Pitchstick calibration error

[LeftyBass68]

NS3C/73 Pitchstick calibration error? No pitchstick! Sudden failure,is it repairable or will it need to be replaced? Is it more difficult than key contact repair? The most useful feature on this keyboard for me is not working.

[Hlaalu]

This usually happens when you move it (ever so slightly) when the machine is booting, and it's solved by simply powering off and on again.

Removing a dust cover while it's powering on is already enough to upset the calibration process -- and the message will pop up. I guess vibrations during boot would do that as well.

[LeftyBass68]

Happened while in use.Not on powerup.Ended up with bent notes out of tune on two panels.Now the error message.

[Hlaalu]

Ah, I see... It seems there were reports of bad pitch sticks that would fail after a relatively short time, but I thought they only affected early batches of Stage 3s... When did you get yours?

[LeftyBass68]

It's a v 2.0.1 on top silkscreen and v 1.0.1 on back black metal silkscreen.Early one with no music rack holder bought in July 2018.

[maxpiano]

Pitch stick may fail after intense usage (not saying it is necessarily your case) and when it happens it usually needs to be replaced with a new one.

[Hlaalu]

If it's from July 2018 it might still be of the batch with the issue. From what I could piece together by reading on this forum, some people managed to fix it themselves, it seemed to be a simple fix. I think the procedure is documented on a thread in this forum (and if I'm not mistaken, analogika was in that thread too), but I can't find it now.

[Mr_-G-]

Hlaalu, are you sure? I seem to remember that the problem in the early NS3 was the modulation wheel connector rather than the pitchstick (apologies if I am wrong).
If the pitchstick is "stuck" and you get bent notes constantly, you can just disable the PSTICK function on the panel for that program. You will probably need to replace the pitchstick (or get somebody to do that for you).

[Hlaalu]

I thought it was the pitch stick but gosh now that you say that I may have misremembered which one of the two it was...

[LeftyBass68]

Is the assembly the same on a Stage2,does the pitchstick/mod wheel unit drop right into a Stage3? PCB connector looks similar,as are the four wires? Might have a temporary solution.Will I have to wait for a Stage3 pitchstick,or can I order one and install this Stage2 wheel and stick,virtually new to keep me up and running in the meantime?