Single note (F#) does not sustain when the key is held down

by John
(Los Angeles, CA, USA)

When I press the first F# to the right of middle C, and hold it down, I don't hear much sound, just an initial note then fades immediately. Whereas, other keys when pressed and held down lets the note sustain. I was wondering if this is a problem that could be resolved with adjustments or something needs to be cleaned internally.

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Jan 20, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Yamaha Key Contacts
by: Alun

Hi John,

I live in Papua New Guinea with a severe tropical environment. My keyboards are not kept in airconditioning also, and 4 years is about the life span I expect.
I have had Rolands and the top end Yamaha's and they all seem to expire from internal natural causes in one way or another eventually.

However we have a very good Yamaha Agent who carry most spare parts and they will provide advise when I nweed it. They have never supplied a repair manual tho.
The task of chaning the circuit boards for the keys is not difficult. You just do them one at a time and be careful how you remove and reinsert the ribbon cables. The ribbons can be removed by gently raising the protuding shoulders on the white connectors as the ribbon wires are clamped directly into the sockets. The clamp remains connected to the socket. This will release the ribbon and be careful to make sure the ribbon wires are all straight when you reinsert them into the new sockets and press in the clamp.

I installed a new set of contact boards last week on a keyboard we use in my group and it is performing like new again.

Good luck, Alun
Jan 20, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Where to obtain a service manual and parts
by: John

Thank you for that advice Alun. I've got a phone number to Yamaha to request a service manual, and the parts. Once I get it apart, I'll let you know how it goes. I do seem to remember this starting to happen with another key(s). I may call a service center to inquire on pricing for this repair also. Perhaps a different brand of keyboard is in order as I've not used the piano to a great extent. It actually sits covered for months before it's used. I think it's only 4 years old. Perhaps that's a long life in the digital realm.
Jan 20, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sustain problem
by: Alun Beck

The sustain on the Yamaha keyboard is attained as follows:
When a key is pressed underneath it is a silicone membrane with TWO carbon pads adhered to it. One pad contacts before the other. They contact carbon tracks on the circuit board used to monitor the keys.
Depending on the particular keybord there can be a number of these circuit boards.
The carbon contactor system is well protected from dust etc.
From many years of experience with Yamaha and having had to address this same problem with a number of different Yamaha models, I have found the problem to be similar in each case.
The carbon tracks bonded on to the circuit board contactor track usually fails. Either by being worn out or the carbon seperates from the copper tracks.
If one of these problems has occured it will require changing the problem circuit board, as the problem will soon repeat itself again with other keys.
The problem usually happens where the most key activity happens.
I change these components myself and they are not expensive to purchase from the agent. If you are brave enough to open the keyboard and remove the B & W key groups you will see the silicone membrane and associated circuit board underneath. An inspection where the problem key is located will explain the above.

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