How to Fix STICKY KEYS on Digital Piano Keyboard

Question:
Sticky keys on my Suzuki HP-97 digital Piano!

Hello, I have the same problem that some guy posted here, various keys of my Suzuki HP-97 are “sticky ones”. It’s like a problem with the springs of the keys that just don´t take them up or something. I’m from Argentina, and I don’t dare to give anyone my Suzuki HP-97 piano for fix, I prefer doing it myself, but I searched the web for a long time, and I can’t find a solution. Please someone can give me a hand for my Suzuki HP-97 digital piano?Thanks. – Matías

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Check out this video on how to fix keys on a digital piano.

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Bought a Low Priced Piano on Which Some of the Keys Work Sporadically?
by: Ina (Santa Clara, CA)

Should you buy a Low-Priced piano on which some of the keys work Sporadically?

I recently say an ad for a used keyboard that said, “It’s a bargain price because the E keys above middle C work only sporadically. You would need to get the keyboard repaired.”

Obviously a definitive diagnosis and repair estimate would require professional inspection, but it seems to me that a problem causing intermittent malfunction of the SAME E key in impliedly EVERY octave in a particular range “above middle C” on the keyboard is so specific that I can’t imagine a great many potential causes existing.

If its only happening with one key in one or two octaves, it could also be a simple case of cleaning the key. There are several videos that show you how to open the keys and clean it. It could be a bargain. It depends on how much the repair would cost. If you live in a city, probably getting it repaired is easier and more affordable.

Fixing the loud-sounding notes on the Yamaha Clavinova CVP
by: Dan

A few notes sound too loudly at times on my Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano.
The technician came out, removed the keyboard, disassembled the contact boards from the bottom of the keyboard unit, and cleaned all the copper runs on the board, as well as all the carbon buttons inside the rubber membrane. I found out that the keyboard attack function is controlled by the time interval between when the first contact makes and when the second contact makes during a given key depression. Very clever–and very reliable! Anyway, the next time this happens, I’ll be able to do the repair myself. The volume of a pressed key on the keyboard is determined by the number of milliseconds (ms) between the first and second contacts of a pair of electrical contact “pads” against the runs on a circuit board below the pads: less ms (i.e.: the harder the key is pressed), the louder the tone, and conversely. Evidently, a bit of corrosion, film, etc., happens in the sealed area of the contact pads, and messes up the timing between contacts. The fix is to disassemble the keyboard to the point that the keyboard contact ‘modules’ underneath can be removed, opened up, and cleaned. (There are four or five modules.) We used Q-Tips, if I remember correctly. A lint-free cloth would work. After cleaning, each module should be blown out with canned air to purge any tiny fibers left over from cleaning. My tech pinched a couple of wires when reassembling the first time, then left a cable disconnected the second time. Disassembly / reassembly is tricky, but, after watching someone qualified do it, I could repeat the process. But, I’ve been a tech all my life… You may call my cell phone (816-560-5623) if you want. Have a great day. If you have extensive experience working on computers, ATMs, electronic business equipment, or similar, the answer is yeah–BUT you have to be careful not to cause collateral issues, which is easy to do. I had a 37-year career in business machine field service (now ‘retired’), and I didn’t want to tackle it–mostly because I didn’t know how to get the case off, and I didn’t want to gouge up the exterior. Now that I know how it’s done, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I don’t know if I can recite exactly how to do the job without actually re-doing it myself, but I know there are some things to watch out for. (I had to fix a couple of things the tech missed–even after his second trip out!) If you don’t have significant experience with electronic and/or electromechanical equipment, then the answer is “no–don’t try it.”–call a qualified tech who has done a few of them.

Possible Solution – Some keys sound louder than others on Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano:
The problem is that dirt had made its way under the electrical contacts that sensed when a key is pressed, and this needed to be cleaned to remedy the problem. If each key had one ‘switch’ there is no way or mechanism for the electronics to know how hard the key is being struck. So two switches are employed to let the electronics know how hard the key is being struck. The first switch activates first, near the top of the key action, and the second switch activates near the bottom of the action. The electronics then measures the time between the 2 signals, and this will determine the ‘loudness’ of the note. The longer the time between the 2 signals, the softer the sound, the shorter the time between the 2 signals, the louder the note. The problem that you have is that the one switch does not work, and at a guess, it will be the switch that is normally activated first. So when a key is pressed, the electronics sees the second switch and thinks, “I didn’t see the first, but obviously a note was played, but I don’t know how loud to make it, so I’ll make it really loud”, or something like that. So how to fix it? After removing all the covers and ‘bodywork’, you will see a row of notes that are clipped into a steel frame. It is a bit difficult to explain how to take the keys off, but pushing the white keys towards the front, and using a 4mm screwdriver inserted in the top of the hinge point helped to lift the little part that latches into the steel frame. (I have a video clip that I could post on YouTube of how to do it. I’ll post it in a few days, search for “removing Yamaha piano keys” and hopefully you will find it. I’ll have to figure out how to do a video post on YouTube!) Pushing the key towards the front will unclip it and the key can be removed. Removing the black keys is the same, but they are pushed towards the back.

As I’ve seen them, the rubber section is formed to create enough switches for about 10 keys. So the keys that would need to be removed are the ones over the rubber strip, to allow access to remove the complete rubber strip. You may be lucky and the faulty switches might be near the end of the strip, so you might get away with only having to remove a few keys. As they are a bit of a mission to remove, the fewer, the better. To remove the rubber strip, one has to take care. It is held onto the PCB by rubber protrusions that ‘plug into’ the PCB. The rubber strip is removed gingerly, and by coaxing the rubber away from the PCB. Once the rubber strip is removed, use a slightly damp lint free cloth to clean the PCB and rubber. I would not use a solvent based cleaner as this might damage the surfaces. Also take care not to get any oils, or skin oil onto the contacts. Once done, put everything back and see if it has fixed the problem. Hopefully it has. A word of caution though, by ‘playing around’ like this, there is always the risk of causing other keys to stop working as well, so go carefully, and be prepared to set aside 3-4 hours to get the job done. The fewer keys that are removed, and the fewer rubber sections removed, the safer you will be. – Happy fixing, Sean

One will have to remove a few keys either side of the faulty ones. The reason for this is that the ‘switches’ that I referred to above are not as one would normally think of them. They are actually made of a strip of formed rubber/silicone that sits over a PCB (printed circuit board) that has all the electrical contacts (which are actually silk screened conductive pads). When the keys are pressed down, it pressed down on the rubber which presses a conductive portion of the rubber onto the conductive pads, which creates the switch.
How to Tighten Up the Keys on a Digital Piano? I have a very reliable Yamaha Clavinova PF P-100 piano. Over the years the Graded Hammer Effect has begun to ‘wear off’: I can ‘blow’ the keys down now a slight exaggeration. I wonder if there is a way to tighten up the keys on my Yamaha Clavinova piano? Most of the keys (both black and white) sag to the point where no noise comes out when I touch them. The local repair shop guy was extremely nice. He showed me how to fix it for free since I didn’t have enough money for him to do it. So I know how to fix them once I get in there but it’s a heavy console and I want to be able to take it apart correctly and without damage. So far, I’ve unscrewed all the screws of my Digital Piano and I have the wooden frame loose but what’s not loose (and what I’m having a hard time figuring out) is the front center part is tight. I can’t figure out how to make that come undone so I can work on just the keys without the wooden frame in the way. Any suggestions? – Peter H. Soderman (US)

Gem PS1600 Digital piano – Two keys producing a noisy clicking noise…To address a noisy clicking noise, I removed the contact board underneath the keyboard, but cannot figure out how to remove the keys. I need to remove 2 black keys, and see why they are making a noise that sounds like plastic hitting on plastic. There is some kind of hinge mechanism in these keys where the counterweights are attached. I am confident that if I can take these offending keys out, I will be able to see what the problem is. I simply cannot see how to get the keys out of the Gem PS1600 piano. I was told they either slide out, or pop out, but cannot see what to do. Help please. – Fred (US)

This thing worked for my yamaha keyboard…One day i was playing on the keyboard and my keys made a horrible clicking sound. I got my screw driver and put it down the back of the keyboard and i felt something…. it was a pencil i was composing music with. I got a pair of tweezers and rubbed some oil on them and gently eased the pencil out. i cleaned the oil of my keyboard and it was working good as new. i hope this helped some of you…. this doesn’t apply just to my keyboard. it could work for other keyboards! thank you! – Logan Pritchard (Birmingham)

Clicking, Clacking, Rattling Keys on Digital Piano…On my Yamaha N100 digital piano a range of about 12 keys, beginning at the lowest G# key, are producing unusual clacking noises whenever they’re hit. The noise is clearly of mechanical origin; the keys produce the same unusual noise when the keyboard is turned off. Has somebody had the same problem (on the same or other models? Is this a problem that could be fixed by myself? If not what are the best options for a professional service in the Las Vegas area for my Yamaha N100 Digital Piano? – Anonymous

To clean the keys of your Yamaha Keyboard…The part of your unit or the keys have a rubber, that rubber is the reason why your yamaha can give sound. If the rubber is dusty or dirty you need to clean it by pulling out the rubber from the Yamaha keyboard so that you can clean it. If the music keyboard is within warranty, Yamaha should fix it. Even otherwise, ask them for an authorized repair center near your area. – Anonymous

Hi, I have the same problem with my PSR7000. All C keys and F sharp keys are dead. I have opened the keyboard and could not see any dirt. The tracks are all OK after having checked for continuity. I have checked some of the diodes which appear to be OK. This keyboard is wired in a fancy matrix way. The connection goes onto another pcb and from there it is difficult to know what could be the problem. Anyone having an idea please advise. – Thanks/Albert

Tried cleaning with acetone n compressed air, it would work for a while and then go dead again. One day, I noticed The middle “C” key was not level with other keys. Other “C” keys were likewise wont rise up and be level with the rest of the keys. SO, I just very gently lifted the key from the front while pressing down from the back and slowly brought it in level with other keys. After repeating the process with this and other “C” keys, it finally clicked. My “C” keys are humming again. ” Eurekaaa”!!! WOW!!! I don’t know if this would be a permanent cure. Either the material of which these keys are made is “fatigued” or the pivoting of the keys is loosened and there isnt a whole lot I can do about that. – Vijay K.

Hi, All key of “C” and F# on my Yamaha PSR 5700 music keyboard are dead. I just turned it on one day and all was OK until i pressed keys C F and nothing could there be a dry joint. If someone could give me some idea i could re-solder or replace a capacitor or resistor but it’s just knowing what the fault is. Any help would be great. – Dennis (Nottinghamshire UK)

As a temporary measure you may use one super glued key to the unused end of the keyboard. Some even use CLEAR finger nail polish to fic the keys. Put the CLEAR polish on the joints, let it air dry for about 30-60 seconds, reap one more time and then press and hold. It may take a minute or two. Do not use for at least 4 hrs. Make sure you are holding it straight. Remember this is a repair you will have to turn the volume up instead of playing hard if you want it to last. You may slide a strip of paper (preferably grease proof) under the key to be repaired, before you put back the key. Once you do that, apply a thin coat of glue to the ends of the key, and carefully put it back. Leave plenty of time for it to cure well. As mentioned above, it is very important that you give it at least 24 hours to dry and stick well. If you think, you have messed it up and touched the surfaces that join together, do some cleaning with a little denatured alcohol (on a Q-Tip) to remove any grease off the surface. Most of the time, its not the keys that is the problem, it’s the contact with the membrane below that is broken. Usually, it is not very easy to fix just the affected keys…the entire membrane strip below the keys need to be replaced. Just talk to any piano repairer and take his views. It depends on if only the key has come out…I mean it needs to be a clean break wherein only the key has come out, with nothing bent or no missing bits of the key. This is not a guarantee but give it a try with Superglue. If the key fits back in place with no noticeable difference from the other keys, you should be good to go, since the sensors for velocity and the key itself are independent of one another. Two important things to keep in mind! First is that the Superglue needs a VERY clean surface, for it to work the best. Secondly, give plenty of time for it to cure well, preferably at least 24 hours. This is the important part; it needs a lot of time to cure properly. For replacement keys, you can check with Mike barden, he sells these keys – about 10 pounds each plus postage from the UK. I’m getting some for my 5000 but have wondered if buying another second hand one and swapping keys would be cheaper. – Bill

Broken keys on Digital Piano Keyboard. I have a few broken keys on my old Clavinova CVP-50 Digital Piano. I’ve taken the whole thing apart and I understand how the mechanism works. I simply need the missing keys as well as the springs. The springs kind of look like this:
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Just to clarify, the springs I’m referring to hold the keys in and provide the rebound action. Essentially, I need to find the specific keys I need. Perhaps from a non-working model? There must be replacements floating out there. Thanks in advance for any information about this issue. – Marius (Rockford, IL)

Two keys on my casio ctk 518 keyboard stay down. I removed the bottom and the two circuit strips and found two broken spots on the carbon contact strips. All I need to be able to buy is the new carbon contact strips I can install them my self. – Neil Taber (Altamont NY 12009)

ACE rod kit – (Advance Coat Engineered). Suzuki has a repair kit available for this problem. It appears to be a manufacturing defect that they won’t ‘fess up to. Replacement rod now has a Teflon coating to free up the sticky keys. When Suzuki sent me the name of a local service technician they also sent me the instructions for the repair and the tech knew about the problem before i finished describing it to him. He had heard it all before. Repair cost about $300 parts and labour. – Anonymous

I have a Roland HP 307 digital piano, and the third-lowest B is sticking, often taking the C along with it. I am not very keen on opening it, if I can get it repaired easily for a reasonable amount. At the same time, I am okay to try opening it up and fiddling with it. I gave it a try but left it midway as I was finding it hard to get rid of the case. Has anyone fixed something like this before? Is it really tough to get this thing sorted out or should I get a digital technician? Taking my Roland digital piano HP 307 to somebody is going to be difficult on my own. Won’t fit in my car. – Jay

Stuck key on Roland digital piano. I would do the following in sequence, only if there’s nothing bent, or wobbly: Make sure there’s dust, dirt or any sort of finger-gunk between the keys. For this you can use cardboard bits of various sizes to slide between the keys and catch eventual obstacles. If they are clean, next I would try using some sort of electrical contact cleaner. Last resort – contact Roland and write to them about your problem or use their Dealer Locator feature to find a shop that is nearby for service. – Ben

Regarding stuck key on my Roland digital piano. Do you want to ask one of your friends, who is probably good at assembling / dissembling things, to have a look at your Roland digital piano? I have friends who can fix these issues on their own. Go through your Users Manual or Service Manual to check instructions on disassembly or repair tips. If you don’t have one, service manuals are usually available for around $15-25. – Vicky

I have a sticky key in my Kurzweil pc2x. The F# key above middle C sticks when the keyboard seems to have been on for a long period of time. In fact, I heated the keyboard with a hair dryer and the key would not come up at all. – Larry

I have Sticky Keys on my Suzuki S99 Piano. The piano is located in the Dominican Republic. The keys stick, and the sound stays on the sound of the stuck key. I have to turn the piano off and start again. Suggestions Please! – Peggy (Dominican Republic)

I have a Suzuki mini baby grand digital piano that has problems with sticking keys. The technician took the keyboard out from the piano and took it to his shop to repair. A week later he brought the keyboard back and put it back in the piano. Now I don’t feel the same the weighted key action. In fact, majority of the keys rattles too much and I don’t feel this keyboard is the original one that I had. My question is can my Suzuki digital piano keyboard be replaced with different model or brand? – Grace (US)

Here’s a cool video that shows how to fix STICKY KEYS on a SUZUKI Digital Piano. Certain SUZUKI Pianos have been having this problem of sticky keys and in fact, a lot of users have reported this problem. In most cases, usually you expect the manufacturer to do a recall of all the affected pianos if a problem is occurring in mass quantity for any particular series. If it is still under warranty, Suzuki might give you some options. But here Suzuki probably feels that the problem is not widespread and not because of any technical fault in production. In fact, Suzuki themselves have prepared a REPAIR KIT to help users resolve this issue with the keys..So do check out this video on How to fix STICKY KEYS on SUZUKI Digital Pianos. – Jim

Yes there is a repair kit to fix this issue of the sticky keys, (ACE rod kit) which in my opinion it gives you the best results, but the thing is, to install the new rod it takes, once you have the key bed assembly out ,15-20 minutes, the more consuming time is taking the unit apart. I guess depends on the type or model of the piano and the level skill of the individual. Another thing the price is not 60 dollars any more it is $100 dollars. There is a video on “you tube” on how to do this repair. – piano tech

I just bought a Suzuki HP-97 Digital Piano and got a really good deal on it because quite a few of the keys stuck. I played it for about thirty minutes before I decided to take the whole thing apart and try to fix the problem. I’ve never messed with a digital piano before, but nevertheless I figured it out. I took the keyboard out and fully disassembled it. Keys, hammers, and electronics, all if it had to come apart to fix the problem properly. If the key is sticking the problem is probably in the hammer. The problem is that the hammer has too much friction between it and the rod about which it rotates. I tried all kinds of lubricants, and I even asked the local piano store and I didn’t find anything that would work by itself. I ended up having to drill out the holes in the hammers so that they could rotate more freely. The hole is already 5/16 in. I used a 5/16 drill bit and just wiggled it around in the hole a little bit while the drill was running at a slow speed. This removed just a tiny bit of plastic. Then I lubed up each hammer with lithium grease that I got from an auto shop. After a long reassembly process I have my Suzuki HP-97 Digital Piano that works perfectly. The project took a long time (2 days), but knowing what to do will save a lot of time. – Anonymous

Sticky Keys – Manufacturer Solution. Ok, I talked to Suzuki customer service. The rep wouldn’t tell me exactly why the keys are sticky, but he told me they sell a repair kit for $60 USD. It consists of two plastic coated rods, versus 6 rods (non-plastic?) in the original. He said it takes 2 to 3 hours to replace the rods. They don’t offer replacements for the electronic boards, but they offer a standard repair cost for Main CPU Bd @ $115, Power Supply/Amp Bd w/transformer @115, and Dream board (sound) @ $75. This as of 5/23/2011 – Anonymous

Well, I read that a different Suzuki model has a problem with nylon bushings swelling (maybe absorbed lubricating oil?), and that a kit is offered for replacing a metal shaft through which the entire set of old key bushings must be slid onto – described as a complicated 2-3 hour job (couldn’t possibly be more complicated than disassembling entire microwave to clean smoke odor after setting slices of bread on fire). Another person posted that he carefully used a drill to re-drill the bushings with the exact same size hole, and this fixed his sticky keys (different model). – Anonymous

In reply to your questions about “sticky keys,” I’ve been told that the stickiness is the result of the Suzuki manufacturer unknowingly using a lubricant that eventually becomes sticky. This person told me it is labor intensive to disassemble and clean, but I’m planning to attempt to do so, anyway. Good Luck on yours. – Don

Many keys are sticking. I have a Suzuki Digital Piano HP-97. Not too long after we got the piano (it was a gift), the keys started sticking. Now many of the keys are stuck in the down position. Is this something that requires an expert to fix? Does it just need cleaning? Is it something I can figure out with a little help? – Anthony

Kurzweil Mk 5 keys that repeat on their own at full volume. I purchased this piano new and it had this problem since it was new, but it is getting worse. It went in to the dealer several times, but they said they could not get it to fail. I could and I showed them what it did and they kept it for weeks and never got anywhere. After several month long trips to the service department without any fix I gave up and put it in my house. I still have those two keys that sound twice when they are stuck once. The first time it is the normal key strike sound, but the second time the note sounds full volume like you have hit the key twice in a row. It sounds terrible when it happens. I make enough mistakes on my own and I do not need any help making ones that really stand out. If you strike the offending key, leave it pushed down to sustain and wiggle gently back and forth (left and right) the key will sound many times at full volume from this kind of motion. Like I said it happened all the way back to when it was new, but it was one of those things that did not happen often enough and at that time you could not get it to do it every time the key was struck unless you knew how to make it happen. It happened so seldom at first it took me a few months to learn how to get it to do it my self. The two keys (Bb one octave down from middle C and E down from middle C) that have always done this have now got to a point where it happens way too much. Is this something I can change or repair my self. I have not taken the piano apart becaue it has always worked and is in a clean dust free inviorment. If you know how to adjust the keys or fix this problem please let me know. Oh, a set of service schmatics would be nice too. Thanks! – Dennis (Eugene Oregon)

Candle wax dripped into my Yamaha 61 key keyboard. Certain keys do not sound at all. I really think this problem may be solved with the appropriate cleaning approach (solvent?) and careful access to the inside of the instrument and the affected keys. This is an old keyboard but so handy for just noodling around when I don’t want to get up. It was on the floor next to the coffee table where a candle was burning. The candle was extinguished and the fact that some of the wax had dripped on to the keyboard was not noticed until the next morning. The instrument seems to be functioning fine in all other respects but about 8 of the keys do not sound at all. About five of these keys are in sequence, but there are a couple of others a key or two away also affected. Just really seems like wax splatter and gummed them up, and I am hoping there is a process whereby I can get this gunk out. – Marilyn