PianoDisc Maintenance Manual
Contents System Overview Handling action Information on adjusting key solenoids Information on pedal solenoid adjustment Technical revision guide Opus setup information TFT Calibration
Silent Drive Overview 34
Handling of case parts and action Removing case parts and action First before removing the action it is necessary to remove all packing materials. Remove the fallboard. Remove the key blocks and keyslip. Locate transport locking device and unlock prior to removing the action. Transport locking devices are always located on the hammer rail. Their purpose is to wedge the action in such a way that it cannot shift during transport. If the piano is equipped with record option, unplug connector cable from record adapter board that is attached on the treble side of the hammer rail. Carefully slide the action out. Check to make sure the hammers clear the pinblock before you remove the action. Check that no keys are depressed when the action is pulled out. Sliding the action back into the piano Note: For pianos with spring loaded solenoids follow steps 1 thru 5 1. Push action into the piano so that the front rail of the key frame is even with the keybed. 2. Take keyslip and carefully place it on top of all the keys (both sharps and naturals). 3. Depress all the keys and at the same time. While holding down keys depress full sustain pedal. 4. While sustain pedal and all keys are fully depressed slide action back into the piano. 5. While sliding action back into the piano be careful that the backs of keys do not bend any plungers. 6. If piano is equipped with record, plug record cable into the record adapter. Note: When plugging or unplugging record cable, please make sure that piano is completely powered down (unplugged from the wall receptacle).
Key solenoid rail adjustment Note: Before raising the solenoid rails to their final position, check the hammer line and make any necessary adjustments. A. The proper height of the rails is achieved when the rail is as high as possible without lifting the hammers. The total travel of the solenoid is.460 (12 mm) and most grand piano keys travel about 3/8 to 7/16 (9.5 to11.5 mm). The proper rail adjustment is essential in order for the piano to play correctly. Adjust the rail height by moving the 5/16 nuts on the hanger studs. B. Make a final check of the alignment of the plunger tips relative to the keys. If the rail needs to be moved in order to center the plungers to the keys, remove the solenoid rail, loosen the brackets and make the adjustment. (See Fig. 1 and 2) Note: To check the key to plunger tip alignment from the top, slide the action out 1 and look thru the strings to observe the alignment. Figure 1
Figure 2 C. Look across the bottom of all three solenoid rails for a quick check to see the level of accuracy of the height adjustment. All three rails should line up straight.
SUSTAIN PEDAL SOLENOID ADJUSTMENT FOR GRAND AND VERTICAL PIANOS The PianoDisc player system will function quietly if all the following adjustments are made: NOTE: Noise level can only be as low as if the pedal were being activated manually. Pedal Solenoid Mechanical Adjustment 1. Adjustment begins with manual pedal operation. Refer to drawing below: A. Loosen (C) pedal solenoid stop pad and adjust it upward by turning it clockwise. B. Loosen (B) pedal solenoid pushnut and adjust it upward by turning it clockwise. C. Adjust (A) manual sustain pedal rod for mini-mal freeplay between damper tray and bot-tom of damper lever. Adjustments may also be done at the Pittman Arm (D) or sustain threaded rod.
2. Grand piano sustain pedal solenoid adjustment: A. Insert a test disk into the PDS-128, PDS-128Plus or CFX-228. Select the pedal sustain/damper song and turn song REPEAT ON on the control box and press play. B. Turn the ¾ nut on the pedal solenoid until the correct damper lift is achieve. The tri-chord and bi-chord damper felt should just clear the strings (see Figure 1.) CAUTION: Too much lift of the dampers is unnecessary and will cause damper noise. C. Once the proper height has been set, tighten the ½ locking nut against the 3/4 nut. Turn the damper test song off. Move stop pad (C) down until minor movement is noticed in the ¾ pushnut. Tri Chord Damper Bi Chord Damper 3. Vertical solenoids are mounted with the stop pad (C) facing down. Total plunger stroke needs to be approximately ¼, but may vary if the dampers do not lift evenly from the strings. NOTE: The adjustment of the pedal solenoid for a vertical piano is just the opposite of the grand piano. The stop pad ajustment will control the amount of lift and the 3/4 nut will adjust the loose motion. If the dampers do not lift enough, perform the following steps: A. Loosen the 1/2 lock nut under the stop pad on the pedal solenoid. (see drawing on next page). B. Rotate the stop pad to increase the clearance between the stop pad and the solenoid plunger.
C. Tighten the lock nut to secure the stop pad. D. Loosen the lock nut against 3/4 nut above the solenoid. E. Adjust the 3/4 nut to achieve a small amount (1/16 ) of loose motion. If the damper lift is too high, perform the following steps: A. Loosen the 1/2 lock nut under the stop pad on the pedal solenoid. (see drawing below). B. Rotate the stop pad to decrease the clearance between the stop pad and the solenoid plunger. C. Tighten the lock nut to secure the stop pad. D. Loosen the lock nut against 3/4 nut above the solenoid. E. Adjust the 3/4 nut to achieve a small amount (1/16 ) of loose motion. After adjustments have been completed, perform a final check by playing the test disk or a song with sustain.
4. Hold and Strike Force: The strike and hold forces need to be adjusted to give the necessary power to perform. Any excess power will produce more heat at the solenoid and possibly shorten the life of the solenoid. For systems using 3rd generation electronics (blue driver boards), follow adjustment instructions below for pedal solenoid hold force and strike force. For silent drive systems, (1997 and later) refer to the next section, Technical Information Guide. 3 rd Generation Electronics (Blue Driver Boards) Adjustment Procedures. A. Locate the pedal driver board. 1. On grand pianos, the board is located inside rail cover box under the piano. Remove trapwork and rail cover. Note the MIDI cable connection on MIDI board which is mounted inside rail cover box so that it will be properly plugged in when adjustments are completed. Re-mount the sustain trapwork lever for the test. 2. On upright pianos the pedal board is located inside the bottom board(kickboard) on the driver board support rail. B. Strike Force Adjustment: Note: Before adjusting the strike force, the hold force must be set to zero. 1. Locate the hold force potenciameter on the pedal board. 2. Turn the screw clockwise until a click is heard. (Approxiately 10-12 turns.) 3. Play the pedal test on the test disk and observe the movement of the pedal solenoid. 4. While the pedal test is playing, turn the strike force potenciameter clockwise in half turn increaments until the solenoid does not lift. The object, is to find the place which has just enough power to move the solenoid. This is our referance point. 5. Now, turn the strike force potencianmeter counterclockwise two full turns (more power). The two more turns of increased power past the referance point will assure enough power when the pedal solenoid reaches operating
temperature. If the pedal soleniod has been operating for an hour and is fairly warm, only add one turn counterclockwise (more power) to the strike force. C. Hold Force Adjustment 1. Play the pedal test on the test disk. Observe the movement of the pedal solenoid. The solenoid will be lifting the dampers with no holding. 2. While playing the pedal test, turn the hold force petentiameter couterclockwise in half turn increments until the pedal solenoid holds adaquately. 3. Now add two more turns counterclockwise (more power) to the hold force. If the pedal solenoid has been operating for a hour and is fairly warm, only add one turn counterclockwise (more power) to the hold force. 4. Play a song on the test disk or another diskette with sustain and observe the lifting and holding of the dampers. Play the PianoDisc for an hour and re-check the sustain pedal solenoid performance.