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Thread: Still salvagable? Fatar keyboard

  1. #1
    LGM
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    Still salvagable? Fatar keyboard

    I have an old Fatar MIDI controller/keyboard that does not turn on anymore.

    Last year while I was plugging the keyboard and a synth module in (Roland JV-1010) I accidentally plugged the wrong power cord into my keyboard which was incredibly stupid; and as I turned it on I heard a popping noise while noticing smell of sulfur coming from the keyboard.

    I know this is kind of a vague question but does anyone know if the keyboard is still usable if I were to get it repaired by someone? Or did I just destroy it? Thanks in advance.

    Julian

  2. #2
    Senior Member Enzo's Avatar
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    Very hard to say. probably just some component shorted on the power supply input, but you never know until you open it up and start troubleshhoting.
    Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.

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    Supporting Member Jazz P Bass's Avatar
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    How old?
    It may be a selenium rectifier that got cooked.
    Rotten egg smell?
    Selenium dioxide.

  4. #4
    LGM
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    Keyboard is probably 5-6 years old.
    Yeah it smelled like a rotten egg, or more like a lit firecracker.

    Selenium rectifier? is that something that can be replaced? If so how much would that run? Thanks for the help

  5. #5
    Senior Member Enzo's Avatar
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    They gave up on selenium decades ago. If a basic protection diode gave up, the parts cost will be tiny. Less likely, some large voltage made its way into the digital circuits, and this is history.

    If this came to my shop, I'd have to estimate it would cost $60 labor, and under $10 parts, OR it would be something I couldn;t reasonably fix.
    Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.

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    Senior Member Enzo's Avatar
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    At the risk of sounding pedantic, I always thought selenium smelled more like burning rotted cabbage when it failed, myself. It certainly is a smell you never forget.
    Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.

  7. #7
    Old Timer
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    Quote Originally Posted by Enzo View Post
    At the risk of sounding pedantic, I always thought selenium smelled more like burning rotted cabbage when it failed, myself. It certainly is a smell you never forget.
    Not to mention highly-toxic, but most of us are immune by now, right! :O

    You didn't say which Fatar controller you have, but there were a few that used the same small PCB, which was notorious for bad filter caps and +5V regulators going south.
    John R. Frondelli
    dBm Pro Audio Services, New York, NY

    "Mediocre is the new 'Good' "

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    Senior Member Mars Amp Repair's Avatar
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    hey, just rebuilt the amp & relay & selector chassis for a 1943 Seeburg Jukebox. It had one selenium rectifier for the relay circuit still operating just fine. I could only try and explain to the techs whom had never seen the selenium rect what they smell like when they go...given how often you see one of these anymore, they probably will never experience that wonderful odor! My guys had never seen those wonderful bees wax capacitors, either. BTW, nearly everyone of those buggers that had any voltage on them were leaky.
    They guys were all worried that ALL the tubes would need to be replaced...I said I'd be surprised if any of them were bad. sure enough all the original tubes were good including the coke bottle 6V6's. They were astonished. g

  9. #9
    Supporting Member jmaf's Avatar
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    Offtopic:

    I'm not sure if there was another ingredient, it's been a while, but IIRC Galena and Sulphuric Acid will make you wish you had 10 burned selenium diodes around you. Of course, the galena AM receivers didn't require the acid, but you know kids.....just find an old car battery and bob's your uncle.

    Where I come from we used to call it the "German Fart" I don't know why, no offense to our German friends of course.
    "Tell them I said something." - Pancho Villa's last words
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