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I have a key on my Roland D-20 keyboard that doesn't work and don't know if I should fix it myself or have someone else do it who knows how.

What is involved in fixing a key?

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When you say "broken", do you mean the key is physically broken, or just doesn't do anything when played? Also, what is the make/model of the keyboard? – Friend Of George♦ Apr 29 '11 at 19:38
The key doesn't work. It's a Roland D-20 – Dan the Man Apr 29 '11 at 19:40
It's been a while since I took mine apart. The rubber strips are under the keys. You will need to remove the keys themselves to get to the rubber strips underneath. Sorry for the confusion. I will edit my answer to clarify. – Friend Of George♦ Jun 5 '11 at 1:26
Ok so underneath the keys? – Dan the Man Jun 5 '11 at 4:07
That is correct. – Friend Of George♦ Jun 5 '11 at 19:50

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

I have a Roland D-50 that is from the same era as the D-20, so the mechanism should be about the same.

Usually problems with keys not working properly is related to the circuit board contacts getting dirty.

Be sure to read all instructions before attempting this. If you do not feel comfortable taking the keyboard apart, take it to a qualified service center.

  1. Unplug the unit both from AC and any amplifiers/pedals/MIDI/etc.
  2. Put on some sort of wrist grounding strap to prevent damage to the electronics due to static discharge.
  3. Carefully take the unit apart. Be careful to remember where everything goes and keep it in order.
  4. Carefully remove the keys making sure to keep them in order.
  5. You will find some circuit boards with rubber strips attached underneath the keys. Gently remove the rubber strips.
  6. On the circuit boards underneath you will see some round contact points (2 for each key). Gently wipe these with a damp cloth. Using any chemicals could permanently damage the contacts.
  7. Put the keyboard back together and try it.
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Could use anything else other than those wrist grounding strap? – Dan the Man Apr 29 '11 at 19:59
Tapeing a wire to your wrist that is attached to earth ground will do. – Friend Of George♦ Apr 29 '11 at 20:02
ok, about how much should it cost to be taken in? – Dan the Man Apr 29 '11 at 20:04
For that, you will need to contact your local service center. I would guess you should be able to get it fixed for around $200 but remember, that is just a guess. – Friend Of George♦ Apr 29 '11 at 20:08
@friend of george read edit. – Dan the Man Jun 4 '11 at 3:25
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up vote 2 down vote

Just a thought: I have had keys on synths stop working where they had been heavily used to input drum patterns, the same keys being tapped with gusto to achieve that authentic rhythm... Anyway, it turned out that under the keys was a plastic lug that pressed down on rubber tubing to trigger the note. Over time, the lug had cut through the tubing, which caused the keypress to be missed.

The fix was to tape over the split tube, so that the lug pressed something, rather than going into the cut, allow it to respond to keystrokes again. (Also bought a dedicated drum pad for input).

n.b. To be honest, I don't know if this applies to the D-20 but saw this on a DX9 and Sixtrak iirc.

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