Roland D-70 Teardown and Repair 

This guy’s great and did a tremendous service to D70 owners by posting this. One important thing that was different on my keyboard with regard to pulling out the keys. There is a plastic strip under the keys that keeps the keys from popping out the way shown in this video. I had to flip the keyboard over, pry those off with a putty knife (they’re glued but pry off easily), and then the keys popped out easily. I’ll glue the plastic strips back on when I’m done.

Great Video! I bought the D70 for my 11 year old son in 1990 ... and while he never did master it, my grand daughter has made more progress! However, too many dead keys moved it into storage and a new keyboard arrived at Christmas. My son was about to scrap it ... when I retrived it from his basement. Your video has given me hope that the possibility of a second life for this instrument may around the corner! With cold snowy days I now have a project. Wish me Luck! (PS - I just finished restoring MY 1960 set of Gretsch drums and they look great - they're heading to my grandson! I'll let you know if they start a band!)

Thank you for making and sharing this great tutorial. You make it very clear how to remove the keyboard, clean the carbon connections and put the keyboard back again. Since I'm not a technician I managed to remove the keyboard without removing the three major print plates/modules, of course by first removing the screws. I only stripped off the long/flat white connection cables, that are glued along the entire board, and then lifted the print modules a little and could remove the keyboard. Just one remark, the keys can only be removed by first pulling of the 'Stopper'. This 'Stopper' is located underneath the keys and looks like a long thin black strip (in parts) of about 3 millimeters wide. Futhermore, before removing the keys, it's handy to first mark where the black keys are located, with a black marker on the metal frame. When replacing the keys it's easier to first have all the black keys in place and then placing the white keys back. Also and maybe the most important thing: GENTLY CLEAN THE CARBON CONNECTORS! Indeed as you mention; you don't want to wipe off the carbon layer from the connectors :-). I tried to put silver glue on the carbon connectors but as this is a very accurate and almost not done job (for me) I quit with this. All my dead keys are working again. It's an extra feature to have the technical D-70 pfd file aside your instruction video. Pictures of and movie after the repair and the technical reference : drive.google.com/open?id=1wngPvh9US8ne3GU5fABXZqJQcH2LypZh

This video is a godsent! Just got a d70 with multiple dead keys, so will take a crack at it next weekend! Thanks so much for posting this!

Thanks for posting this video. I have a D70 in the repair shop right now with the same issues. We're waiting on Roland to send the parts needed, but it's nice to have a look inside and see what's involved with it's repair and upkeep.

This was the 1st synth that I learned. We used them at our University MIDI program: 8 workstations with D-70s at their hearts. Difficult to learn but I had a lot of fun using them for about 2 years.

Gold standard for repair vids. Fantastic. Of course he's showing off a little going thru the chip and board architecture but I found it quite interesting. I have a dead key on mine and hopefully this will fix it. Bravo and thanks so much!! I can't play a convincing clavichord on a fully weighted controller. Semi-weighted is perfect for funk! I also have a dark display so hopefully I can replace the backlight too while it's open.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR EVERYONE ATTEMPTING A TEARDOWN AND REPAIR: The keys cleaning that Bradthx showed us does work incredibly well. (Thank you, Bradthx!). But if you don't want to lose all of your patches, performances and sounds, dump them as a SysEx file on your computer, of course, but also, do not unplug anything besides the keyboard (as shown at 15:48). Leaving everything plugged won't stop you from unscrewing the main board and the other stuff that might block the keyboard from being removed. Just be gentle with the wiring :-) But if you unplug what's on the Main Board, once you'll turn your D-70 on again, it will tell you: NO RAM CARD (EXIT). And then you'll need a Factory RAM Card to restore all the sounds. It's hard to find one online. I fortunately had one and a SysEx backup so I didn't lose anything. Be very careful!

Thank you so much for posting! This video helped me tremendously!

We used to sell these in the music store I worked in at the time. The D-70 is much more of a U-series synth than a D-series. They were cashing in on the name, but it's far more ROMpler than LA synthesizer. Side by side with the U-20, you could definitely see and hear the family resemblance. Makes for a nice controller keyboard, though, especially given how difficult it is to find 73/76 key keyboards these days.

I just got one tonight and it also has almost all of the keys dead, so this will help a lot. Thanks!

Thanks for the Video, The D-70 made my musical career very good !

Nice cleanup and repair.

Thank you. D 50 is more of my thing, but I loved seeing the inside of this baby. Thanks again 👍

Extremely interesting as I proudly own a stunning Roland E 30. I managed to salvage last year and I am absolutely delighted with it. I regretted selling the last one I used to own so I am extremely pleased once again I’ve salvaged this one. The E 30 also runs on the linear arithmetic sounds And a total of 128 sounds on-board as well as classic arrangements styles, including eight extra styles. I’ve also got a small library of music style cards which are fantastic though. Such technology is very dated but it is still excellent.

Great walk through! Thanks for sharing! I managed to revive my D70 keyboard competly. It's now in mint condition. One thing I encountered (which is not mentioned in the video) is a black stripe on the reverse side of the keys, which seems to hold the keys in place. It is glued, but with a soft glue so that you can pull it of gently with a flat screw driver. Oh, and another thing that took me a while to find out is that you have to press the connectors down to remove the black ribbon cables on the left (close to the PSU).

I have had my D70 key contacts professionally cleaned, but it didn't last long. I did it myself the second time with same result. Recently I cleaned them again after watching your video since I had forgotten how I had done it (over 10 years ago). I had a dozen keys not working. There was quite a bit of dusty dirt to clean up. The carbon contacts left my Q-tips black. After reassembly, everything worked great for about 5 minutes, then the "C" key right smack in the middle of the keyboard stopped working. All the other keys still work. This brings me to the next step which I already tried out on my Memorymoog Plus. The MM has been in a case for about 15 years due to dead keys. Only 2 keys worked on the entire keyboard. I tried and failed to get the keys working by cleaning them once before. Fortunately, I didn't have to remove the keys, just the circuit boards underneath. Surprisingly, it was all very clean. No carbon came off the contacts on the Q-tips. I Cleaned the gold contacts on the circuit board with 93% isopropal alcohol, and carefully cleaned the carbon contacts with acetone. I then coated each carbon contact with Caikote 44 conductive silver paint. After reassembly, every key worked and continues to work perfectly. My next move is to do the same with the D70, so I don't have to periodically keep cleaning the contacts. There are a variety of conductive silver-carbon paints and inks for this purpose. The one I chose was based on durability, and I later discovered was recommended on a Memorymoog forum.

great detail, have my d70 for 12 years, clean alwayse, but clamite change from moving made all keys stick. Thanks Much

What an amazing tutorial, thank you very much !

Just bought a second hand D70 with many dead keys, I hope I manage to fix them with the help of this video.

PS, the E 30 was also released 1990 and has the built-in power supply with AC socket and AC power cable. A lot of the electronics look similar to the E 30, including the capacitors. I’m no electrician, but it is very interesting as recently I changed the interior 3 V lithium battery.

Thanks for the video! I recently opened up my dads D-70 in order to clean the small board on the left side (volume, c1 and brightness). It appeared to have some fluid damage and the volume slider would only work on max or 1/3 but would always blast at full volume. After opening the keyboard and cleaning that small board I now dont have any sound at all anymore. Synth starts up, menu is working but no signal through any of the outputs on the back. Did I mess this up? I tried contacting Roland to get a new board, and a pitch wheel but apparently they dont have these parts anymore in germany.

Excellent video. I will be getting a D70 in a few days with a dodgy keyboard so need to do the same as what you did. I have read the service guide that covers the steps needed to dismantle the keyboard but it is far better watching someone do it. Somebody earlier mentioned that an additional plastic strip had to be removed before the keys would come off - the service guide also mentions about something that needs to be removed so maybe the previous person who had taken yours apart had taken it off and not put it back on? I'll see what is on mine when I get it.

thank you for this video. is there an easy way to re-insert the after touch ribbon into the little slot if it has been pulled out? I'm having trouble getting it to slide back in as the fit is very tight. thank you

Awesome post. Thank you. I actually have one key I need to replace...is there anyway to do that without removing all the components as you did (i.e. slide it in upside down while the keybed is still intact) or does the whole thing need to come out?

Great video. I had the same issues with my D-20 about 10 years ago. If I remember rightly it had a coil spring on each key but other than that looked very similar to your D-70. As a side note I powered my D-20 up a while back and the screen just came up with yellow squares across the top line and failed to boot with no LED's etc. Is there anything I should look for first as an easy fix when I open it up? Thanks.

Just took mine apart 34 keys weren't working. They all work now after cleaning with 50% isoproplyl alcohol. I have a spare D-70 too. Msg me if you wanna buy some parts.

I don't know if yours had this, but when I took mine apart, there were a number of thin black plastic strips on the underneath of the keybed that click in to hold the keys in place, (where the little hooks on the end of the key hold the key on the bed). I had to remove them to allow the keys to come out. Also beware of the rubber pads as they tend to become perished with age and they can tear very easily. Good job though.

great Video. In my D70, the left key-bank seems not to work. Checked the flat cable and connections - seems fine. Strange, how the whole left side is dead, but the cable seems fine...

Very helpful. Looks like lots of hours of work..

I just scored a D70, it has a few dead keys. While I had it open, I gained a few insights into what you found. There are 8 screws holding the keyboard in place, that's where your two extra screws came from. Also, if it hasn't been previously opened, there are plastic keeper strips that need to be removed before the individual keys can be removed. Unfortunately, after cleaning the contacts, the keys are still dead. Any other suggestions?

Hello, great video! I have a question about a problem and I think you are the right one to answer it. The buttons E1 - Fis 3 on my D70 do not produce any sound. There is also no sound in this area via MIDI-In generated. From key G3 - G7 it works very well, also via MIDI-In. Could the CPU (IC15) be defective because MIDI and keyboard (IC3) are only in the CPU come together? Thanks

Thank you for such a great video. I didn't even realize Roland ever made a D-70. My first synth was the D-5 and proudly still have it. For the dreaded glue you talked about, can you please share any insight if you have ever cleaned a unit of leaking glue? I was given an old Roland ep7 with sticky keys and I haven't found any cleaning videos you mentioned. I've tried everything from GooGone (US) to paint thinner and acetone (in light swabs). The only real effect I've had so far was actually soaking the keys in vinegar or rubbing alcohol, but that only made it gummy and still impossible to dissolve. The glue has run into the felt too, so with dropping weights and running glue, it might be a lost cause, but thank you for any insight.

Thx for this great tutorial. Can you tell me something about the replacement of the backlit of the display? Is it still available?

Just a note as an electronics tech. I see that you have a large antistatic mat on your workbench to set the keyboard on. But I don't see you wearing a wriststrap in the video. With this vintage of electronics, there is a definite risk of doing ESD damage to the components on the circuit boards. Just a word of caution to those that are attempting similar repairs. It's a little cumbersome, and you don't need to wear it when you're working on the keys themselves, but particularly when you are disconnecting and re-connecting the ribbon cables or touching the circuit boards, even to remove the screws, the wrist strap is a useful tool to prevent ESD damage on the circuits.

Very helpful, thanks

Cool Daddy-O. I have been sitting on my Fathers D-70 since 1999, most all the weights were out and literally glued sideways from falling out as you mentioned, the cover is also glued so I have applied a small amount of goo-gone on the front corners, I do have 1 broken key flapping in the wind, maybe the spring...my question is if it would be better to replace the springs? Great video...

How does the key numbering system work? Specifically the numbers. I understand the letters (you can use EB interchangeably, etc. I am lining them up but have not installed the yet. Thanks

I have a Roland U20 keyboard with the dreaded red epoxy problem. I have it all apart and the keys off. My question., The black keys have dripped red glue on the green strip the rubber membrane attaches to I'm going to clean like you did with alcohol the rubber membrane contacts and the contact points on the green strip, do I have to clean the glue off the green strip? It's not under the membrane just around it. I wish I could describe it better. Thanks.

I received one of these just yesterday and half the keys were lower than the other half. In other words not properly connected anymore. When I turned it on it soud like 20 odd keys were constantly pressed the whole time. I am hoping the keys aren't damaged when it is opened and they will just go back on without having to buy all those keys. Also the display is very dark no matter what I do with the contrast knob on the back. It helped but it was obviously damaged on delivery. But if i stick a couple of phones underneath pushing keys up I can access the sounds via midi. But I would like to get the display replaced.

Muchas gracias hermano bendiciones 🙏

The "stopper" strip is definitely used in ver2.

Amazing video, I am just canibalizing two D-70 to get one or probably both working properly. The weights can be remove and I actually feel no difference at all. A friend of mine had the same impression.

Hi. I have a Rhodes 760 that use the same type of flex circuit under the keys. The dreaded red glue from the keys has corroded the sections of the track away. Have you had any luck repairing an issue like this? Cheers.

Hey Everyone, does anybody know what kind of smd the keypad got (76 of them for each key one)? Because one of mine is destroyed...

A button on mine needs replacement, are the ones and i mean the button caps not the tact sw identical to the Jv 80 so i can use spare parts from there ?

I just got on of these and the display turns of sometimes and the pitchbend does not work i got work to do i think not sure if its worth it.

Hello guys! I would like your help. I won a Roland D-70 without a memory card and with a discharged battery already replaced. I would like to know if you can connect the keyboard without the card to test if it is working

Hello !! Interesting video. I unplugged everything and reassembly, and now the screen shows Just a black line. Did i damage the mainboard? Do you have an idea or suggestion? Any comment would be very appreciated. Best regards!!!

robertvigurs I was able to remove the key bed easily using your tutorial. Thank you. The part I did not see was how the two green plastic circuit board leads attached to the volume slider. Is it really just that little piece of clear tape.? Thanks so much. Robert

Thanks i love this synth, owned the yahoo group for it, i give up repairing it just too fragile.. Especially the keys.

How do you take out the keys of the keyboards with springs? I have roland e-70 and I want to take out its keys, can you please explain it?

I have a D70 and the performance button is missing. I can see the little button down below inside. Is there a way to fix and where would I be able to get the black plastic button that sits on top? Get video. A very patient man you are. :)

Would anybody know an alternative for the contact strips ? Mines are completely distorted, I don't know what made this, probably too much heat in the keyboard.

Would it be worth it for me to find a new keybed since most of the weights came unglued and reglued themselves together ??

Far as the display, there is, (was?), a company in Asia selling a D-70 compatiable screen for ~$40US. It's the same "Cool Blue" as would be used for the Yamaha SY77, only issue being on the D-70 the replacement screen will sit slightly elevated above the top panel.

hi! what are those round waxy things under the velocity rubber switches? thx.

A good potentiometer cleaner in your opinion? Thanks

I really appreciate this video and also many videos of your channel. At 8:30 you start talking about the power supply and discussed about changing the voltage. You mentioned the fuse (F1) may not be changed, because it is after the transformer's secondary winding. I agree with you, as the voltage is the same in the secondary and the power drained is also the same, the current will be the same! But looking at the Roland D-70 service notes (1st edition may 1990), on page 19 it recommends the F1 should be changed according to the table on the same page, which relates the voltage tap wired on the primary with the current rate of the F1 fuse. Also in this page there is a schematic diagram of the power supply. Changing the F1 fuse makes no sense for me. Looking that schematic the F1 fuse only protects the 7.5 V tap of the transformer secondary, which will feed the 7805 voltage regulator. Why they didn't put a fuse in the primary? My feeling is that I'm missing something. Can you help? Thanks

Hey bradthx thank you for your great video. I wonder how did you disconnect the Wire Trap Connectors (black cables, 4 on the right of main board and 2 on the left). It seems that you just pull them out leaving the cables naked... Is this the right way? It's very difficult to just plug them in without bending the naked wires

My d70 keybed is all glued together. Seems the glue holding the weights under each key melted and fused together many keys. Any Keynes’s available??

I wonder if I can help me. I came across this video after doing my own tear down to replace the backlight on the LCD display. As you’re aware, it involved removing the main and card slot board as well as dislodging the keybed to access the display board. I replaced the LCD backlight just fine and put everything back together, but now it’s not working. No sound. Nothing on the display except the backlight and a black rectangle. I typically take photos of wire placements while I’m taking things apart, but this time it was so straightforward I didn’t think I needed to (as you said, each port is different so you can’t screw it up). I’m wondering if I just connected the ground wire to the display board at the wrong location? Or maybe did I replace the LCD into its housing upside down? The only wires I dislodged were the black ribbons on both sides of the main board. Could they somehow be backwards? Any idea what I could have done wrong here. I’ve done many backlight and display replacements through the years with no problem, but I admittedly know very little about electronics.

I'm having issues putting the keys back in order.. any guid line for reassembling the keys

Sir, I have a problem in my Roland D-50. That is display problem. I can see the display is on but no letters showing in the display. And keyboard not working ⚒⚒

Hi I've got a Roland D70 too. I wasn't able to remove the black ribbon cables from the two side of the main board. I tried to force but I risk to break someting. From your video it seems that you do that very easly..Any suggestion? I also read the service manual but I didnt find any solution

I looked at a D-70 for a friend that was dead. It's been a whlie so I don't remember too much of what I did. After I got it open I did the normal once over and found no crispy critters or telltale burnouts. The electrolytics looked OK. I plugged it in, powered it up and found that there was no 5VDC. I unplugged the power supply from the system and there was still no 5V. I replaced the regulator. It popped as soon as I powered it up again with the system plugged back in. I have taken many electronic things apart. I work for Xerox for 23 years also. I was a Ground Radio Tech in the Air Force years back. I did not have the documents to go very far and I had no experience with these connectors. Actually I have no way to replace the connectors if I broke them. Off the top of your head...got any ideas?

Struggling to disconnect the motherboard, the white rectangles connecting the left side seem stuck or soldered while you removed them easily, any advice?

Hey there, 1st, I'd like to thank you for the great look inside the good old D-70! I still have mine since that synth came out and wanted to reuse it right now after having stored it, standing on the the backside with the keys to the top in it's alucase in my dry cellar. BUT THEN - SURPRISE! - the glue theme... Every (!!!) key had started to "bleed" following the gravitation over the last years down there...🤦‍♂ So: H E L P! Did anybody find a better solution but scratching off the "bloody glue" with a pocket knife?!? Greetings and peace!☮

Hello. I cannot remove the black colour ribbon cables from their white sockets on the main board. As you know, there are two ones on the left and four ones on the right and those 2 have a different insert method comparing those four ones. Could you please tell me how to take em out...? I carefully watched your video, however the related scenes are not clear...Ta

I want to see you guide Roland xp30

I have some keys that aren't responding... - I have cleaned them 3 times now and still no luck.... Keys that aren't working have black tape or a white mark on them... Have cleaned them 2/3 times and still no luck... The membranes and contacts look as good as the rest.... Any ideas?? From the bottom of the keyboard the keys are: G, Eb, B, C#, G & I A

I just got me a D-70 🎹 She need work 🤨 Subscribed ☑️

I wanted this soooo bad in 1992 or so and it was 2400,- DM. Couldn't afford it as a german student with 800,- DM a month. Sad that people abuse their machines and let them get dirty and defunkt.

Does anybody here know how to release the white connectors for the black ribbon cable on the main board going to the display? I had some dead keys that I wasn't able to fix so I'm going to part mine out. But I can't release those connectors to save my life. It looks like he just does it by hand at 14:55.

i'm searching for pcb key contactor low keyboards!!

Hello, i have a d20 and some notes of the central area are notnworking at all. I guess it's not about cleaning. What can I check? Resistors are ok and connection too.

It was very confusing when the d70 came out back in the day. Going from the name you would expect a deluxe d50 or d50 on steroids but you could not be further from the truth. In fact the d70 was a deluxe u20 . It had little to do with the d series

I couldn't tell what color glue was holding in the keyboard weights, but I believe the D-70 suffered from the same leaky "red glue" problem the JD-800 did. Just something to look out for. Maybe it was the U-20 with the leaky problem like the JD. :P

It's the first time I've seen an "intel inside" synthesizer.

you get the spare of the flex tape

Wedged paper or something else to rely on press fit? Sounds like apple certified repair depots had a go.

I am attempting to fix the dead keys as well currently. Thank you for your insightful video. To anyone else trying, the manual offers clear instructions: www.manualslib.com/manual/1006107/Roland-D-70-Super-La.html And also, keep in mind that in this video the stopper holding the keys in place is missing.

So where is the tear down??????

Hi bradthx, I wonder if you can help, I have a Roland G1000 arranger keyboard 1999 model, but the LCD display is fading I have tried too find a replacement for quite a while but to no avail, as you know a lot about keyboards I am wondering if you would know of a generic that would work, or even what backlight I could use that would fit, I did look on EBay but the don’t show any wiring just the face could be dodgy, I don’t know, I hope maybe you can give some advice, await your reply, kind regards Noeline

The worst keybed ever created. Amazing synth, amazing sound. The worst keybed ever! I had 4 of them. all a nightmare.

rob

Hey Brad! I just bought a D-70 on craigslist with a bunch of dead keys. I'm following your video and have taken the keybed out. I'm at the 16:47 stage of trying to take off the keys to get at the contacts but the keys seem to be stuck. Do you have any advice?