OT: My friggen' DX-7 crapped out on me! ARGH!

Note/Edit to the Mods/Admins: This should probably be moved to perhaps the hardware sub but it does kind of tie in with my synth needs many of which I think will be met tonally with the included synths I've acquired so far with the X1 Producer Production Suite, X2 Pro and now X3 Pro. So maybe it will meander into being on topic after all. I will not be offended if it is moved though.
 
Totally off topic but since there are so many old school keyboard dudes up here maybe you guys can help me figure out what's wrong with it or what I should do.
 
So I've talked about this thing in the past. It's an original DX-7 (the very first model). Despite it's limitations due to it being released before MIDI was fully standardized (it has a shorter velocity range... 110 instead of 127 I believe) I was going to use it as my controller. I also liked the idea of having such a historic piece of equipment with all those wacky 80's sounds and because I'm a dork I was going to learn how to create my own patches.
 
So this morning I was feeling curious so I started watching some vids and pulled up a pdf manual for it and started going through it all. I decided to plug it in with some headphones to start trying out some functions. Well I hadn't plugged it in for at least a couple years (and I've moved at least twice since the last time). I had the volume turned all the way down but there was a very noticeable hum/buzz. I went to fiddle with the volume fader and nearly blew my eardrums/reference headphones out! Extremely LOUD crackling. Then I looked at the display and it was half normal words and half garbledygook. I could cycle through the patches which would display different names... with a bunch of garbledygook mixed in and no sounds would play when I hit the keys.
 
I just poked around a bit on the internet and saw some vids of guys (awkwardly) replacing the little memory battery (which was apparently soldered in during manufacturing) which MIGHT explain the garbledygook/no sounds issue but doesn't seem like it would cause that horrendous hum/fader crackling.
 
My question(s) to you guys is/are...
 
Any DX-7 owners here who know whether this could be a known issue (like the battery thing)?
 
Any idea of what kind of trade in I could get on this thing? I see they have seriously gone up in resale price over the past 5 years (like from $80 when I first bought it to apparently $300+ today). I'm thinking maybe I could offer it to a music shop for parts or they could repair resell it and maybe get a modern 61-88 key controller which is what I really need anyway. Oxygen's only sell for about $100 and my Oxygen 25 has been working well so although I'd rather have nicer key action I do seriously need/want a longer scale keyboard but don't have the cash for a piano action or fancier stuff like an Axiom. This trade may be my only option.
 
Or maybe I should see if I can get it repaired but that is a huge pain and as a controller it certainly isn't ideal BUT the thing is so friggen cool (in a totally dorky kind of way) that I hate to part with it.
 
Anyway... sorry to be weird/OT. Just a little bummed/stressed about this and could use some more educated/informed advice.
 
Cheers.

Anderton
Don't do anything rash until you've replaced the battery...and hope that it hasn't leaked.

Hi, Craig. I watched that seminar you did on MIDI with the OG MIDI guys so I'm assuming you used this thing when it was still brand new. I really respect your opinion on this... so do you think this piece of gear is worth hanging onto even if it has to sit in a corner until I can afford to get it repaired?
 
I've done that before when amps and stuff blew out on me because they were rare/unique/just plain cool but I know NOTHING about keyboards and I've had a lot of guys tell me to just dump it even when it was working in favor of a modern controller.
 
It's also not in the greatest cosmetic shape (cigarette burns, little beat up in general) so I'd probably get lowballed but it did work. I think the idiot mover guys might have dropped it last time (pricks) so maybe there is a cracked board or something. I also have two ROM cartridge and one RAM cartridge (none of which I can test now that it's screwing up).
 
IDK... so frustrating because I REALLY wanted to play around with it today. As far as the leaking battery I'll crack it open and see what's going on. Maybe I'll be able to see if there is a cracked board or something too.
 
I have a vintage Traynor solid state amp that didn't work but I could use as a speaker cab. I tossed fifty bucks at the repair dudes and they replaced a cracked board. Now it sounds AWESOME.
 
Yeah... I need to think on this. Thanks for popping in. Cheers.

Anderton
The very best DX7 is Native Instruments' FM8

How's the key action on that? ;-p
 
Joking aside... I've got it open. The battery looks fine, none of the fuses look like they're blown (and if they were I'm assuming there would be no power at all) and as far as I can tell all the boards looked to be in good condition (but I'm not about to remove them).
 
However the transformer (I think it's a transformer... I'm not an electronics engineer... yet) looks like it's corroding (rust looking spots on it) and the next board in the chain (which has a heat sink thingie on it) has a bunch of medium-largish capacitors that have some residue around the bottom of them. It looks like glue which might be what it is but it looks rather messy/sloppy so maybe they are leaking something (I have no idea whether capacitors leak). Also the ribbon cable above that, while intact, looks to have taken a LOT of heat at some point. It looks like somebody blew cigarette smoke directly on it for a few years so maybe someone replaced one of the fuses with an incorrect type and it was overheating or something.
 
It also looks like there may have been a couple of insects living in there at one point. GROSS! It's not really bad but definitely some kind of organic/biological interference at some point. Considering the term "bug" when referring to software problems came from insects literally gunking up things on the first computers maybe I have some critter corpses under the boards screwing things up.
 
The volume fader causing that horrendous noise is probably just corrosion and a separate matter altogether which MAY be easily fixed by replacing the fader but it's soldered to the board and there is other crap there so maybe it would need the whole board replaced.
 
Ugh... my old local shop would most likely be able to do this easily but I am now a couple hundred miles away and I sure as heck ain't shipping this behemoth. Guess it's time to get acquainted with the shops in town. Oddly enough there seems to be a place who specializes in Digital Audio. Maybe I'll make some new friends. lulz...
 
Anyone reading this with advice or opinions please do chime in. I'd love to get a better handle on what the heck is going on with this thing.
 
I will probably keep it... I guess... whatevs... meh.

Bo Baker
I had a "Brown" DX7 years ago - one of the first and it was a blast at that time.  I am now using what "I" consider to be the best VSTi/Stand-Alone DX7 that was created/Programmed by Jamal Hartwell who is the owner of Gospel Musicians web site   gospelmusicians.com  The home page for this site will feature the DX7 Electric Piano Library VSTi.
 
A few things to know before you take the time to check it out if you are so inclined:  It is written for the UVI Workstation.  This is the FREE little brother of MOTU's MachFive 3 and is included in the download of DX7 Electric Piano Library VSTi.  However; it is the exact same engine and has enough options/setting that only the "hard core" programmers would want/need more control.  If you do, buy the MachFive 3 programming software.  Also, you need to have a iLOK Key to run it.  However, you can use a FREE Key and assign it to your computer so there is no additional cost unless you want/need to place it on multiple units.
 
It is VERY reasonably price and a snap to install - I would encourage you to watch Jamal's videos and decide for yourselves if this is worth having for your FM tones.  It sure is to me!
 
Good luck on getting your DX7 fixed - to me it would be worth it but everything has a limit as to how much repair costs can be justified.  I think once you hear the sounds coming from the above VSTi you may decide to store your DX for a few more years - never know how much they may appreciate moving forward!
 
Blessings,  Bo 

I was actually watching one of that fellow's vids this morning when I was looking for tutorials on how to program the keyboard. I will keep this in mind if I get too antsy and can't wait for my DX to be repaired.
 
Ever since I got it I can almost immediately pick it out of a soundtrack or song from the era. A lot of it is rather hokey but some people really got creative with that thing... especially in the film soundtrack department.
 
Cheers and thanks.
 

Thanks, Craig.
 
I've closed it back up for now but I took a closer look at things before I did and I do think the capacitors leaked because what I thought might have been glue extended over a small unshielded jumper wire on the board and the wire was corroded (while the other jumpers looked fine). Perhaps if I can figure out what the part number is on that board I can simply replace it entirely. That transformer is really nasty looking too and should probably go.
 
Also I was looking at the wrong board for the fader pot housing thing. I was actually looking at the 1/4" output/pedal connector housings (silly but I got kerfuzzled). The faders connections are hidden underneath (well above) another board that looks clean but I'd have to remove it to see the other side.
 
Again this all seems modular so if I can find a repair manual or something with model numbers I might be able to fix it myself for relatively cheap.
 
The ironic part is that the battery seems to be like it will be the most problematic for me because it is soldered right onto the board and my soldering iron is meant for heavier gauge wire (not fine electrical stuff). Not to mention the severe case of shaky hands I get when I try to do fine wiring jobs. The battery may be fine though so maybe I'll see if one of my buddies can bring over a voltage meter (sad I don't have one but I don't) and I can test it to see if that ACTUALLY needs to be done.
 
It's weird... in one of the vids I watched earlier the guy actually used a triple AA to replace it which I guess works if the voltage is right. He soldered some leads to it then used a cable tie to clamp it down before closing the thing up.
 
Don't think I'd do that. lol

slartabartfast
I expect that if you cannot afford a good quality new keyboard, you probably are not in a position to have your machine professionally repaired. Prices for these kinds of services tend to reflect the idea that, like vintage car restoration, money is no object in keeping a beloved antique on the road. In many cases places that offer repairs will send something like this out to a specialist in any case. There are actually only a few parts on these machines that are not off the shelf compatible with standard electronics, although getting actual replacement parts from the manufacturer are a different story. If you have the money there are some possible resources here:
 
http://www.synthmuseum.com/resources.html
 

I know if I just bumbled into one of these local places they would certainly go all "boutique" on my arse until I opened my mouth and showed that I "kind of" know a little more than the average droog but then they might get cranky and just refuse to do it. Then again I'm not familiar with these local places so maybe they'll be happy to have something interesting to do. I doubt they get a lot of gear to raid like my old shop does so they'd probably charge a premium to order parts I could order myself.
 
Either way this is starting to look like something I might be able to handle on my own. I just found a vid where the guy talks about a diagnostic mode (which I was unaware of but is probably in the manual) so maybe I can find some answers there. Also he does a more sane battery replacement than the other ones I've seen and shows how a little more detail about how to pull the thing apart (he does a chip replacement).
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8Pdc3_7LMU
 
So I'll have to see what that diagnostic setting does. Maybe I can clear up the bizarre LCD display at the very least.
 
Cheers.

Well that parts site showed me that the residue around the capacitors is normal so it likely isn't a leak. Still the corrosion on the jumper on mine is obviously not right. Sloppy glue job I guess and perhaps  the glue has corrosive properties or reacted poorly to humidity or something.
 
Very educational. Cheers.

bvideo
If the lcd display garbage means patch data is garbled, then there's no telling what kind of noise would come out of the FM engine. Could explain the noise you heard. Factory reset might put good data into the patches; your old ones are gone.
 
I put the E! mod in my original DX7. It fixed the velocity range, improved midi, and enabled a ROM slot for putting in many banks of patches. Also, made it easy to use the keyboard as a controller, switching channels and the like. It's on the shelf now, and my guess is it might act like yours if I plug it back in.

I was actually wondering about doing a factory reset. I bought this thing used and IIRC at one point was hamfistedly screwing around with changing the banks. I have no idea what kind of crap could be in there and honestly I'd prefer a reset anyway.
 
I've heard/read about those mods but don't think that was done to this one. That involves a specific daughter board being installed, right? I do not see one of those.
 
I'll try to find out how to reset it and I just found a vid on doing the diagnostics (neither of which seem to be in the manual).
 
The noise however is a very loud/scratchy hum and then playing with the volume fader caused SERIOUS pops/crackles (I had to test my headphones to make sure they weren't blown it was so loud).
 
There is another possibility and that is the headphone jack is screwed up somehow. I never used headphones with this thing before today so maybe I'll try it with one of my beater practice amps. Still wouldn't explain the garbled screen.
 
I think I'm dealing with multiple problems but thank you for letting me know about the Reset option.
 
Cheers.

I had a DX7s that crapped out on me a few years back, I think from a power surge.  Turned out the main board was fried, and the cost to replace it was astronomical, not to mention that the part would have taken weeks to come over on a slow boat from Japan.  I ended up listing it on eBay, and some guy who was doing a home-made synth thing bought it for his project, so it wasn't a total waste.  I have seen replacement DX7's on Craigslist as low as $200, so you might be better off picking up another one and saving/selling your current one for parts.  Good luck with it, as they are nice boards when they work!

I've been through the battery issue myself. I think we sorted out the DX7 by removing the old battery, soldering in a new holder for the battery (so it can be replaced easier next time) and putting in a new battery. I think we needed to perform a full reset of the DX7 afterwards by pressing a key combination (I downloaded the PDF manual for this).
 
 
The battery is a total pain to change. Yup I use FM8 nowadays with the ROMs.

CakeAlexS
I've been through the battery issue myself. I think we sorted out the DX7 by removing the old battery, soldering in a new holder for the battery (so it can be replaced easier next time) and putting in a new battery. I think we needed to perform a full reset of the DX7 afterwards by pressing a key combination (I downloaded the PDF manual for this).
 
 
The battery is a total pain to change. Yup I use FM8 nowadays with the ROMs.

Funnily enough that battery likely won't need to be replaced for another 20 years. Heh.
 

sharke
To be quite frank I don't know how anyone programmed patches on those things....FM synthesis is complicated enough without having to negotiate everything on a small screen like that...lol!
 
I have FM8 though and it is marvelous, they've really put loads of thought into that interface. I don't think I would have had the patience to learn FM without it. I would like a real DX7 though. 

One of the vids I was watching earlier showed an LCD that would show a graphic of the wave thingie of what you had created. I thought "cool"! Then I looked at mine and realized it didn't have that screen. D'oh!
 
First thing I did when I first hooked it up years ago was play the Beverly Hills Cop theme like a dorkoid. I found out much later that it wasn't even a DX-7 used for that part... at least the lead line wasn't.

Don't do anything until the battery is replaced. If it's bad, your memory will always be scrambled as soon as you power down, and it will power up in some unpredictable state where anything is possible.