Korg T1

Illustrated instructions

Here is a link to a blog post with pictures

Changing the Battery in my Korg T1

Just in case that page disappears...

Changing the battery in my Korg T1

I like to play the keyboard and bought a used Korg T1 about a year ago. Recently the battery went out and it lost all of it's programing. Ofcourse I did not have the original factory disk so I went on E-Bay and paied something like 12 bucks for the disk (which I'm sure cost the guy about 75 cents to copy). I also looked online to find instructions on how to change the battery and never really found anything that great so I thought I would document the steps here in case some one is lucky enough to stumble onto it here.

[[Image:KorgT1Battery-02.jpg]

1. First thing you need to do is buy a new battery. Hopefully you're lucky enough to see this post before you pay 10,20,or $300 (yes people were trying to sell them for $300) for a CR2032 battery that you can buy at your local Walmart or Radio Shack. Believe me there is nothing special about this battery, it is a common battery that you can pick up for a couple bucks.
   
2. Once you have the battery, get yourself a decent medium sized screwdriver and remove three screws from the bottom of the T1. On my T1 these were the only three screws with washers. There is one on each end and one in the middle.
   
3. The T1 is largely made out of wood with the buttons and LCD display on a black medal panel. Once you have the screws out, this medal panel will lift up from the front. It is hinged from the back. Once you lift this up you will see something like the top left picture.
   
4. The battery is under the middle circuit board. You need to be able to remove this circuit board. There are 3 screws in the back near the PCM Card slot and one in between the O and R in KORG. Removing these 4 screws and three addional screws on the circuit board will free it from the chassis.
5. While the board is now free there are still at least half a dozen ribbon cables restricting it's movement. You will need to remove some of these to be able to flip the circuit board to get to the battery. I recommend removing the two from the front and two from the left of the board.
   
6. Once you are able to flip the board you will see the battery which I have circled in red in the top right picture. Simple remove the battery from the battery holder and replace it with the new one.
   

Viola you are done. You just need to put your keyboard back like you found it and reload you factory settings.

Older text instructions

Battery Replacement

In fact the battery is quite simple to replace. The danger is making absolutely you ground YOURSELF before replacing it so that you do not short-circuit one of the boards within it.

The T1 Korg has a "lid" you can life to access the brains. The retaining screws, however, are beneath the instrument and so you have to remove them first. They are 3 in number; one at the left and right ends and the third in the center. TIP: Mark them with masking tape for the future. You'll have to replace a battery more than once.

Suggest you have TWO people for this operation to keep the instrument from falling open into two halves. Do this way:

1. Place the instrument on its backside
2. One person stablize and hold
3. Second person remove retaining screws.
4. Now both persons carefully set the instrument back down on its feet.
5. Open carefully and note that the top shell opens exactly at 90-degrees; as such, the lid can easily fall, so have the asst stabilize the top while you replace the battery.
6. The battery is located under the center chipboard (it's the largest one). You will have to remove 4 retaining screws on the backside of the Korg and some 3-4 retaining screws that mount the chipboard to the inside base of the Korg.
7. NOTE GROUNDING WIRES, if there are any, and be sure you ground them to the same place from whence they came when you finish replacing the battery.
8. Also, do a gentle "test" closing of the lid before you actually seat the lid permanently and replace the retaining screws. Make sure no wire or etc have fallen under the feet that support the lid (easy error to commit).

If you won't be moving your Korg around (taking it to gigs, etc.) you may consider not replacing the retaining screws on the bottom. This allows you to open the lid in the future to fix other problems (replacment of switches, keys, buttons, etc.).

Meanwhile, don't be screwed into purchasing a replacement Floppy for the usual $128 - $300 gougers charge for it. Go online to teac.com and purchase their p/n 193077C5-29, which is made expressly for the Korg T1. They're about $18 (suggest you buy 2 for the future. As of Oct 2006 you could still purchase these from Teac).

There is a problem with the Teac replacement which is the ribbon that connects it to the center chipboard (it's the longest ribbon, can't miss it). A jumpwire has to be added that connects pins 12 and 16. Strongly suggest you have an electronics shop do this for you unless you are qualified.

Hope this helps.

Meanwhile, I'm looking to purchase another T1 in GREAT shape. If you have one or know someone who does, I'll greatly appreciate the contact. I can be reached at: tssent@fusemail.com. I am Jim.

This tip came from Corazon

---