Roland JX3P crackling and smells...Help!

[heyreddam]

Hello,

I've just acquired a Roland JX3P off ebay. It plays okay at first, and then I started to notice this horrible crackling sound when pressing any random key. It could happen one moment on one key, and then not happen on that same key afterwards. The Sound is completely random as far as timing and keys go.

The little vent at the back smells like melting.

It's not my cables, speakers, or the power converter/wires on the outside of the synth. It's also not the PG200 as it happens without it.
It still sometimes plays for a bit without this horrible crackling sound, but inevitably it always comes back; and it's quite loud. I'm not going to turn it on anymore out of fear of it damaging anything else inside.

I paid around $1000 Canadian for this, which is unfortunate because the add was from a %100 positive feedback seller who sells a lot of things and it said that the synth was in perfect working condition, which it's obviously not. He's agreed to get me a full refund or pay fully for the repair which is wicked and I'm thankful for.
Does anyone know how much it costs around to fix this? Is it even fixable? Also, would it last long after fixing?

Any help is appreciated.

[synthparts]

Get the full refund. $1000 is really steep for a 3P. You'll probably find one a lot cheaper that works...

[heyreddam]

Unfortunately it's pretty reasonable for the price, if it was working fine. Basically the story is that no one is selling one around me so I ordered one from Japan. I would appreciate any info regarding the repair.

[ninja6485]

Get the full refund. $1000 is really steep for a 3P. You'll probably find one a lot cheaper that works...

So $1000 canadian is what, like $850us? I should have bought a 3p in '09 when they were only a few hundred

[heyreddam]

Yeah around $850 US. Keep in mind, $1000 after shipping and tax, including the original hardcase and the pg200. It's a pretty okay price for it. I'm sure if someone was selling it around me I could get all that for maybe 600-800 CAN but no one is.

[fh991586]

Are you in Canada? Because if the synth is from Japan, it's a 100v version, so the minor voltage difference MIGHT be to blame (even if it's usually not a problem). You should REALLY get the refund, as even if it can be repaired, there may be some residual damage that will appear later on while you're out of warranty with the seller. That was way too much for the synth, even with the PG200 (and who need such a vintage case nowadays, as it's not that sturdy): if I could sell my spare one for $400 CAD, I'd be delighted!

[rhino]

Try the easy stuff first:
Clean the volume pot
Clean the output jack
Any members know if this synth has an output muting relay? If so, clean or change it.
Remove and reseat all connectors inside
A good test for crackeling noises is to open the synth (power on) and GENTLY REPEAT GENTLY wiggle, tap and bend the boards noting any change in the noise. ONCE MORE!! GENTLY!!!!
No joy? rebuild the power supply.

I had one come thru that the panel PC board (with the controls and buttons) had cracks near some of the mounting screw holes. Had to mend the board and jumper the cracked traces. (about 9)

[Europanaut]

When you smell burning, power down, and do not turn the synth back on. Open it up, disconnect the power supply from the rest of the synth, and get a meter on it. Or have a tech do it. Before you investigate anything downstream, you need to check what that PSU is sending to the synth.

[tertiumsquid]

Exactly as fh991586 said, the input voltage could be the problem - check the voltage on the label at the back near the mains in. Mine is a North American unit, and specified voltage in is 117V. If yours is 100v input, you're likely feeding it 15-20% more juice than is specified (though that doesn't always cause any problems), and I would recommend getting a transformer to drop the voltage to 100v.

After that, we need to know a little more - is the crackling coming from the keyboard or from the speakers/headphones/outputs? If it's coming from the outputs etc, then some diagnosis can be done. If you hold Memory button 2 while powering on, the 3P goes into a test mode, and lights 11-16 will light up for each oscillator in sequence as you press keys. See if there's a specific oscillator that produces the crackling, and make sure the others don't do it. That will help narrow down where the problem occurs. Keep in mind that there may be only a particular section that's crackling - could be the filters, the VCA, the DCO itself - so test with multiple different control settings and different sounds.

If the crackling is coming from the back of the keyboard, unplug it to prevent further damage, and take it to a reputable technician.

Don't suppose you're in the Vancouver area, are you?