This is an article about backing up your Disklavier Floppy Disks using a specific tool called a Greaseweazle. If you do not have a Greaseweazle, and want a straightforward and less technical solution, please see the article on backing up your Yamaha floppy disks using simply an external floppy disk drive and downloadable tools. I … Read more
I’ve recently installed some external speakers for various Yamaha Disklaviers. Hopefully my experience with this helps somebody else! The Yamaha Disklavier Mark IV is a well-loved, sophisticated instrument. However, upgrading its control unit to the DKC-900 offers several benefits—most notably, access to Yamaha’s ENSPIRE radio stations and On-Demand radio. This is one of my recommended … Read more
Yamaha GH actions require the insertion of a “rod” (as it’s referred to in the service manuals). Yamaha sells a specific tool—specifically part TX000671 (VCN03010) during disassembly. The rod blocks the hammers, relieving the pressure on the contacts and contact circuit boards. You can then easily remove the contact boards, or perform other service. The … Read more
Yamaha sold Smart PianoSoft floppy disks for Yamaha Marks III and IV. This was a revolutionary technology: You could insert a floppy disk designed to play the actual acoustic piano alongside an audio CD. In other words, the piano would accompany your CD! Yamaha released many such albums, and because the piano is accompanying the … Read more
This article on Mark IV Disklavier SSD Conversion was originally contributed by Richard Zajac. The Mark IV utilized a spinning hard disk, which was more than sufficient for the technology of its time. Even advanced systems like the Yamaha Disklavier don’t demand exceptionally fast read speeds, as piano notes aren’t played within microseconds of each … Read more
I recently encountered a Yamaha PSR-S750 with a couple of issues that appear to be quite common in this series. I wanted to share my experience in the hope that it might help someone in the future. Sudden Shutdowns The customer initially reported that the keyboard would display an error message at irregular intervals and … Read more
I recently installed a Nalbantov floppy disk emulator using an updated version of the insert and mount that I designed. You can see based on the pictures below that the Nalbantov slim is slightly too small to fill the entire cavity left by the original floppy disk drive. Additionally, there are no mounts of any … Read more
I have a customer who recently experienced an issue with his Yamaha Disklavier HQ100. The HQ100 is the Japanese version of the MX100II. He primarily uses this instrument via MIDI, and finds the Disklavier quite useful. This discussion should apply to other models of Yamaha Disklavier. Although the solenoids and part numbers differ between models, … Read more
I was working on a Roland KR-370 that had been through a lightning strike, and I was looking for the BIN file to program onto a replacement EPROM (IC2). I did eventually find one, posted by a very helpful individual in the Badcaps forum. During my search, I encountered several enormous repositories of EPROM dumps … Read more
I recently had a client request that I replace the stock GH3 action in her Yamaha CVP-305 with a Yamaha Natural Wood action, and so I had an opportunity to do some experimenting. I replaced the basic GH3 keybed in her piano with a GH3-NW keybed, which has noticeably better (and lighter) touch. She’s been … Read more