Casio LK-280, settings are not saved

[olofg]

I just bought an LK-280 as a Christmas gift to the kids.

Every time a power off the keyboard and switch it back on, the settings are reset.

 

Example: I want the lesson settings to be different, I want the whole song to be played instead of phrases.

I set "PhraseLn" to "oFF" and we're happy. As soon as I reboot the keyboard, the setting is reverted.

 

What am I missing? It cannot be that the settings are not possible to save. Faulty device?

 

This happens for all settings, such as "REPEAT" - it always switches back on.

[Null]

Do ya have batteries in it?

 

Merry Xmas,

 

Gary

[olofg]

No, only AC. Does it really help with batteries?

I just noted in the manual: "The digital keyboard will revert to initial settings the next time you turn it on."

Can this really be? Why on earth would they design it like that?

Guess I'll try with batteries before my head explodes.

[Null]

Actually it's pretty common for low end keyboards to revert to defaults when they power down.  Check your manual to see if you can save "performances" or "registrations."

 

That's generally what they're called on higher end keyboards, but I wouldn't knock myself out trying if I were you.  Batteries may allow you to save settings, otherwise I guess you're just out of luck.

 

Generally in order to keep costs down, keyboards have limited or no flash memory and adding a battery backup circuit adds to the costs as well.

 

Merry Xmas,

Gary

[olofg]

Yeah, you're right. There is no way to save the settings, even with batteries...

 

I turned off the "auto power-off", so it's always on - my way of saving the settings.

[Null]

Also not a good idea.  The backlight in the display will burn out in a few months.

[olofg]

Also not a good idea.  The backlight in the display will burn out in a few months.

 

Argh.

 

Hmm, it doesn't seem to have a backlight in the display though. The thing is that my kids don't play on the keyboard unless the setting is "play the whole" song, and it's too complicated for them (2, 4 and 5) to learn how to do it themselves.

 

Option 1: Take the risk that the keyboard burns out.

Option 2: Find another keyboard that has the same feature (and the settings can be saved)

Option 3: Play together with them, and show them how to play

 

Option 3 sounds like the obvious parent choice (dad - daughter - son - bonding), but I also want them to play spontaneously.

I think I'm going for option 1 until I find another keyboard :-)

 

Thanks.

[Null]

Option 4.  Teach the 5 yr old how to push the right buttons to get into the full song mode.

[olofg]

Option 4.  Teach the 5 yr old how to push the right buttons to get into the full song mode.

 

Not so bad! And then sheeeee can help the others when they complain.

[ssleon64]

I have certainly gotten tired of pressing Function, scrolling through backwards 4 or 5 times on the keypad to Lesson, hitting enter, scrolling through to PhraseLn, hitting enter again, and pressing down on the keypad every time I want to play a song. I had to look it up multiple times before I finally got it memorized, and I cannot imagine trying to teach such a complicated process to a 5 year old, much less a 2 year old. 

I understand that they were trying to cut costs with flash memory, but there ARE some settings that it can save (like Contrast, thankfully). Why not this one as well? Or, alternately, why not make it a single button press? There are so many "conveniently located" buttons on the keyboard I never press and still don't know what they do. But the function I want every time I turn on the keyboard is buried in the settings. There's no way around it: it is a bad design.