Roland A90 repair

[Sam Spoons]

My old Roland A90 has died, it started by occasionally switching itself off so I left it unpowered in a corner as the studio rebuild was forced on my shortly afterwards. On Friday I dismantled it and replaced the CMos battery and initially it started boot up and then froze (3 or 4 times) then failed to boot at all.

All is clean inside, no dust or signs of corrosion (it looks like new) and I was going to clean and Deoxit all the ribbon connectors but have not yet done so.

Anybody experienced similar and sorted it?

Alternatively are there any techs around Manchester who would attempt a fix?

[zenguitar]

Roland UK support have a great track record, even for out of warranty gear. Your first port of call should be their web page...

https://www.roland.com/uk/support/

They even provide phone numbers, and my experience is that they have always been really helpful.

Andy

[Sam Spoons]

Thanks Andy, I've emailed them and got a reply with an approved tech just the other side of Manchester. Will contact him tomorrow.

[Martin Walker]

You know, it so often surprises me that folk don't contact the original manufacturers for advice on servicing, repair, and spare parts.

So many of them DO offer help and advice, and are by far the easiest source of spare parts if any are available

Martin

[Sam Spoons]

You're not wrong Martin, and the reason was......... I googled the question and found a post which said Roland has washed their hands of a repair request on the A90 as it's obsolete

I probably would have asked them eventually but, thankfully, Zen made his suggestion and I sent the email sooner rather than later.....

[mackbarrios]

I have the same issue right now. My Roland just don't response. If you push any button it randomly lights another one. Can you tell me what did you do?

[Sam Spoons]

It was a power supply fault, I tried the local 'Roland approved' tech (who is actually a retired Roland tech but still covers a few jobs), he came, gave it a clean bill of health, and left with a (small) wad of cash. The A90 it continued to re-boot randomly so I took it to another local tech who did a proper job and sorted the wayward DC voltages out. It's been great ever since.

So you need a tech who knows what he is doing to check it over, Roland probably won't be interested as the A90 is 'obsolete' but thankfully there are still a decent number of guys/companies who can fix stuff. Funky Junk and Gee Electronics for starters in the UK or if you are in the NW 'The Guitar Amp Doctor' in Oldham, a keyboard player himself, who fixed mine (Thanks Tim).

[jamsong]

Do you know what the technician did exactly?
Did they change some parts (caps/resistors?) or change the whole power supply?
Thx

[Sam Spoons]

It was definitely a component level repair not a complete new PSU but precisely which components I don't know. A quick Google found a US supplier with PSU boards in stock https://syntaur.com/Part-1167-Power-supply-board-Roland

[Cuckooland]

I know this was a while ago, but I thought I’d chip in just in case anyone has a similar problem. I recently bought an A-90 for next to nothing because it had 8 broken hammers. I stripped the keyboard down and repaired the broken hammers with CA glue and bicarb, but the keyboard also kept powering off and on again. This was usually accompanied by the message “Internal battery NONE”, which was nonsense because I’d just replaced it. Anyway, after downloading the service notes and doing a bit of research, I figured that one or more of the electrolytic capacitors on the power supply board, of which there are seven, probably needed replacing. I ordered new capacitors and removed the power supply board, but in doing so noticed that one of the voltage regulator ICs was loose. There are three of these - two 12v and one 5v, and they aren’t visible until the power supply board is removed (they just look like thin black plastic squares stood on end, at the edge of the board). Anyway, I resoldered the loose IC, and lo and behold, it now works.
If anyone has the same issue with the A-90, check the voltage regulator ICs! It’s an easy fix if you can hold a soldering iron

[resistorman]

I know this was a while ago, but I thought I’d chip in just in case anyone has a similar problem. I recently bought an A-90 for next to nothing because it had 8 broken hammers. I stripped the keyboard down and repaired the broken hammers with CA glue and bicarb, but the keyboard also kept powering off and on again. This was usually accompanied by the message “Internal battery NONE”, which was nonsense because I’d just replaced it. Anyway, after downloading the service notes and doing a bit of research, I figured that one or more of the electrolytic capacitors on the power supply board, of which there are seven, probably needed replacing. I ordered new capacitors and removed the power supply board, but in doing so noticed that one of the voltage regulator ICs was loose. There are three of these - two 12v and one 5v, and they aren’t visible until the power supply board is removed (they just look like thin black plastic squares stood on end, at the edge of the board). Anyway, I resoldered the loose IC, and lo and behold, it now works.
If anyone has the same issue with the A-90, check the voltage regulator ICs! It’s an easy fix if you can hold a soldering iron

Yep, power supply parts get warm so solder joints can fail.

[Kwackman]

I know this was a while ago, but I thought I’d chip in just in case anyone has a similar problem....

Thanks for taking the time to share this, someone might find it very useful.

[Folderol]

These three legged regulators can often work without a heatsink but they are much more comfortable with even the smallest bolt (or clip) on finned one... and so is everything else in the unit, including the solder joints.

[artkoot]

I know this was a while ago, but I thought I’d chip in just in case anyone has a similar problem. I recently bought an A-90 for next to nothing because it had 8 broken hammers. I stripped the keyboard down and repaired the broken hammers with CA glue and bicarb, but the keyboard also kept powering off and on again. This was usually accompanied by the message “Internal battery NONE”, which was nonsense because I’d just replaced it. Anyway, after downloading the service notes and doing a bit of research, I figured that one or more of the electrolytic capacitors on the power supply board, of which there are seven, probably needed replacing. I ordered new capacitors and removed the power supply board, but in doing so noticed that one of the voltage regulator ICs was loose. There are three of these - two 12v and one 5v, and they aren’t visible until the power supply board is removed (they just look like thin black plastic squares stood on end, at the edge of the board). Anyway, I resoldered the loose IC, and lo and behold, it now works.
If anyone has the same issue with the A-90, check the voltage regulator ICs! It’s an easy fix if you can hold a soldering iron

thank you this is what is happening with my -old- roland a-90 keyboard. hope I can repair this. super!!

[Sam Spoons]

The A90 is a great keyboard, well worth the trouble to keep it going. The recurring theme here and elsewhere seems to be power supply issues so for anybody comoing late to the thread, start by checking the power rails

[artkoot]

I did the repair and it works! ( little note: it were the transistors, not the IC's. ).
anyway: a big thank you!

[ScoreMr]

Hi
I had my A90Ex since it came out back in 97. Brought it in NYC USA.
I've moved back to UK and it here with other equipment (including Fantom X7).
I haven't plug in the A90 because I'm worried the 240v may blow the keyboard (same as the fantom).
Does anyone know I can use both keyboard in UK or I will need a step (up/down) power supply?

thanks

[Sam Spoons]

I'm pretty sure the answer is no, my A90 has a label on the back saying it requires 230VAC, a quick Google image search reveals that US spec A90's have a similar label requiring 117VAC. So you will need a UK-US transformer as plugging your US spec A90 directly into UK mains will kill it.

I can't help WRT your Phantom or any other kit but if it doesn't have a voltage selector you need to consult the manual or ask the relevant tech support department.

[zenguitar]

It might be worth contacting Roland UK to see if they can supply the UK spec A90 power supply as a spare part.

Historically, Roland UK have been very helpful. And pretty much any UK electronics tech could do the replacement for you.

Andy

[Hugh Robjohns]

Any device powered directly from the mains — as in you plug it directly into a wall outlet — should have markings adjacent to the mains inlet stating its operating voltage or voltage range.

Older gear tends to require a single AC voltage and will be factory configured for the sales region. A device marked for 230VAC will work on supplies between 220 and 240, but not 115! (It's unlikely tonlow up, but it won't work properly if at all)

Similarly, a device marked for 117VAC won't work on 230V — and it will blow up! If you're lucky it might just take out a fuse, but it's more likely to be destroyed.

For these devices a step-up (Euro gear used in US) or step-down (US or Japanese gear used in Europe) mains transformer is required — with a suitable power rating AND an earth connection.

Some fixed voltage gear can be reconfigured via a rear panel selector or internal wiring to run on alternative mains supplies. Check the manual.

More modern gear tends to use switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) which happily accept a wide range of mains voltages (typically 90-250VAC). These will work anywhere.

Devices with external power supplies need a low voltage DC or AC input provided by a line-lump or wall-wart power unit. Most of these are SMPS types and will accept any voltage, but check the labelling on the unit.