What I'd Like to See on my Next Casio

[Null]

As well as every keyboard ever to be made in the future by every manufacturer.

A velocity sensitive, optronic musical keyswitch.

If you're like me, you're sick and tired of those stupid little suction cup switches either wearing out or sucking every piece of bar crud around until they cease to function properly.

It may cost a little more but why the hell aren't keyboard manufacturers using optical switches instead?

Here's a simple design that adapts an off the shelf ready made optical interruption sensor to measure the velocity of a struck key by using software to determine the time from which the contact is first broken til when it is re-established on the downstroke.

This is childishly simple switching technology on which patents expired decades ago and it is bulletproof, smearproof and if it ever fouls up with dust bunnies, a simple vacuum cleaner can render it good as new again.

Here ya go boys.  With my compliments.

I'm passing this on to every keyboard manufacturer out there tonight and you can all murder each other for the patents, if there are any to be had.

Like I said, it's a simple application of an existing technology that's over three decades old.

At the very least, start using this in your higher end machines.

Gary

http://wiring.org.co/learning/basics/opticalsensor.html


 

[Jokeyman123]

I've seen these used in other applications, very reliable not subject to wear.

 

After having had to tear apart many keyboards that use the carbon contact rubber booties that crack, wear out or clog with goobers this would be a much more elegant design. You're also right-if it costs even a little more, we'll probably never see it. Unfortunately except for 1-2 manufacturers including Casio, these rubber strips are pervasive in the industry and blame it on Fatar. I've taken these apart in GEM keyboards, Ensoniq keyboards, Kurzweil, Fatar, Soundlogic and Yamaha. All the same and prone to the same failures. Casio uses a similar rubber boot design for electrical contact.

 

This would also make possible whatever type of mechanical action the manufacturer wanted without worrying about the rubber membrane switch concept since it would not have to be designed based upon the key assembly having to squish these rubber thingys. I replaced almost every single contact switch in an old Yamaha RM1X which used the same type of sealed rubber boot switch under each button. Almost all had failed due to dirt getting inside the rubber boot itself.

 

I cut a few old ones apart to inspect and the RM1X also had carbon button contacts inside which wear and stop working. and since the velocity reading within the type used in keyboards is based upon miniscule differences between the height of 4 carbon contacts (2 pairs) close together in the same encapsulated rubber boot, chances of this failing are pretty common. I replaced these in the RM1X with a mechanical "clicky" switch I found at Jameco, an electronics supply mail order company and it is a big improvement, although these are not opto-couplers or triggers and are not velocity or pressure sensitive so only 2 carbon contacts, not 4. So these cannot be substituted in any keyboard I've played. The rubber contacts seem to be the "norm" for manufacturers even though these show a history of wear and contaminant failure, sometimes even when in service for a short period of time.

[Null]

I should have guessed you'd step in on this one man

 

I have a pretty lively discussion going on this topic over on EEVBlog Forums.  Feel free to join in to help explain the problems we face with the standard membrane switches.

 

http://www.eevblog.com/forum/oshw/what-i%27d-like-to-see-on-my-next-musical-keyboard/

 

Gary

[Jokeyman123]

OK-just spent 4 hours dissecting an old Ensoniq MR76 with these very demonic membrane switches-what a nightmare. Need to rebuild and clean it, almost crippled myself taking the keyboard out. The keyboard assembly alone must weigh 25 pounds. And the membrane switches are so gunked up, it's a miracle it still plays (keeping my fingers crossed, I'm hardly done with it). I will check out this website. Cheers.

[Null]

I've also been disccussing this on the Kurzweil Forums at Cunka.com.

 

Over there, spotlight kid introduced a refinement that I think is bulletproof in its brilliance.

 

http://www.cunka.com/forum/index.php?topic=4252.0

 

Gary

[dc2k]

I've also been disccussing this on the Kurzweil Forums at Cunka.com.

 

Over there, spotlight kid introduced a refinement that I think is bulletproof in its brilliance.

 

http://www.cunka.com/forum/index.php?topic=4252.0

 

Gary

need a login for that site. What's the gist?

[Null]

You shouldn't need a login for cunka.  That's an open and public forum where I posted there.

 

At any rate, if you need to login it's easy enough to create a username and throwaway password.

 

At any rate it's impossible to explain what he's come up with without using his diagrams.

 

Much simpler if you just create a quick login for yourself.

 

Gary

[Larry]

Hey Gary, Doin't forget  "A better written user manual"

We got to tack that on to your everyones wish list.

 

Larry

[Jokeyman123]

Gary, i see what you mean after reading some of those posts at the other forums. Not everyone is thrilled with the concept, but I'd like to see it happen. If I were you, I'd spend a little money and at least apply for a copyright on the design which I think isn't too costly. I have stumbled across one or two designs of mine i naively posted only later to discover someone actually stole the concept, patented it and now I can twiddle my thumbs while someone else cashes in! For the problem of dirt, one could incorporate some type of anti-static system such as used by digital camera designers use to keep dust off the camera sensors inside the camera. or simply encapsulate the entire assembly to be dust-free. MIDI circuits have been using optocouplers for data transmission and to avoid circuit ground loops for years and these almost never fail.

[Null]

Jokeyman >>>  A poster over on Cunka already came up with a better design than mine.  Copyright is not worth a bucket of horse spit. Patent law is a very expensive minefield which would cost me over $50 K to apply for and maintain.  Then you have the hassle of defending your patent in court.  ROLL OUT THE LAWYER$$$$$!!!!  Not to mention spotlightkid over on Cunka already came up independently with a significant improvement in the design.

 

Even so, under patent law a patent can be voided by making two non obvious improvements.

 

What it boils down to is that I'm no engineer and I'm not backed by a billion $$$ multinational with an army of lawyers on retainer.

 

Furthermore, my original postings constitute what is known in legal terms as an "unsafe disclosure."

 

What it boils down to is that probably nobody could legally patent this in the US or worldwide after these threads because of the unsafe disclosures everyone made of their ideas.

 

Truly if you are a small entity and you wish to pursue a patent you must be a frigging masochist in the legal snakepit that constitutes the patent system as we know it today..

 

Sleep peacefully knowing that whomever patented your ideas out from under you probably spends 50% of his earnings and 50% of his free time in court defending his lousy patent.

 

Gary

[Peter]

I want to see a ton of knobs. Do them with dials like on the Behringer BCR2000, so when I load a new patch, I see what knob is on what value. 

[Jeffrey]

I would like to see Casio come up with a midi pedal-keyboard (like 2octaves) that you could connect to the keyboard and use it for practicing church-organ stuff. Viscount makes such a thing, so does Roland; theirs are pretty expensive though.