Fender Rhodes service manual

Does anyone have the Fender Rhodes service manual w/ schematics.. They used to be on the 'fenderrhodes.com' website which unfortunately doesnt exist anymore? Thanks!

-Jay

Hi Jay,

I have some schematics for Fender Rhodes piano.

Do you have the passive piano or the stereo vibrato type with built in pre amp, is the new or old type ????

--Bo

Hey Bo.. I've got 2.. But the schematic I am after, is for a 1974 Suitcase model.. With the Vibrato, preamp..ect...

Thanks,
-Jay

> the Fender Rhodes service manual w/ schematics..

Yes. But:

At work.

And: Fender did about four variations in a few years. What exact knob-functions and jacks does yours have?

And BTW: what is wrong? Someone here may have run into it before and know the fix faster than I can un-bind and scan schematics.

I'd be interested in seeing them as well - since I am missing the amp on my suitace. Mine is the XLR version - 5 pin. It'd be nice to activate the preamp and get a nice stereo output - I know that CAE sound sells something that does this - but it would be a nice DIY project too.

[quote author="fallout"]Does anyone have the Fender Rhodes service manual w/ schematics.. They used to be on the 'fenderrhodes.com' website which unfortunately doesnt exist anymore? Thanks!

-Jay[/quote]

wow, what happened to fenderrhodes.com ??????? i was just there, and pulled the schematic for the suitcase as well as the tech manual, and now i cant find either. man that sucks,

Ryan

> my suitace. Mine is the XLR version

I'm not going to scan and downsize 20+ fold-out pages today.

"XLR suitcase" covers at least two very different models. Do you have 12 transistors, 3 chips, or ???

> I am missing the amp

On the 3-chip XLR-5 suitcase:

Power amp is not very different from a standard Hi-Fi/PA amp, so just use that.

XLR:
pin = function
_1_ = ground
_2_ = -15V power
_3_ = R out
_4_ = L out
_5_ = +15V power

Power demand is about 30mA (half of that is in the pilot light!) and Fender regulated with 7815/7915 chips in the power amp box.

sweet! that is great information! I can use my old GL2000 power supply - that has the +/- 15V

or course I'll need to put the regulators back in...

thanks a lot for this info!

PPR, appreciate the help... I have my Rhodes in storage right now. I'm going to grab it this weekend and let you know the specifics.. I'm having a problem with the effects send/return.. Thanks!

-Jay

> I'm having a problem with the effects send/return.

"a problem"?

Anyway: there's nothing to that. Pickup goes to send, normalized to return, and then to everything else. Open it up and see. Broken wires, dirty jacks, not much to go wrong. Do notice that the signal level is "guitar pickup", NOT "line level". Your guitar effects will work, high-level toys will get less signal than they expect. And depending on model, the pickup signal may not like to be loaded.

[quote author="PRR"]> I'm having a problem with the effects send/return.

"a problem"?

Anyway: there's nothing to that. Pickup goes to send, normalized to return, and then to everything else. Open it up and see. Broken wires, dirty jacks, not much to go wrong. Do notice that the signal level is "guitar pickup", NOT "line level". Your guitar effects will work, high-level toys will get less signal than they expect. And depending on model, the pickup signal may not like to be loaded.[/quote]

Thanks for the tips PRR.. I'm suspecting a bad solder joint or something like that, as you mentioned.. It's been in storage for a few years, so i'm sure i'm gonna have to do a bit more servicing.. I know it certainly needs a few tines. I didnt investigate the problem at the time, but the symptom was: Plug in an effects pedal (in this case ring modulator) and nothing comes out of the speakers.. The model I have is a very early 'Rhodes'. It still has the wooden hammers as opposed to the plastic ones as most other 'Rhodes' have, it's stamped 1974 if i remember correct.. Any tips on tuning it PRR? I've tried in the past and attempted 'stetch' tuning but I'm sure I screwed it up. Wound up bringing it to a local tech. I'd like to tune it myself this time and get all the pickups adjusted properly. The action is thankfully nice (at least the last time I played it, it was..) :guinness: :guinness: :guinness:

-Jay

Jay,

I have the schematic for you, (I thing it is the discrete version you have) but I have not be in my workshop to day, so I will scan it to morrow and put it in the forum.

--Bo

You can find schematics for Fender Rhodes pre amp here:

Transistor version
IC version

--Bo

Just to let you all know that I just got a fender rhodes 73 keys this week, and I´m happy!!! I love this beast! :green:

[quote author="Bo Hansén"]You can find schematics for Fender Rhodes pre amp here:

Transistor version
IC version

--Bo[/quote]

Thanks for posting these links, Bo.

Do you happen to know any details about the photo couplers, too?
I see the transistor version uses incandescent lamps to illuminate the LDRs. Have these been ready-made units, or did Fender combine tese lamps and LDRs themselves?

JH.

Jhaible,

The "opto coupler" in the transistor version are a combination of a bulb (#19) 14volt/0,10A and a photo resistor ORP-61 (Philips) but in the IC version I think it is a integreted LED/LDR unit made by Vactrol or Clariex.

--Bo

[quote author="Bo Hansén"]Jhaible,

The "opto coupler" in the transistor version are a combination of a bulb (#19) 14volt/0,10A and a photo resistor ORP-61 (Philips) but in the IC version I think it is a integreted LED/LDR unit made by Vactrol or Clariex.

--Bo[/quote]

Thank you!

JH.

Bo, thanks for the schems!

-Jay

hi! i'm attempting to clone the vibrato circuit from the rhodes preamp (IC version), got a couple of questions and could use some help if possible!
here's my stumbling blocks so far:-

1. any idea what op-amps were used for A1 & A3?

2. what diodes to use?

3. i would like to omit everything from the circuit apart from the vibrato effect (tone controls, volume). would this be a simple matter of connecting the output of C4 to pin 6 of A1B and omitting the tone circuitry (R9, R14, R15, R16, C3, C7, C10)?

4. by any chance does anyone have a pcb layout of this they'd be willing to share? (to relieve me of the mind-numbing task of doing this myself!)

that's all many thanks in advance for any help!