Roland Jupiter-8
The customer had just purchased this keyboard and wanted it serviced as there was a lot of lint and slider gasket debris in the controls. The work order was to strip out the old gaskets and replace them with felt, clean all old debris from controls and circuit boards/case, lubricate the controls, and replace the battery. To back-up the patches prior to battery replacement (3.6v Lithium from Jameco) I brought an old cassette player into service, and it worked like a dream! Thick (3mm?) foam of the type originally used could not be found, so we went with the most rigid felt that could be found. Felt is not as rigid as the foam, so a lot of double-sided tape had to be put around the controls to hold it. I would not recommend felt due to its lack of rigidity and shedding, but until a better material can be found then we are stuck with it! The unit looks really nice, and the customer was delighted!
Hey, nice blog–cool stuff, and it’s great to see you getting these old beauties running again.
I’m commenting on this post because this synth has the same type of buttons as my old Korg CX-3 (they’re the rainbow-colored ones on this Jupiter-8). I was hoping you could answer a question.
My ‘rotary speaker’ button is stuck in the ‘off’ state. It doesn’t seem to move–I can’t wriggle it loose or anything. Nothing has been spilled or dropped on the keyboard, so I’m kind of puzzled as to what might’ve gone wrong…
If I’m needing a replacement, do you sell them, or do you know where I can find them?
Best regards!
Ed
Ed,
Although these buttons look the same there are many different types and implementations. If you are up for it, then you need to take the panel out and make sure it is the switch and not interference with the case. The next step is to remove the button/switch. Many of these buttons are not the actual switch, but an activator that presses the switch. Sam at http://www.syntaur.com lists a tactile switch for the CX-3, and this may well be what is under the button. Good luck with your repair!
Chris
Thanks Chris, sure appreciate the response. I’ll come back once it’s done and let you (and the rest of the net) know how it went 😀
Hi,
Great blog!
I’m in the process of restoring my own Jupiter 8 and I will have to put in felt pieces (at least for some sliders) as well. Wanted to ask what double-sided tape you used? I’m a little worried that the tape might turn gooey if it gets warm inside the synth? Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Dino
Hi Dino,
Glad you like the blog, just wish I had the time to keep it up to date!
I used lightweight carpet (Duct) tape, not the heavy gooey stuff, but with enough goo to work with the stiffened felt (Michaels). It would be nice to find a better adhesive, but you also have the issue of having to hold the felt in place while it dries. On Roland keyboards such as the Juno-106 that had the felt stuck to the sliders rather than case I tend to use a small blog of superglue gel at either end of the slider.
Chris
Hi Chris,
Thanks for replying. I really appreciate it. I’ll give it a try.
Best Wishes
Dino