You're a genius! Almost no key has made a sound anymore and through the cleaning and your perfect instructions my Poly-61 runs like new again. I am overjoyed! Thank you!
The P61 I fixed made no sound at all, I was first sure there was something wrong with the programmer board, but it appears none of the keys made contact! so first thing to check is the rubber contacts.
Hello, my synth has an issue where a note is constantly playing even without touching it. If I turn the sustain down it goes away but once I bring it back up it is still there. And I noticed every other 5th or 6th key I push the sustained note will change. Do you have any advice on the issue? Thank you
Argh, I was hoping to see how you take the keyboard out. Do you have to undo any of the screws on the bottom or is it just the top panel you have to remove. Thanks for the vid btw, very informative and easy to follow
You have to do both: unscrew a bunch of screws on the bottom that hold the whole keyboard in place and the top panel screws. I recommend taking the screws out on the bottom first, and then the top panel. Then it's easy to pivot the top panel out of the way and simply lift up (and out) the keyboard bed.
Hi Matt thanks for ur very informative and useful video on the korg poly 61 I have just replaced 5 keys on the keyboard and I'm not getting any sound from the keyboard just a click sound when I hit the keyboard.... all the buttons and knobs work and all fuses have continuity.... any ides?
@@martinruiten768 Check your connections! make sure there's no corrosion on the contacts for the wires. There's a particularly fragile ribbon cable with very malleable copper strips that you should be very careful with, I accidentally bent some pins on that and the result was that my synth half-worked but had some very strange problems similar to these. I re-bent them back into proper form and it worked completely fine.
@@jonathanhilliard9772 thanks!! Good advice! The synth has been fixed a few months ago and it was mainly battery leakage. From the battery before, the one in it since we use the synth is a replacement. But it was replaced without proper cleaning and checking I guess. But if there occurs a similar problem in the future, I hope not, we will check the cable pins
Hi, my Poly61 is making a constant tone without the keybed even beeing plugged in. What could cause a random note to play? Also when I plug in the Keys, the behave really weird... Every tone I play is held basically for ever and there are severe tuning issues. Half the Keyboard is completely out of tune. My CPU had a leaked battery that was replaced, new Sysex files are on it. Can anybody provide me with ideas, as I am currently not having any...
So if you disconnect and replace the battery will that ruin anything like memory?I’ve got one I need to replace the battery I’m comfortable soldering just not sure what if anything I need to do after replacing it with a new battery to get all the stock sounds.
yes removing the battery will erase the memor, you will need to do a 'tape' back up and then reload the sounds. I recorded it on my computer and then played it back in that way/
@@reallyniceaudio Do you happen to have a WAV or other recording of the restore tape so I can do the same? I've recently serviced my Poly 61 and replaced the leaky battery (and cleaned up the damage it caused).
@@gloom303 You could try this I just found on Soundcloud soundcloud.com/user-78547440/preset-data-sound-for-korg-poly-61 I can't try it myself but it looks correct.
I just picked up a Korg poly 61 and have a weird issue with my keys. When pressed, they make a snap/pop/crack sound. I've searched a bit on here. Seems the videos with repairs have all been deleted or are gone any more. I appreciate you putting this up for us. It's great to see future generations can share it.
I went to this site and clicked on Korg Poly-61M preloaded sound data (.wav files to load into the synth) It just plays 30 secs of beeps and scratchy noises. Is this the file I am supposed to use to get all the factory patches back into my keyboard?
Yes this is what data sounded like in the 80's. You will need to connect your phone or computer to the 'FROM TAPE' input and make sure TAPE ENABLE and WRITE ENABLE switches on the back are turned on. Then you can load the data back in.
No leakage at all. I'm thinking about replacing the entire voice board if I can find one. What do you think? I'm determined to get this Poly 61 fully functional!
It might not be the voice board so that would be a gamble. It could be interference on the cv lines. I would first try and find out which parameter/s is unstable. That way you can work backwards to the processor.
I see. Sequentially going through the voices it seems two are playing up. I'm not sure if there are led lamps two identify which voice is effected like on the OBX-a.
Mine was fully functioning until about a month ago, and now all of the lights are red, the screen doesn’t light up, and I get no sound. Anybody experience this?
Sounds like the micro processor is not running. I had a korg dw8000 rack which was on and off the bench for months. All the normal startup voltages were fine. Ended up being a faulty crystal.
Hey Matt, I just got my dads old Poly61 but it's been in the attic for about 30 years so understandably it's not working correctly. It makes a constant tone when I turn it on, even if the keys aren't plugged in. Do you know what the problem might be? I noticed that the rechargeable battery has leaked a bit, but it's mostly just on the area directly below and no IC's or resistors seem to have gotten anything on them. Do you think that the dead battery could be causing the problem? Not sure if this is a sign of anything at all, but this is what it looks like when I turn it on : imgur.com/a/aM8vg Cheers
I also had a problem with some dead keys, but after soldering a loose wire and cleaning the contact pads the only keys that aren't working are the top 5 keys and 6 keys in the middle. I'll clean them one more time but I'm not sure if this is due to the same problem causing the constant tone. Thanks again
Sorry for bombarding you with questions - I'm troubleshooting as we speak and I'm really eager to get it working again. When I click a key, the what I assume are voice chips indicator LEDs light up, but it seems to be skipping one. The LED labeled D402, above the 4th chip seen from the left doesn't light up. Does that mean that the chip is faulty and needs to be replaced or is there any way to fix it? The keyboard makes a tone while cycling through the other ones but it doesn't seem to make one when it gets to the 4th chip. EDIT : I tried switching over one of the other voice chips and the LED still wouldn't light up. But the led from where I removed the chip lit up, even with the chip removed..
the led is indication of a gate signal so there is def a problem with that voice or the control lines to that voice. I would check that the back up battery has not leaked on the board and caused corrosion
thanks matt,i checked that,over night more of the keys have started working again but don't sound great,i'm going to clean the contacts again and see if it makes any difference,will reply shortly,also if i hold the dead keys down they gradually start to work.
HEY MATT,I FIXED IT!,USING YOUR METHOD,BUT I HAD TO SCRUB THE RUBBER CONTACTS REALLY HARD TO GET ALL THE BLACK CARBON OFF THAT WAS'NT VISIBLE,WHAT I DID NOTICE THAT'S NOT MENTIONED IN THESE VIDEO'S IS THAT THESE OLD THINGS DON'T LIKE CHANGE,THANKS FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS MATT ;)
You're a genius! Almost no key has made a sound anymore and through the cleaning and your perfect instructions my Poly-61 runs like new again. I am overjoyed! Thank you!
Awesome, could you give a tip on how to fix problems with the joystick?
The P61 I fixed made no sound at all, I was first sure there was something wrong with the programmer board, but it appears none of the keys made contact! so first thing to check is the rubber contacts.
How do avoid shocking myself severely? do I have to discharge every capacitor?
Hi, I have the tact button 1 that was replaced but still doesn’t work… any idea of the problem? Thank you
Hello, my synth has an issue where a note is constantly playing even without touching it. If I turn the sustain down it goes away but once I bring it back up it is still there. And I noticed every other 5th or 6th key I push the sustained note will change. Do you have any advice on the issue? Thank you
Argh, I was hoping to see how you take the keyboard out. Do you have to undo any of the screws on the bottom or is it just the top panel you have to remove. Thanks for the vid btw, very informative and easy to follow
You have to do both: unscrew a bunch of screws on the bottom that hold the whole keyboard in place and the top panel screws. I recommend taking the screws out on the bottom first, and then the top panel. Then it's easy to pivot the top panel out of the way and simply lift up (and out) the keyboard bed.
Hi Matt thanks for ur very informative and useful video on the korg poly 61
I have just replaced 5 keys on the keyboard and I'm not getting any sound from the keyboard just a click sound when I hit the keyboard.... all the buttons and knobs work and all fuses have continuity.... any ides?
Paul-Leo Harley K I have a similar issue. I get a snap/pop/crack sound from all keys when being pressed. Have you made any progress on this issue?
Hi, I have the same issue and also want to know if yours is solved? Do you know what is was?
@@martinruiten768 Check your connections! make sure there's no corrosion on the contacts for the wires. There's a particularly fragile ribbon cable with very malleable copper strips that you should be very careful with, I accidentally bent some pins on that and the result was that my synth half-worked but had some very strange problems similar to these. I re-bent them back into proper form and it worked completely fine.
@@jonathanhilliard9772 thanks!! Good advice! The synth has been fixed a few months ago and it was mainly battery leakage. From the battery before, the one in it since we use the synth is a replacement. But it was replaced without proper cleaning and checking I guess. But if there occurs a similar problem in the future, I hope not, we will check the cable pins
Having it a part, why not remove all of that dirt and dust with an air compressor or just a bush and vac?
rest assured it got a good vacuum before it went back to its owner
Hi, my Poly61 is making a constant tone without the keybed even beeing plugged in. What could cause a random note to play? Also when I plug in the Keys, the behave really weird... Every tone I play is held basically for ever and there are severe tuning issues. Half the Keyboard is completely out of tune.
My CPU had a leaked battery that was replaced, new Sysex files are on it. Can anybody provide me with ideas, as I am currently not having any...
Hello, im facing that problem same as you. Did you find any solution ???
So if you disconnect and replace the battery will that ruin anything like memory?I’ve got one I need to replace the battery I’m comfortable soldering just not sure what if anything I need to do after replacing it with a new battery to get all the stock sounds.
yes removing the battery will erase the memor, you will need to do a 'tape' back up and then reload the sounds. I recorded it on my computer and then played it back in that way/
@@reallyniceaudio Do you happen to have a WAV or other recording of the restore tape so I can do the same? I've recently serviced my Poly 61 and replaced the leaky battery (and cleaned up the damage it caused).
@@gloom303 You could try this I just found on Soundcloud
soundcloud.com/user-78547440/preset-data-sound-for-korg-poly-61
I can't try it myself but it looks correct.
@@reallyniceaudio Amazing, thank you!
Who makes the desoldering tool that you used?
Its a durtool. uk.farnell.com/proskit-industries/ss-331bc-f/desoldering-station-60w-240v-eu/dp/2320603?MER=bn_browse_1TP_MostPopular_3
I just picked up a Korg poly 61 and have a weird issue with my keys. When pressed, they make a snap/pop/crack sound. I've searched a bit on here. Seems the videos with repairs have all been deleted or are gone any more. I appreciate you putting this up for us. It's great to see future generations can share it.
Do have the factory patches for the 61? I know it is sold on a tape cassette but I do not have a cassette player. Can they be sent via mp3?
yeah I found that here www.synthmania.com/poly-61m.htm
This is for the 61M. Isn't there a difference between the Poly 61 and the Poly 61 M ?
the just stands for midi, but I do not think there are any extra midi setting in the tape dump. Have you tried it?
I went to this site and clicked on Korg Poly-61M preloaded sound data (.wav files to load into the synth) It just plays 30 secs of beeps and scratchy noises. Is this the file I am supposed to use to get all the factory patches back into my keyboard?
Yes this is what data sounded like in the 80's. You will need to connect your phone or computer to the 'FROM TAPE' input and make sure TAPE ENABLE and WRITE ENABLE switches on the back are turned on. Then you can load the data back in.
One or two of my voices are distorted . Especially with PWM. Any pointers?
did you check the area around the battery for leakages yet?
No leakage at all. I'm thinking about replacing the entire voice board if I can find one. What do you think? I'm determined to get this Poly 61 fully functional!
It might not be the voice board so that would be a gamble. It could be interference on the cv lines. I would first try and find out which parameter/s is unstable. That way you can work backwards to the processor.
I see. Sequentially going through the voices it seems two are playing up. I'm not sure if there are led lamps two identify which voice is effected like on the OBX-a.
yes there are led's to indicate the voice, you can compare agent the good ones
Mine was fully functioning until about a month ago, and now all of the lights are red, the screen doesn’t light up, and I get no sound. Anybody experience this?
Sounds like the micro processor is not running. I had a korg dw8000 rack which was on and off the bench for months. All the normal startup voltages were fine. Ended up being a faulty crystal.
Did you check the backup battery has not leaked everywhere?
Hey Matt,
I just got my dads old Poly61 but it's been in the attic for about 30 years so understandably it's not working correctly. It makes a constant tone when I turn it on, even if the keys aren't plugged in. Do you know what the problem might be?
I noticed that the rechargeable battery has leaked a bit, but it's mostly just on the area directly below and no IC's or resistors seem to have gotten anything on them. Do you think that the dead battery could be causing the problem?
Not sure if this is a sign of anything at all, but this is what it looks like when I turn it on : imgur.com/a/aM8vg
Cheers
I also had a problem with some dead keys, but after soldering a loose wire and cleaning the contact pads the only keys that aren't working are the top 5 keys and 6 keys in the middle. I'll clean them one more time but I'm not sure if this is due to the same problem causing the constant tone. Thanks again
Sorry for bombarding you with questions - I'm troubleshooting as we speak and I'm really eager to get it working again. When I click a key, the what I assume are voice chips indicator LEDs light up, but it seems to be skipping one. The LED labeled D402, above the 4th chip seen from the left doesn't light up. Does that mean that the chip is faulty and needs to be replaced or is there any way to fix it? The keyboard makes a tone while cycling through the other ones but it doesn't seem to make one when it gets to the 4th chip.
EDIT : I tried switching over one of the other voice chips and the LED still wouldn't light up. But the led from where I removed the chip lit up, even with the chip removed..
the led is indication of a gate signal so there is def a problem with that voice or the control lines to that voice. I would check that the back up battery has not leaked on the board and caused corrosion
I HAD 3 DEAD KEYS TO REPAIR,I USED YOUR METHOD AND NOW I HAVE 3 LIVE KEYS AND ALL THE REST ARE DEAD?,CAN YOU ADVISE PLEASE.
I would check that a wire has not come loose.
thanks matt,i checked that,over night more of the keys have started working again but don't sound great,i'm going to clean the contacts again and see if it makes any difference,will reply shortly,also if i hold the dead keys down they gradually start to work.
no,it's even worse,only one key works properly?,also my contacts are black where as your's are brass in colour...
make sure the rubbers are pushed fully in place?
HEY MATT,I FIXED IT!,USING YOUR METHOD,BUT I HAD TO SCRUB THE RUBBER CONTACTS REALLY HARD TO GET ALL THE BLACK CARBON OFF THAT WAS'NT VISIBLE,WHAT I DID NOTICE THAT'S NOT MENTIONED IN THESE VIDEO'S IS THAT THESE OLD THINGS DON'T LIKE CHANGE,THANKS FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS MATT ;)
this machine actually had a corroded battery which leaked all over the pcb, took ages to clean up and fix reallyniceaudio.com/?p=143