center help you re-assemble it.

 

Ben, Alesis guy

[shniggens]

Damn, and I thought I was the only here that played an Alesis.

[Pat Azzarello]

BUMP

 

OK, so I had a guy here in Seattle who said he ordered the part for me, but he flaked.

 

Alesis doesn't have the parts anymore (sold them all to Advanced). Advanced won't sell to me (I'm not a repair/retail shop).

 

Any other suggestions? My bad neck is making the QS7 look like a great asset for the Sunday morning church gigs

[offramp]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce:

Pat -

 

My friend the synth tech sez the display is just an OTS part. I'll have more info for you tomorrow.

 

dB

I have a similar need for my XP-80; I've got a parts catalogue with tons of LCD displays in it, but I'll be dammed if I can figure out exactly which one it is.

[Dave Bryce]

Try these guys.

 

dB

[Anoplura]

Pat, I just talked to our parts guys and confirmed that we DO have QS7 displays in stock. Call (401) 658-3131 x301 to talk directly to the parts department if you still need one.

 

Ben, Alesis

[offramp]

Hey, Dave...thanks a ton!!

 

I am concerned though...they seem to specialize in the backlight, which is not the issue with my XP-80. Mine developed (a few years back) what looks like a digital inkblot; it did not suffer any impact, but it looks sort of like a crystalline structure, and it's there 24/7, powered on or off. I would need to replace the whole display--well, sans backlight, I suppose . Knowing my luck, it's probably a proprietary unit, and not something available from Mouser, Newark, et al. For all I know, it could be a stuck circuit issue, and it'll clear up when I disconnect the ribbon cable. (Wouldn't that be cool...)

When I called Roland about it, they seemed more interested in getting a new stapler for their help desk, so I gave up on it and resolved to purchase my next keyboard from another company.

[offramp]

FWIW, here's some pics of it I shot a few minutes ago. The blob appears to be on a layer above the actual font layer.

Sounds dumb, but it's very 'algorithmic' looking, or like something you'd see as a system virus on ST:TNG.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/echohaus/.Pictures/on.jpg

 

http://homepage.mac.com/echohaus/.Pictures/off.jpg

[Pat Azzarello]

Thanks again for all the help. I'll let you know where I end up getting the part.

[Anoplura]

offramp,

 

I'm assuming from your earlier post that the bottom image is with the XP-80 off. If this is the case, then the problem is not likely to be the LCD itself. There's not much going on on the front, visible layer of the LCD. Nothing that could go bad and cause the problem you're seeing. It looks from the pictures that the problem is in front of the LCD itself. Any serious problem I can think of would show up on the same layer of the LCD text, or below it.

 

Has the blob gotten bigger? It could be mold between the LCD and the plastic lens mounted on the top panel.

 

Another wild-ass guess is that it could be a defect in some sort of polarizing anti-glare film on top of the LCD. I've never heard of that being used with an LCD like this - these LCDs have polarizing layers _below_ the visible liquid crystal stuff - but I've never seen the anything like those images either, so who knows.

 

Have you tried opening up the synth and seeing what the LCD looks like without the plastic lens? It should be possible to remove from the front panel without disconnecting the cables.

 

Ben

[offramp]

I can't believe this thought didn't occur to me earlier...it fits squarely in the WAG corner...

 

This anomaly didn't show up until after I'd moved to Colorado. I went from an elevation of about 1,100 feet (Indpls) to 5,280. Actually, a little higher than that, as I settled, at first, just south of Denver at an elevation of about 6,200 or so.

Could it be that something has popped from the pressure change? Seems a little far-fetched, as I'm sure the XP-80 was sold in Denver as well as Indy . It did, in fact, grow some for a while after it started, but seems to have stopped as of a couple or so years ago.

As far as mold goes: Unless it's some truly alien life form, I'm not sure about that one. It is solid black, no other color, and tends to follow a path not unlike crystalline structures (hence my 'algorithmic' comment).

 

Haven't gotten too deep into disassembly. I need to make damn sure I've got excellent static control up here before I attempt that.

[Anoplura]

offramp,

 

It's starting to sound like cracks in polarized film/glass. The altitude probably didn't start it but it likely made it worse. If you are talking about a brittle material like glass, a tiny crack (caused by a minor impact?) will keep growing with any subsequent stress.

 

Don't sweat the static control too much. Just keep periodically touching something large and metal - like the XP-80 chassis - as you work, and you won't build up enough static to hurt anything.

 

Take that sucker apart. Don't leave us in suspense. I'm curious to know what's going on.

 

Ben

[clusterchord]

while on topic of Alesis parts,

 

Ben, if i would want to get a spare display for my Andromeda, and maybe couple of knobs and pots, where should i look, who should i contact?

 

thanks

Tom

[offramp]

Originally posted by Anoplura:

It's starting to sound like cracks in polarized film/glass.

Hmmm...then I wonder if that is replaceable?

 

Don't sweat the static control too much. Just keep periodically touching something large and metal - like the XP-80 chassis - as you work, and you won't build up enough static to hurt anything.

Oh, to be sure...I've done enough CMOS and related work in my day...built more than a few pieces of gear, fixed more than a few...but this directly affects my pocketbook, and is the only 'board I have, save for a couple of Polysix's, and we know those don't even compare, really.

 

Take that sucker apart. Don't leave us in suspense. I'm curious to know what's going on.

 

Ben

Well, I'll try to get to it soon. RIght now, the 'chunk of time' needed to do it eludes me. Every opportunity I get is neatly sliced into smaller bits by freelance work calls.