MF#16 Roland TR-505 Rhythm Composer drum machine Easy Fix

[@thlju]

Amazing... I'm truly impressed! I just found my old TR-505. I haven't been using it for over 20 years and had of course forgot to remove the batteries. They were still inside with the Roland logo on each battery. True original! There was a small leakage, but your vinegar trick worked. I didn't know about that before. Everything's working know, so it's time to fix my Korg Poly-800! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@mikewengal6443]

You sir, are a genius! I've had my TR-505 for 25+ years? The AC plug stopped working maybe 20 years ago and I'd leave the batteries in forever until they died... I just followed your video and everything is working the same way it did 25 years ago! I thank you and my drum machine thanks you -- and now my daughter can write songs on it!

[@JeisonMylre]

Wow. This was exactly what was wrong with mine, but it had been confounding me. I opened it up and looked at the solders on the 9v jack and sure enough it had all but broken loose. Now it's fixed and working. Very helpful video. Thanks!

[@markusfuller]

Hi Jason. Im pleased you got it working again. best wishes.

[@davecc0000]

Thank you Marcus for another great repair vid. When cleaning gunk like battery residue I always use an acid brush. It gets into all the coils of a spring whereas Q-tips won't to remove the vinegar used for the cleaning. Excellent result. Next!! Cheers.

[@nevets68]

I recently got one off ebay. The seller said it was completely dead. My 505 , like yours, had the battery corrosion issue. Thanks to your video i was able to clean it up. The one thing that didn't work was the "hand clap." I noticed that the solder joints were dirty so using some contact cleaner, i ummm, cleaned it right up. End result? It works completely! :D

[@markusfuller]

Excellent. One day Im sure they will have a good collectors price like the the 707 727 etc.

[@tubical71]

That is very common on "vintage" euqipment. Switches, connectors and outlets usually got some issues. May they are falling apart, geting crackled or corroded over time and need some service. I found that 90% of non working qeuipment is due to some of these faults, not for bad transistors and/or other component failure. The "best" i´ve come across was a TX7 with no function for free...It turns out that the 5V connector on the PCB had no connection. After resoldering, the unit worked (and is working) just fine :)

[@stripemusic]

Wow thanks Mark. I was ready to throw mine in the bin, but now it's a working retro machine worth up to $150.

[@Wimpie1515]

Had exactly the same issue with my Roland R-8. Bad connection at the power in. Solder cracked. A friend of mine made the same repair you did on this one. Love your vids by the way; very informative.

[@TheZombo66]

Amazing video!! thank you Markusfuller for this video I currently own a Kawai R - 50 drum machine and I could not find how to fix this issue where you have to hold down on the erase button and boot up and all your pattern and sounds work perfectly but as soon as I remove the power source and boot up without holding the erase button it sound unstable and seems like the memory is full and sort of crashes?? something is not working properly on the system board and I have already changed the internal battery CR 2032 and a new socket, so I'm going to test if it is measuring properly, just like in your video, let me know what your thoughts are my friend cheers!!

[@ApriliaGuy1969]

Bloody hell, that brings back a few memories!! I had one linked to a Roland JX-8P and a PG-8000 Happy days :-)

[@apoesk21]

Thank you for this video! - I got my uncles. I do not have the power supply only batteries. It seams to work, with the display and all, and the MIDI connection as well... When I run it through my interface and my DAW, it works fine but when I want to use it through speakers no sound comes out. Only some low volume sound.. Do you know what the problem can be?

[@markusfuller]

Apoesk21 Hi Can you hear it through the headphone output ?. if so you could use a stereo jack from the headphone to your amplifier. maybe there is a problem with the direct left/right audio output pre amp inside it.

[@kay_lpzw]

my TR626 starts to develop the same problem. It's useable with a bit of wiggle on the power cord and I'm too lazy to fix it for now. I suppose back then they just started with those external PSUs and haven't really had the experience to make more durable connectors. Same goes for SMT connectors nowadays. I keep having issues with USB plugs that are only SMT soldered. With those super thin traces and high speed signals there is only so many times you can resolver it.

[@LittleRichard1988]

You were very lucky to find something like that at a carboot sale. I plan to buy one off a certain auction site in the not too distant future. At least they are nowhere near as expensive as a TR-707.

[@mrz80]

Florian Pilz did the Bad Gear treatment a while back, then followed it up with a Better Gear video on replacing the sample ROM with a custom EPROM full of 909 sounds (and a cowbell from the 808 :) ). Bad Gear TR-505: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJivcqaDgsuDf7s Better Gear TR-505: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJivcqaDgsuDf7s

[@machiwoomiapoo]

I love the 505. Thanks for making another great video. This video reminded me to take out the batteries of my gear and not to abuse the plug in. :) Thank you! :)

[@thomasclarkharris9241]

does the vinegar have to be asda smart price,or could you use sarsons

[@SourceRE]

Sir, I'm going through and watching all your videos. They are brilliant! Thank you so much for all your great work. I'm subscribed, so I'll be watching. Thanks again!

[@markusfuller]

Thankyou Ben. Very much appreciated.

[@bobbarcus8310]

That lithium battery inside does it just pop in and out..And would it being a bad battery make some of the sounds not work,My snare stopped and the handclaps

[@markusfuller]

+Bob Barcus It should solder into place on an original one. It is only really used to store your patterns so should not affect the snare & handclaps at all.

[@unadomandaperte]

Hi Markus, great video. By any chance you might know if the drum switches (Pads) on an Alesis HR-16 are all wired parallel to a common circuit trace?

[@markusfuller]

+alwerks1 Hi Alwerks1, Sorry I do not know the answer to that one. my apologies.

[@cogsinister100]

Another amazing car boot find....at least our yard sale season will be starting in a week or two when all the snows melted.

[@markusfuller]

Snow ???. I love snow but we did not get any last winter just hurricane wind and about ten years worth of rain.

[@cogsinister100]

markusfuller Yeah, snow, we had over six meters of snow during the winter, it was brutal.

[@scottstevenz8732]

Just bought one from a guy who had it in an old trunk for 20 years. I had been in a house fire and was all black with soot! He said it worked with batteries, so I gave him 30$ for it. It took me about 3 hours to clean off the soot with some "tape head cleaner". I tried a little acetone on the back, BAD IDEA as the acetone melts the plastic! Opened it up and put in a new power jack. The pads had lifted so it was a little tricky, had to strip off some of the green plastic to expose about 2 mm of bare copper, applied flux then a lot of solder. Works great and you would never know it was ugly as sin from the stinky house fire! Yay for craigslist!

[@markusfuller]

Excellent price at $30 and well worth the work you put into it.

[@jeffreytick]

@@markusfuller All of a sudden, I am not getting sound (unless it is plugged into the amp). ?? Was it always like that? I don't think so.

[@edfone]

I just got one, same issue (battery leakage only) but on mine and it appears to be a commun problem on these, there's a hum noise somewhere around 250hz once powered with a wall wart psu. From what I' ve previously read it needs a "regulated" psu to work without this noise... if anyone got an idea ho to fix that without buying a special psu that would be much appreciated.

[@aspectcarl]

I am going to have to start visiting your local car boot, some lovely items turning up!

[@SianaGearz]

I no longer use vinegar for anything. Instead i buy big boxes of powdered citric acid, but lemon juice will clean off alkaline battery crud too. Citric acid is awesome, smells nice, it's jut the right acidity for many household and technical uses and it doesn't produce dangerous fumes if you dump it on calcium salts.

[@pierrenic.7682]

Markus ! Love your kind !!! I love your vidéo and again I dont forget to thanks you so much for helping People... You save the ass of my Korg Delta ! So nice

[@markusfuller]

Thankyou Pierre Nic .

[@g10118]

Center-negative indeed (as indicated on the back). Not to be mixed with Korg center positive!😂 Good video, thank you for making it!

[@Biophob]

Hi Markus, my TR-505 is working only with DC adapter, it's not operating on batteries. No sign of electrolyte leakage, and internal battery wires are powered. What could it be? Is there any fuse used exclusively with batteries inside? Cheers

[@Biophob]

Nevermind, i fixed it - one of the PCB tracks were busted, so i bridged it.

[@markusfuller]

+Yunneck Excellent :-)

[@davecc0000]

In "Yankspeak" garage sale or yard sale is going to a person's home who has advertised (usually in CraigsList; in the newspaper in pre-internet days) and looking over all the items gathered in the yard or garage. In a flea market or swap meet you drive to a large parking lot (drive-in theater or corporate building) and wander the booths & tables. Car boot sale = swap meet / flea market using my Big Pond translator? Cheers.

[@TheBroDotTV]

Marcus if I take the batteries out of my Roland TR-505 drum machine in order that they don't leak is that bad? I read in the manual somewhere that removing the batteries removes memories too - is that true? Please advise. Thanks.

[@dvamateur]

This is nice. I like sample based drum machines. I would very much like to have the TR-626, but could never find one in nice condition.

[@DicasdoIzequias]

ola markcus .parabéns pelo vídeo sou técnico em eletrônica mas nunca concertei uma desta estou com uma do mesmo modelo e gostaria de pedir se nao for muito incomodo que me mande um manual de avarias pois esta esta com som bem baixo e roco ja troquei a saida e continua do mesmo jeito se tiver umas dicas fico no aguardo .obrgado.

[@markusfuller]

Olá, eu não tenho nenhum manual sobre este dispositivo, eu busco google para a maioria das informações sobre a maioria dos itens que conserto. Às vezes é difícil de encontrar, mas há um monte de informações disponíveis. Esta unidade que eu não tenho agora. Desculpe pela minha má tradução De markus.

[@RosalvoParadella]

@@markusfuller olá amigo. Eu tenho uma Roland TR626 e ela está com o display ruim. Mas é uma ótima máquina. O problema principal é que não está salvando os ritmos de usuário, mesmo depois de eu ter trocado a bateria de memória CR interna. O que será que está acontecendo ?

[@iNuchalHead]

Never mind Qtip\cottonbud... what's up with sodder\soulder?

[@DavidBivinsNYC]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder According to Wikipedia, it's only in North America.

[@RosalvoParadella]

I have a Roland TR626 that doesn't save user rhythms. I've already replaced the internal battery, and it still doesn't save. Has anyone had the same problem and managed to fix it? I really appreciate the help. Please !!

[@JonMichaelDeShazer]

That power connector seems to be a common problem on Roland equipment. I've had to replace the connector on my EP7 and resolder more than once.

[@_P_M_]

I was surprised to see a lithium battery in there. I was under the impression that RAM backup was powered by the AA batteries which also powered the unit. I still have mine in a box somewhere. Had the same problem with the power jack once.

[@jacquesmertens3369]

Batteries into the bin? I suppose you have them recycled. Right?

[@markusfuller]

Yes we have recycling bins here in brighton UK. but our local ASDA (walmart) supermarket has a special bin for batteries.

[@sushiboyangel]

anyone know of a tutorial to replace the internal battery, I believe i need to change mine because the patterns i made were gonna the next day

[@nsns6290]

I need the product, where can I find it?

[@jarkkorotsten6073]

Rather interesting to see that there some warning text written in finnish language on the yellow sticker in there... Really cool videos, keep 'em coming! :)

[@megamichaeldiscowarfare3953]

love ur vidz markus..big love Australia

[@andreaschristodoulou4274]

Lucky man, that was very easy for you. Don't know really why Roland call that machine ''rhythm composer'' the should call it a drum machine, well the only thing can do its just playing drums.....:(

[@Zaqwilson1]

Hi do you know how to fix tr 505 display? its like black circle

[@markusfuller]

Cz 5000 Hello when you say black circle do you mean part if the screen has some black on it even when its powered off ?. if so then you may have a cracked screen and it cannot be fixed but it can be replaced. the screen is made up of a few layers of glass with polarised liquid crystal between and when theres a crack or fault in the display the polarised crystal goes out of line and looks either dark blue or black.

[@Zaqwilson1]

Thanks for reply.Yes totally that. Even if i close the machine is black circle..The screen is ok and the glass is ok but a is has a dark cicle at the centre..When i took the machine was lighter.. now its darker.. why this? Do you know where or someone could help me? (Im located in Greece and im also a junior Electronic mechanic,but i couldn't risk to fix it myself :) ) Thanks for your patience.

[@markusfuller]

Hello Yes it sounds like the display has a microscopic crack or the liquid crystal fluid has failed. this happens often with old 1980s digital watches and sadly they cannot be fixed unless you can find the right display to exchange it. I do not know whare you would find the correct display as they were custom made for these machines. maybe try looking for facebook synthesiser repairs forums as there can sometimes be spare parts for sale on there. but you willneed the correct one for that machine. sorry.

[@Zaqwilson1]

Thanks Markus

[@e-conrecords4665]

I still have a TR505... though I don't use it. I may just sample it and put it away again. They're very popular with circuit benders.

[@AlbertSirup]

i suppose they are also fairly competent midi sequencers (they do have midi clock in/out for example)

[@TheBroDotTV]

Shame people bend these machines. I think they should be preserved myself as they're pieces of history and once bent there's no going back. :-(

[@DoctorBlankenstein]

Please do a Casio Cz101 video. I have to replace a key and unstick a few keys and people have me terrified. lol

[@markusfuller]

Hello . sorry but I do not have a Casio Cz101 but if I did I would do a video about it. why what is wrong on your keyboard ?.

[@DoctorBlankenstein]

@@markusfuller just a key replacement and a couple stuck buttons. All mechanical, but I can't seem to find much about what i will find inside.

[@markusfuller]

DoctorBlankenstein Hello there are several types of keys for synths but they are either held in with a spring or they slide into a slot at the back. I made this old video a long time ago replacing some keys kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqiVdYR3aMmln9k but if the key is down all the time and will not lift then you may have a spring problem or even a broken piece of plastic on the underside of the key.

[@t3l3phasicworksh0p]

Iron Man screwdriver set - nice

[@marcoscooter1702]

I did a fix once a boss dr-rythm, i opened up and i thought it was out of my league(to populated board with smd) and left it for a month or so, than someday i did a second attempt, plugged it in and started measuring from the power-jack ... Going along the circuitboard and found out, there was no power coming in, after applying some zoom with my eyes, i discovered a tiny tiny crack in the copper track and soldered a ***** wire and the thing was fixed!

[@markusfuller]

+marco scooter Brilliant Marco. sometimes the problem is an easy fix but it can take so long to find it. Best wishes from Markus.

[@marcoscooter1702]

Thnx, Markus ... Keep up the good work! What do you think about the tektronix mso3014? It has a logic analizer, although a pretty expensive upgrade, but i think it makes programming microchip pic a whole lot easier.

[@markusfuller]

Hello Marco. I have the Agilent/Keysight DSO2014 but can be upgraded to MSO though it is quite expensive for the licence. The Tektronix looks very nice also but I think you can buy a good PC based logic analyser much cheaper than the upgrades for my scope or the Tektronics. though I have never tried any of them.

[@marcoscooter1702]

I think the pc based are better than having nothing, besides some of them cost 2000us€, but a messy working solution if you're doing both digital and analog at the same time. Regards

[@markusfuller]

Hi Marco. I like to use PC based instruments as well as physical hardware based. sometimes its just easier for me to make music on the PC with only a midi controller. I do not have a lot of space to work with.

[@CoroaEntertainment]

0:28 It use 8 bit samples, not 12.

[@OpinionatedPeach]

Could u have not just dabbed tips into first bottle ?

[@t3l3phasicworksh0p]

Deoxit?

[@markusfuller]

Yes I know. I ran out a while back and should get some more. I agree Deoxit is maybe the best.

[@roasty80]

carboots selling drum machines ??? I need to start visiting. I hope they dont sell for ebay prices

[@blanchestarbong582]

Skipped over the lithium battery check.

[@t3l3phasicworksh0p]

What car boot slaes are you going to - all I see are crappy ornaments and muck'n'tat!

[@michaelbauers8800]

+t3l3phasicworksh0p probably a secret, like a good fishing location? :)

[@t3l3phasicworksh0p]

Maybe. But Yorkshire Canals = Pike + Zander = Awesome fishing!

[@georgefiddler1742]

Can you buy something knackerd Mark? Your videos are too short! Haha! Another great piece of music history saved! Great work. :)

[@markusfuller]

Hi George, I agree I need something more challenging. car boot tomorrow I will see what I can find.