Final stages-TP20 transplant

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Jokeyman123 United States of America
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Final stages-TP20 transplant

Post by Jokeyman123 »

I think this key project is finally working-I discovered 2 important details that solved the problem, but leaving the Fusion open for a day or 2 to see if my final repair/modification holds up, to make sure the Ballistol still works.

1) I used Ballistol-which is an all-purpose lubricant usually used for fine mechanical moving parts-I've had this for awhile and it is not petroleum or silicone based-is labeled safe for rubber, plastic and all kinds of metal and is an oil consistency rather than grease. I used it sparingly. Also is heat resistant and has properties that keep it from drying out and stays adhered to surfaces. So far it seems to be working, but with one other important detail which caused me to wonder whether the silicone based grease was the culprit after all. I'm not sure now, but i am thinking the rubber bumpers are also silicone, and this silicon grease may have soaked into the bumpers and swelled these up-causing no end of problems. I am only deducing this because-many keys that did not previously cause problems now were getting jammed up sliding up and down over the bumpers once i tried the silicone-based grease. I ended up completely cleaning the offending keys with dishwashing detergent and a small plastic scrub-brush, and the bumpers with alcohol just to make sure i removed the silicone grease completely before i tried the Ballistol. AND-AS OBVIOUS AT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TO ME.....

2) The real solution-was the fact that these bumpers once swollen, need to be trimmed back to fit under the key-not an inconsiderable task and frustrated me no end trying to sand and file off part of the left and right rubber edges-the parts that were binding-without any success. I reverted to my Swiss Champ knife with its very sharp and small scissors and snipped about 1/16" (1mm) off one end of each bumper that was binding, and this finally solved the problem. I had to do this with quite a few keys, that were binding even with the Ballistol. Probably could have gotten away with alot less Ballistol since I kept trying to solve this problem with lubrication, rather than using this simple fix from the beginning. Sometimes the most obvious solutions, the simple ones elude me. Not much to look at, but notice how much silicone bumper I had to remove from several really nasty keys-how tight these rubber bumpers were in the first place, through design I guess, or the additional silicone grease.

Was this all worth it? After all this time, just because Fatar's workers were drinking too much vino and munching provolone when they put some of these key assemblies together-cost me tremendous time and energy, just to correct an inherent defect that should never have seen the light of day. At east this TP20 does not have the inherent black/white key imbalance problem as did the original TP40. :violin: SIGH....
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Jokeyman123 United States of America
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Re: Final stages-TP20 transplant

Post by Jokeyman123 »

Following up on this massive repair project.

After waiting overnight to see my results-yes, the additional keys I had treated with the silicone-based grease-the remaining keys I did not "purge" of this grease-swelled up overnight, and I needed to trim almost 2 more octaves of rubber bumpers, one maddening key at a time. I have to deduce-this brand of grease was responsible for swelling up the rubber bumpers-rendering the keys completely unplayable. it literally must soak into the bumpers like a sponge! The Ballistol-treated bumpers were fine, and many keys did not need any lube at all once I trimmed the excess width of the bumpers away-I used it anyway, as it claims to help preserve rubber-without petroleum or silicone. I am pretty tired, but the Fusion now plays wonderfully-even the dynamics seem better on this older TP-20-now I can play with the Global keyboard sensitivity settings without worrying about compensating for the black/white key imbalance anymore.

And so anybody on any of the other music groups who described this particular grease as OK to use for keyboards-apparently you were wrong. Maybe on hard plastic-although it does tend to run off-and of course the plastic keys rub against the rubber bumpers-but definitely not on silicone rubber!!!!
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Jokeyman123 United States of America
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Re: Final stages-TP20 transplant

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Just a follow-up months later-I discovered as few more keys had swelled underneath-had to scalpel a few more rubber bumpers to get these to work smoothly-but it is now playable and holding up-all 88 keys!!!!!

I am posting my references to all this work on the Facebook page to hopefully have others avoid these tremendous headaches. I suspect with all the TP40 Fatars floating around in several different name-brand keyboards, including several new ones, that anyone discovering additional Fatar defects will be able to correct those. Sure would have been easier if we musicians could simply purchase a new key assembly. I believe Doepfer used to sell their I think identical assemblies, but the prices were almost as much as a used 88-key workstation last I looked, and more than some of the used midi controllers. Necessity is the mother of invention, and I need to play/practice every day, i didn't really want to have to go through all this. but then, like new cars-a brand new Montage/Kronos/Kurzeil/Studiologic etc. could have these defects out of the box, and for3 -5000 dollars US, that would definitely not be a good thing.
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Re: Final stages-TP20 transplant

Post by Jokeyman123 »

Just one more (probably stupid, useless factoid) Ballistol is designed to be used to lubricate firearms apparently. This could come in handy, in case I need to shoot my Fusion-I have been tempted on occasion...... :angry-screaming: :angry-screaming: :character-beavisbutthead: :character-beavisbutthead: :teasing-tease: :teasing-tease:
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