Summary of Yamaha Disklavier Control Units

[@andrewoltman1171]

Thank you for doing this video, this really helps to understand the progression of the control units!

[@driventomadness3252]

What a helpful video, man. I just bought a C7 with a Mark IV and will be upgrading to QUICCO wireless midi.

[@hayesiq]

Driven To Madness Hello! Sorry I just saw this message!!! If you need me please send me an email and I’ll send you my cell. [e-mail] Thanks :)

[@naturesessions.studio]

Do you know the mx100 ? Can that be upgraded or retrofitted? Is it a viable piano or its problematic😊

[@user-ux4hv8mw5m]

Richie, I have the DKC5R controller, which has the floppy drive, installed on an Yamaha MX85 upright piano. It has failed and I have tried to install MIDI cables, with an iPad using CUBASIS LE3. I connot seem to get it to work. I am looking for either suggestions for options, or where I could purchase a replacement box. By the way your video is very informative, thank you

[@primerareloadsmartkaraokes4554]

On Disklavier Mark IV Control Unit, there is also a VIDEO OUT input to go in to the Standard TV that will display Lyrics on Screen for Karaoke. (Also seen on Clavinova CVP-200 Series to CVP-700 Series).

[@patrickcusack4480]

Quick question, is it possible to replace the hard drive in the mark IV with a SSD drive? Thanks!

[@acel2413]

Could I upgrade an Mark I (the one with the box) to something newer? Like could I upgrade it to a mark III and then plug a dkc 850 to the mark III

[@hayesiq]

Nope. You could upgrade the Mark2 (Dkc100r) up to the mark3 (DKC55rcd) control unit. This would give you analog midi which means you could have piano + vocals.

[@acel2413]

@@hayesiq could I add on a dkc 900 to a dkc 850 but still use the dkc 850? Also yamaha marks the DKC-850 as discontinued, did it get replaced with something else?

[@hayesiq]

@@acel2413 hello sorry I know this is confusing. The Dkc800 (e3 which can be converted to DKC850) can be updated to dkc900 enspire. Let me say that again the Yamaha e3 which has a control unit on it called DKC800 (which is identical to the DKC850) can be upgraded to DKC900 enspire (latest and greatest.) After an e3 gets upgraded to dkc900 you then have a DKC800 control unit which by sliding. Little switch inside the unit can be converted over into a dkc850. The only problem with that is that it works most of the time. On some pianos it won’t work. I have just barely kept keeping track of the pianos that the Dkc800 switched over to Dkc850 is compatible with. I have a Facebook page called Pianostream please join it I post stuff there all the time. Also my email is [e-mail]. I can send you my cell phone number there and we can talk through these things if necessary. Anyway thanks 😊

[@acel2413]

@@hayesiq oh my bad i realized it said dkc 800. is the dkc 850 more reliable

[@zaf88]

i have a DU1A upright disklavier. Ive gotten into some music making using my macbook pro and logic pro. I want to use the du1a as a midi keyboard. I have the Yamaha Wireless MD-BT01 5-PIN DIN MIDI Adapter hooked up into the dkc850 as you said. went to the midi setup on my mac and found the bt01 but when i go to logic app and use the piano, there are tons of dropped notes (notes i play on the keyboard that dont show up on the computer in app). im new to all this, did i miss a step somewhere?

[@servicetap3066]

Thank you very much for the shout out!

[@davemuri]

Learning more about the disklaviers all the time. Thanks.
Where does the DKC5R fit into your line up?
I’m still desperately trying to get real time (from the keyboard) midi out if it.

[@hayesiq]

@@davemuri hello works perfectly with pianostream!!!

[@jasonnoble9194]

Hey Richie, please can you help... I have a DKC100XG, it all looks like its working, but will not play the piano, is there a test program that I could run on a pc to prove that the piano works and that the problem is with the DKC unit...or another way to test? thank you, Jason

[@hayesiq]

Hi Jason. Is some kind of error shown on the lcd display? It’s extremely rare for the control unit to stop working. If the piano won’t play at all there’s a good chance that the power supply has gone bad. Email me and I’ll give ya more info. My email is [e-mail]. Thanks ... Richie

[@hayesiq]

Hi again Jason were you able to get your piano up and running? I forgot to tell you that some of the control units have a switch on the back of them which needs to be set to midi. Keep me posted! Thanks :)

[@hayesiq]

Hi again. I know it’s been a year… But there’s a good chance that your power supply is bad. My email is [e-mail] if you’d like to talk about this some more thanks...

[@jobce1]

Hi there from Australia. I just bought the Yamaha bluetooth MIDI adaptor MD-BT01 for my DKC-850 but I can't seem to get my Ipad or my Iphone to see any bluetooth signal from the MD-BT01.
Also there is no "Host Select" switch on the back of my DKC-850. Is there a selection on the screen to do the same thing as this switch.
Also where do I get the Piano Stream app.? Will it work with the older Ipads?
Cheers - John

[@hayesiq]

Hello John. So first of all you'll have to experiment with older iPads. A newer one running the latest Apple firmware which is iOS 14.3 would definitely be best. PianoStream is an iOS app only and it is on the App Store now. If there is a host select switch on the dkc850 slide it to midi but I don't recall the Dkc850 having that switch.
First of all update the firmware on the MD-BT01 this is how you do it:
czcams.com/video/89rRclerAeY/video.html
Here is PianoStream on the App Store:
apps.apple.com/us/app/piano-keyboard-midi-controller/id1232509288
This is how you connect to the Bluetooth device:
czcams.com/video/HIP5bsYTOiw/video.html
If the piano doesn't work, you'll need to go into the settings on the DKC850 and change it's input to MIDI. It's probably set to USB if the piano won't play.
Please join our PianoStream Facebook page we'd love to have you there. Hope this helps. Thanks... Richie BTW my email is [e-mail]

[@hayesiq]

Hello again please email me if you still need help! Thanks. [e-mail]

[@waynecottle500]

I have a DKC100R hooked up to the piano. I recently acquired a DKC100XG. The 100R has some issues. Can I replace it with the 100XG?

[@hayesiq]

Hello. Yes you should be able to but you’ll need a little converter adapter from me. They cost $129 But it should do the trick. And you could easily connect Pianostream to it.

[@lancelenhart2276]

Hey Richie would like to talk to you about upgrading my dkc 509r xg on my C7. How do I get ahold of you

[@hayesiq]

Hello! Just shoot me an email. [e-mail]
I will tell you, however… There really isn’t an upgrade available right now except for the Dkc850, which is kind of hard to get, but there are some other streaming options that we could talk about! Thanks 😊

[@jovenmoselina9774]

Hi Richie, I have a DKC500RW that would turn on but does not sound. The screen says “Sensor not connected”. I have left the piano on overnight and the next day it does not make a sound. My diskclavier is a grantouch. It’s pure digital. I hope you could help me. Thank you.

[@hayesiq]

Hello Joven. I bet that your power supply has died. You’ll need to remove it and send it to TAP electronics in CA. It’ll cost you about $700 ouch I know but they’re good and they will do the work properly. Talk to Sal.
[phone]

[@danboyle6822]

Hi Richie, I hope you can help me. My DKC100R just died. When I hit the power button on the controller no LED comes on. I hear a slight "click" that appears to be coming from the power unit but nothing else. I don't appear to have a Technician in my area, and a simple google search doesn't reveal much. Any thoughts how I can troubleshoot what is wrong with my unit?

[@hayesiq]

Hi Stacey. Sorry to hear that. You know these pianos are so much fun when they die you can't live without them! Anyway... this has been my experience. The LCD display on the front has a small driver board and an actual led which lights it up. One of those has burned out. The piano will still without the lcd display but you won't know what's going on. Put a disk in the drive and push play. You'll still be able to fast forward through the songs and control the volume. Also, if you use a really cool app that I came up with called PianoStream you won't need the display at all. Simply slide the switch on the back of the control unit to MIDI and then get yourself a Yamaha MD-BT01 wireless midi receiver. Download PianoStream onto your iPad or iPhone and you're in business. One other thing to keep in mind. You can still get a replacement drive for that control unit from Yamaha. They're expensive though as in right around $300. I haven't replaced an lcd display for quite a while but I imagine that you could still get one. If you do get the lcd display make sure that you get the drive board for it as well. There is one other thing I gotta warn you about. The power supply on your piano will most likely die relatively soon. I have heard that Yamaha will have a replacement for it in January 2020. I really hope that's the case. Since you hear the small click when you push your power button, there's a good chance that the power supply is still good. That small click that you hear is an electronic switch which is called a "relay." That device sends power to the piano when it's activated by the switch on the front of the control unit. A really always makes a small clicking sound because you are literally closing a mechanical switch electronically. If the piano plays with a disk in it, even though you can't see the display, your power supply is still good. Sorry I said way too much! haha Good luck. Hope that helps a little bit. :). Richie [e-mail]

[@joshhoyne1110]

I have a disklavier 800 and I have no power cord and I’m not sure if the remote I have works for it it’s not the same but it’s a lot bigger and even has a small screen on the remote

[@hayesiq]

Hello Josh. Sorry if I never responded to this. Could you send me an email? Plz send to [e-mail]

[@ericsalat7672]

Yamaha Disklavier DKC55CD I have the control unit which is losing powere from time to time, any place to get it repaired, cant seem to find anything used to purchase and swap out.

[@hayesiq]

Hello. It’s extreme rare for it go bad. You probably will need to have your power supply refurbished by TAP electronics in California. You’ll need to talk to Sal about getting this done. But I have to warn you, it is difficult to remove the power supply on your piano and you have to be careful to not touch the back of it or you will get shocked. Those capacitors carry a LOT of punch! I’ll share a video so that you can see what I mean. If you decide to remove your power supply make sure power is off (obviously), take pics and shoot little videos with your phone so that you can put it back together. It’s really easy to mess things up. So once again you must be very careful. And all of this gets even worse because of the fact that you’re lying on your back under the piano. I need to post some videos regarding this. Maybe I shouldn’t but there aren’t very many Disklavier technicians out there. Hopefully the control unit is bad and not the power supply if you want the truth. You might be able to borrow one from a dealership or a technician just to see if that really is the problem. I do see them show up on eBay occasionally. Anyway, sorry about the hopefully not bad news!!!

[@jordanclarke2996]

Thanks for the video, Do you have any idea what frequency the solenoids run on? I assume the duty cycle determine the note velocity . Sorry for the odd question just curious if you know

[@hayesiq]

Hello thank you… And I don’t know the answer to that question.

[@mchoy1010]

Like your video ! How about disklavier Box : PPC 500R box# D61202655 ? It’s a Mark ii ? Will that work with your
suggestions?

[@Avlimusic]

Thanks for this awesome video! Do you have experience with the that Yamaha Wireless MD-BT01 5-PIN DIN MIDI Adapter? is it latency free when connecting to a PC?

[@hayesiq]

Hello! Thanks :). I have a lot of experience with the bt01 but I’ve never tried it with a PC but I do use it with PianoStream iOS app and an iPhone or ipad and the latency is pretty much non-existent. Thanks. My email is [e-mail]

[@Avlimusic]

@@hayesiq Thanks so much for the reply. Trying to avoid a long USB cable (49ft) from the piano to the computer but maybe if I'll use an active one, there will be no latency (hoping). Do you have an experience with that?

[@James_Bowie]

Problem is: Yamaha no longer supports any of those models. If they fail, you're on your own.

[@alineevolpe]

Hey, I have the grand wagon… ir light up but show nothing on the screen ): try to update with usb emulation thinking could the the reader but stays the same… any suggestions?

[@hayesiq]

Hello! If the piano keys won’t play at all even though the display is on your power supply is probably bad. Feel free to send me an email. 😊. [e-mail]

[@andyorozco6675]

My enspire is no longer detected in windows 10. Do you think my audio board that has the midi in and out ports is faulty?

[@justsaybobby]

Are you familiar with QRS upgrade? Is it worth it? Is it a simple switch? Thanks in advance?

[@hayesiq]

Hello… You know what… Sorry I don’t work on those systems. But I do have a couple of buddies who do. Send me an email at [e-mail] And I will give you their numbers.

[@douglaspetercsak5005]

Where can I buy a DKC-850? I just bought a used 1999 DC1IIXG PE.

[@hayesiq]

Douglas Petercsak hello! Could you send me an email? I’ll send ya my cell as soon as you do... thanks

[@douglaspetercsak5005]

@@hayesiq I don't have your email address.

[@hayesiq]

Douglas Petercsak Hello it’s [e-mail]

[@mallowmars2]

The 850 does have midi switch

[@hayesiq]

Hello thanks for your comment. Actually it doesn’t. I’m looking at one now.

[@mallowmars2]

@@hayesiq apologies. I have a DKC55. I was thinking I had an 850.

[@hayesiq]

@@mallowmars2 oh no worries! 👍🙏😊

[@anthonyduffy77]

Do you have a DKC100R for sale?

[@hayesiq]

Hi Anthony. Nope. I think I have a mark3 which would work with a 9 to 15 pin adapter board that I make.