Vintage Synth Explorer Forums

Sup Y'all!

I just picked up a DX7s the other day. So excited to play with FM, and realized 4 of the buttons don't function, one of which is the LFO/Memory button so I can't initialize sounds or save ones I've edited. I'm wondering how I can troubleshoot this problem. Everything seems fine except the 4 that just don't do anything when pressed.

voice, 1-32, #12, #14. so my guess is since these are scattered around, these were the most used buttons by the original owner, like his favorite presets maybe, and the switches are worn out. I just want to get some general advice before I attempt to replace the switches myself. I'm nervous about screwing something up. Any help would be super appreciated.

(I have multimeter, soldering stuff, and some basic experience. just never attempted a risky fix before.)

-J

Replacing switches on synths of this vintage is really pretty simple - you just need to make sure you get the right part (looks like the DX7 uses 12mm x 12mm x 7.3mm tact switches, probably in the 130-150 gf range - these should do you,) desolder them (get yourself a proper solder-sucker if you don't already have one, and just make sure to go gently when popping the legs out of the sockets - the main thing that can go seriously wrong with this is ripping the lining for the hole out with too much force on a leg that hasn't been sufficiently desoldered,) and then solder in the replacements. It's a little tedious, but eminently doable, and it makes a huge difference.

Thanks so much, I feel way better about tackling it now.