Keyboard Repair Technician

Freelance Hammond Organ and Keyboard Repair Technician since 1974

During my many years as a keyboardist I have also used my Electronic Engineering education from various universities (including University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Campus) to repair all my own 13+ keyboards including, most recently my Hammond XK5 Organ (below)

Other various keyboards and gear include … Yamaha DX7 and EX5, ARP Odyssey, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Hammond M3 Organ, 147RV Leslie Speaker, Roland VK7, Axiom, Korg Poly 800 and R3, and various speakers, mixers, pedals, and other electronic gear. I have also worked at “Music Dealers Services” company in Chicago Illinois, “Musiconics”, and “Westronics” in DesPlaines/Elmhurst//Bensenville Illinois and various other “shops” over the years.

HammondXK5keyContactReplacemtnDougOrlandoIMG_9751
Hammond XK5 key Contact Replacement to resolve MIDI notes at full or zero velocity sending a CC of 0 or 128 all the time

Success!

Success! After Circuit Board Cleaning and Contacts Replacement

Click on the video …. to hear both the Hammond, and the MIDI connected Piano from Sunday Keys iPad App … HammondXK5keyContactReplacemtnDougOrlando

Note: This was To fix MIDI Contact – F2 , G3 , Ab5 keys outputting 100% Max Velocity on MIDI Send all the time.  Every time you play the one key its sending CC 120 Full velocity so if you play a scale using a Midi module (I have Roland JV1010 with ‘70s card), the Rhodes piano sound I use has FULL Velocity on that one key and it sticks out like a sore thumb (you can only imaging how loud it is compared to the softer keys of the scale).  It makes the MIDI on the XK5 unusable as it’s an important key in middle of the keyboard around Middle C.   My XLK5 lower manual was fine till 5 years age, and now also needs keybed board cleaning and contacts cleaning replacing which is currently in process in 2025.

Note: I live in Phoenix area with much Dust. Moral of the story ALWAYS USE A DUST COVER when not playing the keyboard!