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As explained from the beginning, the stylophone is a very robust little instrument, and an apparently dead unit is
usually something quite simple.
The single most likely cause is a dirty stylus and keyboard.
It can be very easy to overlook this, and suspect a failed component, or something just as drastic.
Over time, the keyboard will become tarnished - as will the stylus - and a simple clean of both works wonders, and
often addresses the problem. Even if the stylophone is working, a bit of metal polish here can improve the sound quality 100%, compared to a dirty unit. |
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Troubleshooting
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You put in a battery, switch on, and apply the stylus to the keyboard -
nothing happens! |
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Another place to look is the battery clip.
Due to the ends being hidden by the plastic cover, it may not be immediately noticeable that a wire may have
come adrift. Just grip the connector, and gently pull each wire to make sure they are secure.
If this is the problem, you can re-solder the loose wire after carefully cutting the plastic cover to make a flap, then
gluing back into place when done. The best option however is to replace the connector altogether, although this will mean some dismantling of the stylophone. |
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The switches themselves can also be the cause. On most* of the models, they connect
directly to the circuit board - much the same way as applying the stylus.
In fact; although they 'switch' the power/vibrato on and off, it would be more accurate to
call them 'slides'. They are not a real switch in the true sense. When you slide each switch into position, the 'click' you hear is in fact just a plastic notch moulded in the case to stop the switch floating back and forth.
Sometimes these can feel sloppy, indicating a loose circlip on the back of the switch.
If it's stiff, this is usually a sign of a build up of dirt - or corrosion.
In essence, the contacts on both these switches are equally as important to clean as the
stylus and keyboard. They are of course, far more difficult to get at to clean properly. |
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Depending on what model you have, the tuning control could be at
fault.
On some models the rotary tone/pitch control is as shown here;
basically with the wiper arm exposed.. |
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There should be a small graphite peg located in a
hole at the end of the arm. They are held in place under a small downward pressure from the spring- like arm. This arm can become fractured along its' fold, or simply become slack. If the tiny peg is not in contact with the black disk below it - or if it has fell out and missing altogether - the stylophone will not work at all!. |
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The stylus wire is probably what most people will suspect as the fault with a non-working unit, but in all
honesty - unless it has come completely adrift - it is unlikely to be the cause.
The reason being that the wire passes through a small hole in the case, where a simple knot is tied before being
soldered to the board. Even a sharp tug on the wire is unlikely to dislodge it. The other end of the wire is soldered and crimped into the stylus nib. The cracks that appear around the lead where it folds is usually cosmetic damage only. The lead itself is made up from multi-strand wire; (similar to that as used on speaker cone connections, which have to withstand constant movement); and is very resilient. It's worth a look of course, but to check it properly you will have to dismantle the stylophone. Going this far will let you get at the second most likely cause anyway - the sliding switches. |
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If you have gone through all the above, and the Stylophone still doesn't work, it could be that you just have
one of the less reliable models; as explained on the 'Basics' page; and component failure is at fault.
Finding the problem is going to be one thing - obtaining the necessary parts is another!.
Some of the boards/circuits are going to be a real problem, and you may just be left with a 'display' stylo.
The Stylophone Sales Center do have some genuine replacement parts for these various units, but they are
usually kept in reserve, for their own stock of guaranteed reconditioned stylophones.
Just something to bear in mind if 'shopping around' for a used example!.
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