W5 great condition except display and disk drive

[my2sons8791]

Hello. Just got a W7 in pristine condition except for dim back light and disk drive issues. I have read just about all the posts regarding drive issues but thought I would ask first before tearing the unit apart.

So, when I insert a disk and hit the load from disk command, the red light on the drive lights up for a second or so then goes out. I do not hear any movement coming from the drive and the display reads "disk not ready". My question is does this sound like a belt issue or something else? If it is not the belt, what is the best source for a new drive?

Lastly, if I can't get the drive sorted, can the data be loaded via midi sysex? I do have the factory data disk

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or help..

[parametric]

Hi my2sons, and welcome to the Forums . . .

More often than not, it's the rubber belt. The Drive is VERY sensitive to rotation speed and will reports errors

if it's not constant.

There are numerous mentions of THIS repair in the SY85/TG500 section together with links to buy new belts.

Be sure to clean the head while the drive is open. The belt may simply stretch, or it may go "sticky"

. . . this "sticky" NEEDS to be removed before fitting a new belt.

I also found This: jan.bonisch.com/page.php?lng=en&pg=5 concerning the "Disk Present" microswitch . . . .

Which is an additional thing to consider while you have it open . . .

Hope that helps

parametric

[my2sons8791]

Thank you. I hope to get the drive out sometime this week and see what's going on with it. Will report back.

[parametric]

This is another possible solution . . . .

YAMAHA W7 W5 SYNTHESIZER KEYBOARD REPLACEMENT FLOPPY DISK DRIVE NEW

ATB

parametric

[my2sons8791]

Well, a new belt didn't help. Still the same error message and no sign of life. I purchased a new drive off of ebay which worked just fine. Does anyone have any ideas on replacing the elctro luminescent strip and getting the jog wheel working properly? Thanks in advance.

[parametric]

This looks like what you need for the Luminous Strip:

ebay.co.uk/itm/43mm-x-155mm-Replacement-EL-Panel-Backlight-Glow-Foil-for-Many-Synths-15-00/233150225695?hash=item3648d61d1fmpHDE8C3czG4aOrGMRRJP1g:rk:3:pf:0

or here is a whole new display - looks to be GOOD, but pricey . . .

reverb.com/item/6614991-graphic-display-upgrade-yamaha-vl1-vl1m-vl7-vp1-w5-w7-deq5-alesis-andromeda-a6

What is the problem with the jog wheel? . . . . . Has it been Wacked - or just not jogging?

NEW encoder/jog wheel here: syntaur.com/Items.php?Item=5169

Fuller List here: syntaur.com/yamaha_w.html

parametric

[Miks]

For a new EL-foil you may also have a look here:

backlight4you.com/EL-Panels:::46.html?language=en

[my2sons8791]

Thanks for the info on displays, etc. The jog wheel just doesn't operate properly. It will not cycle through the patches one at a time. It just wants to jump around with no level of accuracy.

[puremusic]

I just repaired the dial on my Motif Rack, it looks similar to your jog wheel, you might be able to fix it just by taking it apart and fiddling with it a bit, if you're daring enough.

When I took mine apart, it was basically four pieces -- a metal mount, part of the case, the electronics circuit board, which had three little flanges that brush against the button's contacts, and the two part plastic button -- the button top, and the button base which has metal contacts all in a circle around it, that twirl around when you twist it and touch the flanges on the board, which measure no doubt dial being turned.

[parametric]

@my2sons . . .

I would examine/takeapart the encoder as <puremusic> suggests and see if a "clean" helps . . .

or get a new one from the link in my earlier post:

NEW encoder/jog wheel here: syntaur.com/Items.php?Item=5169

parametric

[NotWakeman]

Thanks for the info on displays, etc. The jog wheel just doesn't operate properly. It will not cycle through the patches one at a time. It just wants to jump around with no level of accuracy.

My W7 had the same problem. About an year ago I removed the encoder (3 screws), found a small hole somewhere, maybe near the terminals (if I remember correctly), sprayed a bit of contact cleaner into it with the straw, then used a power drill/driver to give it a spin at 40-60rpm for one minute or so. It's been working fine since then.

My display backlight is dim too. I've bought a cheap EL strip (~12mm wide). I'm planning to cut it into shorter strips and arrange them in parallel to cover the whole display, but I have no idea when I'll find the time to do it. And I know there will be a small gap between the strips, so I'm not 100% confident that I'll get a good result. If someone wants to try that... please let us know how it goes.

For the drive, I hope your new one lasts. If it doesn't, I would recommend a more robust 1.44MB drive with a homemade adapter like this one: viewtopic.php?p=69918#p65221

Good luck!

NotWakeman