Stub Mandrel Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 NECRO-THREAD ALERT! I got a stylophone in a charity shop. The batteries had died unpleasantly but I cleaned it up and replaced the positive wire. But it's doing odd things. The notes don't all come out as the correct note. Not tuning errors. Black notes in brackets: A (A#) B C (C) D (C) C# F (F#) G (G#) A A# B (C#) D (D#) E Except sometimes notes swap, especially if you go back and forth. Sometimes they are way out. It's not like shorts between two keys making them the same - more like it detects the actual key but assigns the wrong pitch. Any ideas? Quote
Woodinblack Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 AFAIK, the stylophone uses a resistor network for pitch, so it would have to be a shorted board or shorted resistors on the board. Did you buzz it out? Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 40 minutes ago, Woodinblack said: AFAIK, the stylophone uses a resistor network for pitch, so it would have to be a shorted board or shorted resistors on the board. Did you buzz it out? The 2007 reissue doesn't use a discrete resistor ladder, instead the 'keys' appear to go to an on board chip: Not my photo... I dont know what goes on inside the black blob, could be a resistor network or a custom chip. Quote
tauzero Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 Might be worth getting one of those watch polishing cloths mentioned in the polishing up yer frets thread and cleaning up the keypad, in case there's some mucky bits - I think, as @Woodinblack says, it's a resistor network so stray resistances will mess it up. Incidentally, there's a reddit group for it (just happened across it in a search). Might be worth a look. Quote
Woodinblack Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 Oh yes, I suppose that is cheaper these days to have a custom IC. Still the only thing that could produce your results is some kind of board issue. Maybe battery acid dissolved it? Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 It seems the 2007 model is digital and plays sampled sounds. Looks like the chip is decoding key presses wrongly. I can't find any shorts or see corrosion. Quote
Dad3353 Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 13 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: ... I can't find any shorts ... You're not trying hard enough ... Shorts ... Quote
tauzero Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 24 minutes ago, Dad3353 said: You're not trying hard enough ... Shorts ... 1 Quote
Woodinblack Posted November 26, 2024 Posted November 26, 2024 It is unlikely (unless damaged by power surge or something) that it would have a fault in the IC, but there isn't much else going on there is there? Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted November 28, 2024 Posted November 28, 2024 On 26/11/2024 at 20:26, Woodinblack said: It is unlikely (unless damaged by power surge or something) that it would have a fault in the IC, but there isn't much else going on there is there? I suspect enough for it to be put to one side a decade ago... then refound and donated without being checked. At least I got ripped off by a good cause... Quote
Woodinblack Posted November 29, 2024 Posted November 29, 2024 39 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: I suspect enough for it to be put to one side a decade ago... then refound and donated without being checked. At least I got ripped off by a good cause... Maybe you can scrape some of the black back and see if it is the tracks there that have a problem. or just learn some interesting keys! Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted November 29, 2024 Posted November 29, 2024 9 hours ago, Woodinblack said: Maybe you can scrape some of the black back and see if it is the tracks there that have a problem. or just learn some interesting keys! It's a JAZZ Stylophone 🤣 1 Quote
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