Service Manual

Started by eduatempo, April 21, 2011, 05:36:28 PM

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eduatempo

Hi all

I'd like to know if somebody has or know where can I get one VG99 Service Manual.
I already downloaded it from Elantric post, but it is not so detailed and I can't see the schematic clearly.
Today I tried to do some practice, and when I wanted to change some parameters, no potentiometers worked.
I'm electrical engineer and in the past, something similar happened to me, I opened the VG, clean up the flat wiring, and it worked again, but know I think something worst happened.
Please, let me know if you can help me or giving me some information to buy a copy
Thank you in advance for your help and for this great forum.

Eduardo

Elantric

#1
Sadly - the hardcopy version of the Roland VG-99 Service Manual you purchase is not much better in resolution than the PDF version we have here.

We are not living in the 1980's when Roland Service Manuals were excellent!

Today - they figure you throw away the product when it breaks - I blame the miniaturization of electronics, and the need for a SMT rework station, which most Roland repair centers do not have access too.

Here's a cheap one @ $4,400 USD:


http://gsmserver.com/shop/equipment/soldering_sssembly/smt/bokar_x_finerework_sp2_al_il_smt_rework_system.php


Its very tough to locate a tech that will actually perform a board level repair on today's products. Today we experience "state of the art" changes in electronics on a month by month basis.

Compare a 1988 Digikey Catalog at 300 pages, to a 2011 Digikey catalog at 2,776 pages!
www.digikey.com
   


But unlike Line 6 , or Samson/Zoom, both Yamaha and Roland Corp will sell you a Service Manual to anything in the product line you want.

Roland US Customer Support will sell you a VG-99 Service manual (with all the blurry schematics) for $45, just have a credit card handy!
http://www.rolandus.com/support/

EDIT: Roland US changed this policy in mid 2011. Roland Service Manuals are no longer available to the end user



You can speak to a support person in Los Angeles Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.


Tel: (323) 890-3740


But they only do board Main Board swaps at $650 / board - no more troubleshooting at the board level to find the bad $10 component.

eduatempo

Thank you very much Elantric for your fast answer!

Unfortunately, I lived in Argentina, so far from LA, than just only the freight and repair cost will be same like to buy another new VG99.
But, from other side, I have the resources to repair here, I have SMD soldering station and all this kind of stuff in my own company.
Looking on the board, the potentiometers are muxed by a very common IC, (IC6 and IC7). Those are analog switches (and DIP package!!) and I can buy some new ones here.
I'll try to figure out if it is the cause (I don't think so, is very rare that this kind of IC fail), hope that the failure don't came from the processor who controls it.

Again, thank you very much for your help, I'll try to buy the manual from Roland.
Best Regards

Eduardo