วีดีโอ

@user-je9lh6it3f The After Touch sensor on the KX88 is a Pressure Sensitive Resistor (PSR) strip that runs across the keyboard under the keys. Due to age, this resistor becomes less sensitive to pressure. In some cases, it may not respond at all. It may require a LOT of pressure, but DO NOT PRESS HARD on the keys, due to the age of the plastic, you will break the keys. In my video, I show you how to turn up the sensitivity of the After Touch Amplifier. This may help, but some After Touch sensors are so old/worn out that even if the Amplifier is at full gain, it may not help. Possible causes: Bad After Touch Sensor. Bad Connection in the grey After Touch cable. Micro cracks in solder joints on connectors. Failing After Touch amplifier/circuitry on the Main Board. Yamaha does sell new After Touch sensors for about $45 USD. To replace it, you have to remove ALL of the keys. That is a lot of work and a lot of keys and springs to deal with. I recommend you take it to a qualified music store that has a repair technician. In the US, Guitar Center is usually a good place to start. See the end of the video for contact info. We can talk that way if you like.

@user-je9lh6it3f The After Touch settings are (I beleive) are bypassed in Self Test mode, so even if you have After Touch disabled in normal play modes, it should still detect pressure in Self Test mode.

I was having this issue as well. I tried adjusting the potentiometers and still nothing. I used a multimeter to see if the aftertouch would cause a voltage change, which it did, showing that the strip wasn’t dead. I pushed on the aftertouch connector to make sure it was securely connected. I ran the test again and it worked. Not sure what fixed it. If you can, maybe try using a multimeter to see if the aftertouch is activating at all.

@Neros503 Great diagnostic skills. That is a good point. Measuring the voltage across both pins on the strip will indicate if the amp is suppling a bias voltage and if the strip is working. I had not done that on mine. What voltages did you get (0 and 99)? What was it at 50? From those 3 points we can tell if it is linear or not. In your case, just probing got the strip to work. Solder joints form microscopic cracks and open up over time. Sometimes cracks form where the solder pads are connected to the strip. If it ever fails/flakes out again, resolder the two pins and see if that helps, but if it is working now, leave it alone.

@Neros503 Oh, you pushed on the connector. Yes, that may indicate microscopic cracks on the connector pins soldered to the circuit board. When I got my KX88, half the bank buttons would not work. I found failed solder joints on the connector where flexing of the circuit board overtime caused the joints to fail. I resoldered them all and it spring to life.

My pleasure. There may be other ways to tear one apart, but this was my first time with this unit. I have written to Shark and gave them a New York stink about how this does not come apart for jams. All they had to do was make the clear cover come off (a latch would be nice, but even just 4 screws would be better than this). No reply.

@@incrediblemr.e8765 My pleasure!

@monicadanielson6494 I am happy to help. I am Mr Fix It around here... just about every week or sooner, something needs to be repaired. My wife just picked up a $150 fan for $15 at Goodwill. It had a stripped bolt on the base. I went to my local Ace hardware store and picked up two bolts that are one size larger. I drilled out the old stripped treaded hole slightly, took one bolt and tapered the threads on the end with coarse sandpaper, and "jammed" it in the bolt hole. Then, with a ratchet and socket, I turned the bolt into the hole (it takes a lot of force). This cut new threads into the hole. Then I tossed that bolt (pretty much destoryed now) and put the unaltered one in... a perfect fit. I call this technique: "The Poor Man's Tap". My dad showed me this trick if you don't have a precision Tap and Die set. I would not fly to the Moon on it, but it works for non-critical applications.

@@sheeksfreaks Thanks

@robert_locke I have been asked that before. The TX7 has very similar amplifers as the DX7 has but no trimmer pots. I have created slides on how to modify the TX7 amplifiers to reduce noise. It requires an engineering technique called, "cuts, jumpers, and dead bugs". You would have to snip pins on a few resistors, capacitors, and integrated circuits, and then solder tiny trimmer pots in place. It does not look pretty, but the old engineering motto for soldering modifications in the lab is: "The bigger the job, the bigger the blob". Engineers are notorious for being sketchy at soldering. At the end of this video is my contact info. I can send you the slides and if you are not adept at soldering, I can give you some pointers.

@robert_locke I noticed that you subscribed to the Trump channel. If that is for good intentions, you qualify for deluxe platinum concierge service where you can call me for advice... but let's start with the slides first.

@@paulromsky9527 Paul, thank you for your reply. I will consider modifying the amplifiers on my TX7. I appreciate your help and guidance with this and I will save your contact information for the future. Do you think a Noise Gate would help reduce the noise on my TX7? Thank you once again and have a great day! Best, Robert

@robert_locke Let me know when you are ready for the slides. Nigel Webb here (Lead Bassist for the band "Xyaxis"). Noise gates don't really eliminate noise. They just mute the output when the average signal level drops to a given setpoint level. The muted output normally is about -90 dB attenuation from the signal. In some cases this muting is acceptable, but during pianissinissmo parts, the signal to noise ratio is lower and thus you hear a hiss in the background that goes away only when the program goes silent (mute). If you are a Heavy Metalist... then the signal to noise ratio is very high... and who cares what noise you get with "Metal" music. Nigel Tufnel, my cousin, from "Spinal Tap" has amps that goes to 11. But my custom 1000W Bass Amps (designed and built by yours truly) go to 100. Xyaxis is not just heavy metal... we are beyond Plutonium. "Radioactive Metal". We issue ear plugs at our concerts.

@rickfitzgerald5548 It is one of the most difficult items to repair. It is also tough to keep the sleds working smoothly. I spent hours on the track: cleaning, sanding away burrs, keeping the slots consistent, and supporting the track better than the stock item. I even glued in a cardboard fence at the bottom of the lift to keep the sleds from "spinning out" - which prevents them from being picked up by the belt.

@Nomine_Pater Good point. I forgot to include seeds and fertilizer in the Pantry. But, honestly, if a full out world wide nuclear war breaks out, the entire surface of the earth will be contaminated for centuries. Getting fish from the deep ocean would be the best food source. Fish close to shores or which live near the surface will be contaminated too due to fallout and soil from rain run-off. This is why I never built my "Dream Bunker", it's just not worth trying to survive something that will destroy 99% of life on Earth.

@@Nomine_Pater Yes, a deep cave would work as well. But many of us don't have such things on our property [smile]. If you do have a cave, it would be cheaper to build a doomsday shelter in it.

@@paulromsky9527 I wish I owned one! Curious neighbors will keep in mind what I build (except I worked in secret in other area). Those who had mine abandoned will be spared. However, the issue, will be the state of *mind* of some ppl. I hope you have your trained ppl.

@Nomine_Pater Yes, Helium is not flammable at all, but it is very expensive and hard to find. Russia seems to have a good Helium supply, but I forget how they extract it. Hydrogen (like what was used in the Hindenburg) is lighter than Helium, is very easy and cheap to make, but it is very flammable. It appears that tye Chinese Ballon did use Helium.

@@paulromsky9527 Oh! In my mind I confused Hell-ium with Hydrogen...

@@Nomine_Pater Good idea on using coffee power as a bug repellent. Thanks for that tip.

@Nomine_Pater Too funny, but true!

The 2nd story windows of the AGR building would be even better angles. Even the first floor windows too. The water tower is also a very good angle. A bit further away but well within range. I don't think there was a 2nd shooter, but the way the Secret Service and FBI have been stonewalling makes one wonder. In testimony in Congress today, it is now believed that law enforcement (not sure which) were in the 2nd story room, but left to look for the assailant. Curious, they left the roof LESS covered at just the right moment to gain access. My wife says it must have been like watching the Keystone Cops. Ironony: This happened in the keystone state.

@paulromsky9527 Yeah, I agree with you there. The more independent people look into these details, the crazier it gets. I watched a professional analyst go over several audio recordings to which pointed out possibly 3 different sounds, which gives way to the idea of 3 separate weapon systems used. I hope you stay on top of new information and make videos for us to have a visual!

@@joshjenkins942 From the stage microphone, I can hear two distinct tones: A loud Crack/Pop and a softer Pop. The loud Crack is the hyper-sonic bullet whizzing by, then the Report (Pop) a few milliseconds later. This sounds like it is the assailant. The softer Pop is the report which sounds like it is from law enforcement (not clear who yet) returning fire. I count 8 Crack/Pops and 2 Pops: From the stage I hear: 3 Crack/Pops, then a few seconds delay, then 5 more rapid Crack/Pops with a return Pop just about the same time as the 8th. Then about 6? seconds later the final Pop (I may have said 3 seconds in my video). I have to redo it, the text did not show up well when the slides were converted to video. From other audio sources, there sounds like there are 3 or maybe 4 tones (sources), but those are recorded with cell phones and those microphones don't have a very good audio response compared to a quality stage microphone. I did see a video where the stage microphone was analyzed and some of the peaks and echos do seem to indicate 3 or 4 different sources. Because the FBI and USSS are not forth coming on information from this event, we have limited info and thus we guess a lot. I don't trust either to give us anything of any value. In the Congress Hearing on 22 JUL 2024 from the Director Cheatle of the USSS, she did mention that radio traffic is normally recorded and archived, but no recordings are available from this event. She did resign today, but just like the Kennedy event, we may never get definitive answers that make sense when scrutinized. As humans, we tend to fill in missing info with the worst ideas - thus conspiracy theories abound. Too much went wrong with this whole event. Too many questions. Not many answers.

@@offthematrix5310 The keys breaking seem to be more prevalent on the KX88 which has the propensity for its after touch sensor strip to lose senistivity over the years. Even if you adjust the internal settings to max, you may still have to press the keys very, very hard to get the after touch to work at all. All that undue force causes the plastic to flex. The stress accumulates each time and eventually creates fine cracks in the keys which ultimately break. I was working with a viewer on this. It was FYI only since it may apply to just about any keyboard in some fashion and you have quite a few. I learned about baking soda and super glue when I build my first RC plane (I still have it). The vertical stabilizer needs to be reinforced with a fillet along it's base. The trick was in the build instructions.

Will do, thanks

Thanks, but... My trimmers can't be reversed. Even if they could, the clippings just go the other way into the flower bed. I tried making special adapters that wrap around the trimmer head at 180 degrees or more. None really worked very well. They key is to put suction over the trimmer head. I was going to fasten a tube to the trimmer and wear a battery powered backpack shop vac on my back. My wife didn't want to wear equipment on her back. This light weight mower has great grass suction/collection, is very light weight, and is very maneuverable.

Use threadlocker for screws medium strength, which can be removed.

@@Kndnsssrlgn Actually I goofed. I was stupidly going in from the wrong side! Not sure why that would make a difference. What a pain the thing is.

Thank you!

Actually, she does run the mower, it's just that she didn't want to be on camera. She is shy, I don't know why... if you were to combine Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston together... she would look nothing like that [smile].

@@paulromsky9527 I just went and bought that same model after watching your video. Thanks for the short concise video.

@@eprofessio So far she ran it for an hour over two days and it still has a charge. For edging it's great. If you have a quarter acre or less I would say it is fine. We made a charging station on our screened porch. She has all her 5 Ryobi and 3 Worx chargers in a row on a power strip, so she always has at least one fully charged battery on hand, usually two or more. Look at the battery compartment of the mower. It looks like it may taker a larger (more amperage same voltage) battery pack. You might want to do a web search or contact the Ryobi folks and ask if there is a bigger battery or if they plan to make one.

@@paulromsky9527 I have three acre and I use a combination of 2 Husqvarna robots for right around the house. A craftsman T2400 riding mower for the back field along with the front field by the roadway and an old plug in mower I used as a edger clean up mower. My coal powered plug in is 15 years old and I wanted to get something to phase it out. I watched your video and knew right away it would be just right for what I’m using. I have videos about replacing my mower belts on my channel if you are interested in the face behind comments. :) The robot mowers were $700 a pop so they are a lot. I fiddle with them often. It’s still less work than mowing around the house. We have bad Illinois weed and some other spiny sticker weed that the dogs used to track in and the robots have eliminated that problem. I plan to get more next year after I finish paying off my stupid student loans.

Thanks... yes that security screw is the worst. If this were something I did a lot, I would just make my own tool with a steel rod with a tip welded on and ground down to fit. Shark should have made the clear part pop off to clear out obstructions... but nope, they want you to send it out for service. This is like the car companies urging to squash "Right to Repair" so we or our local mechanics can't fix our cars... only dealerships. The democrats don't want right to repair because the car makers have big lobbyists that are wooing them... telling them cars we be safer if only dealerships work on our cars.

@@paulromsky9527 The intentional crippling of end user access seems to be proliferating in every product. A woman had a dead battery in her car. She wanted me to jump her car. I opened her engine compartment and instead of seeing an engine, I saw a panel completely covering access to any component, being held on with large hex bolts. I could not help her at all. It was impossible to even fill the oil, check brake fluid, coolant, or belt condition. The vehicle, in question, was a Lexus Sedan. The panel blocking access to everything under thed hood had an enormous Lexus symbol in the middle of it. All she could do was call a tow truck. I told her to have the panel removed and throw it away. At work, we have a big room full of engine covers, worthless underbody covers, and access blocking brackets. When the vehicle is up for auction, we may remember to throw that worthless stuff back on the vehicle, or we may forget. Once a year, we throw all that cheap garbage away.

Shark should have made that clear cover flip up. Look at all the nonsense we have to do to unstick an object in a plenum that gets increasingly tight... they weren't thinking.

@jmdavidson62. I am not sure how to check the firmware revision, but there must be a way because I don't think Yamaha wanted technicians to open it up just to see if the ROM chips had revision stickers on them (I am not sure if the ROMs were ever marked or had on stickers on them). Back in the 1980's it was common practice to put labels on the ROM chips with at least the Revision Number on it. UV EEPROM chips (which can be used as ROMs) have a window on top with the Silicon die visible. This is so the chip can be erased with UV light (about 20 minutes) and then reprogrammed. We would always cover the window with a revision sticker to block out stray UV light... sometimes we put a dome of black epoxy over the window if we thought the software was not going to be upgraded. Let me get back to you.

I have posted the question in the Yamaha Musicians Forum on how to determine the KX88 firmware revsion. It does show a 22 when entering self test... that "may" be the revision but I am not sure. It is quite possible that all KX88s had only one firmware release. The opearating system code is very simple on a KX88, so I doubt that it ever needed a firmware update after it was made public. If you get any other number than 22 when entering self test mode, please let me know what you get.

@@paulromsky9527 I ran the self-test on my KX88, and it registered "24" when entering self-test mode. No idea if this is the firmware version or what. I've looked all around my KX88 inside and outside, and I can't find any date codes, so I've never known the production year. Thanks, by the way, for posting this video. Japanese manuals from the 1980s tend to be hard to follow.

@southerner66 Yes, the manuals do have some translation issues. I will look on my KX88, the serial number itself may translate to a date code in the factory records, if that is the case, we would have little luck getting that from Yamaha. Did your KX88 pass all self tests (not including the After Touch subtest)? Don't press on the keys too hard to get After Touch to work... that is how keys get broken... that excessive pressure will crack the keys. I have slides on how to repair keys, but Yamaha does offer replacement keys.

@southerner66 The number "24" in your case is most likely a firmware version (I am not sure). Mine is 22, so if that is the case, your self test may differ slightly.

Glad to help.

In my Fiero playlists, every credits section has a way to contact me. I can help if you have any questions.

I never made a video on how to program the Arduino UNO R3. The Elegoo kit should have come with a CD with all sorts of projects. First you need to install the Arduino Integrated Design Environment (IDE). It may be on the disk, but you can also download it for free from the Arduino web site. I don't know your level of electronics but I teach Summer STEM, so I can give you the basics to get you going. What is your goal? Paul.

@gibbyrockerhunter. If you consider yourself a "gearhead", you did great as a "sparky" creating your own synthesizer! Learning is fun with mechanical and electrical projects. Did you post a video of your project? If you ever have a question, you can find out out to reach me in the end credits of my video.

Happy to help.

If you like, my email is found in the end credits, I can send you the .pdf of the service manual that has the procedure (its hit or miss if you can find it online). Let me know how your after touch is working. The KX88's are notorious for requiring gorilla force to get them to go to 99. I am going to see if I can increase the after touch gain by modifying the circuit, my gain is maxed out. If that works, I will post a video on it.

@@paulromsky9527 hello i have sent you an email for details on the KX 88 thanks

Since my mind can't process piano learning on a 61 keyboard I'm thinking about buying one near my town.. how loud are the keys? If not a kx I'll probably buy a casio pravia or a Roland digital piano which would probably be a better choice for multiple reasons

@@RagedContinuum The keys are thick plastic with weights, springs, and dampended friction knuckles that make them feel like a typical grand piano. The action/velocity switches are nearly silent. There is felt in both the play and rest positions. They make a slight thud if you play 'ff', but no more than a real piano, in which the hammers add more of a thud. This is a Master MIDI keyboard (it makes no digital music sounds), so you can play just about any MIDI instrument/device with it and thus you can play virtually any instrument you want: piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, more - anything your MIDI device can generate. The keys also have Common After Touch so you can modulate signals via MIDI by pressing on the keys after playing them. I teach my students on 61 keys as they only need a lower cost synthesizer. When they learn to sight read, get their fingering and techniques, posture, articulation, and develop their scales and muscle memory, they have no problem going to 88 keys and back again. The Casio PX- series are good, they have adjustable action, but the hammer action sound comes from the electronics - just like from the Yamaha DX series. Roland's are nice too. The KX-88 was the defacto standard for MIDI keyboards - and still is in many ways. You can generally get one in excellent condition for under $500. Not many professional musicians use Casio instruments as they are deemed "starter" units. The KX-88 was built using very reliable 1980's technology and has a steel case ... it was designed for pros on the road.

Thanks for the detailed info @@paulromsky9527

If there is a pot for the final amp, then give it a try, just make a note of the initial position of the pot incase you need to put it back. Yes, you can mention this tip and reference my video in your videos.

I could not find a schematic of the TX802. I did see in a block diagram that there is a Low Pass Filter (LPF) Amp just past each of the 8 Sample And Hold (S/H) circuits, and then each is selectable to the I and II Stereo Mix Amps. There may be a stage or two after each Mix Amp but without a schematic or having a TX802 in front of me I don't know what pots to adjust (if any) or which resistors to change to move the the LPF knee to reduce noise. This is similar to the DX7 but it is only a one DAC channel which ping/pongs two paths (rudimentary stereo circuit that didn't pan out - no pun intended) to a single combined S/H Mix Amp and then, 3 stages of LPF Amps, then a Final LPF output Drive Amp. The Headphones Amp is tapped off the output.

@@paulromsky9527 in the Yamaha TX802 Downloads section,

@@paulromsky9527 and also "YAMAHA TX802 Service Manual download, schematics, eeprom, repair info"

@@paulromsky9527 on electroyanya.

Thanks for watching my videos, yours were great. Yes, I can help with hardware/software/firmware. I am a retired aerospace/defense/automotive design and test engineer. My specialty was reverse engineering enemy technology. With today's FPGAs, I could develop new EGS and OPS chips for the DX7 and others. The original chips were ASICs from the 1980's. Today, FPGAs are way more dense and faster, so what we can do with FM Synthesis and digital sound is amazing. Yes, give the pot turn a try. I think you will be pleased with hiss drop. Let me know what you think. Did you know there is only one EGS and OPS chip in the DX series (2 each in the DX1 and DX5)? They multiplex all that sound for 6 Operators and for up to 16 simultaneous keys and still get a 0 to 22kHz output! So nearly a million times a second those two chips are being fed info from an 8-bit CPU to time share. When I first got mine in 1985, I thought there must be 6 Operators inside and 1 set for each of the 16 note polyphonic sound.... 96 Operators in all. But when I saw the schematic and tech manuals for the DX7, I was amazed that it is all done in a single Operator (which has a peculiar architecture that makes it work well for multiplexing). Just follow the picture of any algorithm and start at the top of each Op Stack, that is the how the DX7 builds the sound from one OP in real-time discrete intervals to the next using just one Operator chip, and then sums each stack inside the same OP chip to create each instant of a waveform, for 16 separate waveforms at 22,000 times a second. It is beautifully elegant and efficient.

The DX7 was my first and only synthesizer. It is all digital (even the key velocity) and only analog in the final output stage. It has a rather "thin" sound but an inexpensive Stereo Chorus and a small stereo headphones amp (or even two practice amps) and the sound is great. I use those Scale Cards to teach my students. But DONT rely on them. They are just to introduce students to a particular scale or for music theory discussions. In order to really learn a scale is to visualize the entire key of each note in the scale (maybe dimming the non keys in your mind). After a while you can play in any scale (key) without even looking or thinking about it. Once muscle memory builds it gets eaiser. So, put a Scale Card down, see the notes, build that shape in your mind, and remove the card to learn it.

I am glad to help. I had a Hoover brand carpet cleaner that after two days I could not find hidden screws to get at the motor. You could get at the belt easily, but it burns through belts after every other use. I tossed it and didn't make a video.

Glad to help. I am sorry it took me 3 videos to get it right, I don't have instructions on the vaccum and I didn't know how it really did come apart until my 3rd video.

I just mentioned your comment to my wife, we both agree yours was the kindest that I have ever received. I am glad you had help and that you spent some quality DIY time with your dad. I am usually a lot funnier in my videos - like putting in pop-ups for me to lay off the cheeseburgers when my gut pops into frame [laugh]. If you have any other subjects, let me know... my next one is how to clean out the trap/filter in your dishwasher... yup they have them, and they do clog and get smelly [grin].

Yes, I didn't have the instruction book on mine. I forgot it separates that way. I have 3 videos on this, by the 3rd one I had that worked out from other commentors. Watch all 3 videos, there are little tid-bits in each one.

Thanks for the feedback. I think you revised your comment before I could reply. I do indeed have the sping in correctly, but I do have to develop my technique. The manual is just two photos and no clues on technique [grimace]. I agree, the DX7 is much eaiser and having that spring channel right next to the switch on the KX88 is as you said "asking for trouble". After I made this video I added the warning in the more section just because of that. I have never even touched a M1, let alone open one up. I now have the connector that I will put on the After Touch cable so the whole Keyboard can be completely removed from the chassis without desoldering. I will make a video on that - it is just a 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) in-line stereo plug and jack. If you have any questions or requests, don't hesitate to ask.

I got my KX88 from Guitar Center. Their website on used equipment is collection from all their stores all over. Mine was shipped from their California store to my store here in New Hampshire. It was pristine and only $350 US Dollars + plus $20 shipping which was very low. When it arrived I was heart broken... it had been dropped on the right side, which cracked the end piece and that made the two white keys stick, and it was dented in the front rail under the keys about an octave lower causing 3 more keys to stick. Also, the top row of buttons didn't work. But no keys were damaged. These things are built like tanks. The manager said he would give me my money back as it would have to be serviced and resold. I asked if I could fix it myself and get a price break. He was great and gave me a very good deal by giving me some cash back. It took me two days to fix it and aside from some cracks on the right end piece, it is like new... only some very tiny superficial blemishes on the metal parts that I touched up with a black Sharpie marker. The buttons not working was a cold solder joint on a circuit board that opened up over time. The keys, action, velocity, after touch, buttons, sliders, LEDs, jacks, and MIDI are all now perfect. It is rare to find a KX88 with all the buttons so pristine, most have at least one damaged. I made a video on performing a Self Test on the KX88.

I should have watched the entire video before posting my original comment but a few minutes later I realized that the springs did indeed go in 'backwards' compared to the DX7! The DX7 way of doing it makes so much more sense. Maybe they had to do it that way to get more tension on the spring to account for the heavier weights. The M1 and later Yamaha and Korg keyboards have the same design as the DX7 but they added a little plastic piece in the slot for less friction. I'm surprised that Yamaha didn't put a connector on the aftertouch cable, or have the aftertouch board attached to the the keybed like the DX7 etc. If I ever do manage to get a KX88 putting a connector on will be one of the first things I do! I do love the older keyboards where the case opens from the top though. Much easier to work on than everything afterwards where you have to go in from the bottom.

@@ispowart Been there done that... watch a video, comment, and then realize I spoke too soon. Yes, the way the X series open are great. Pleanty of storage inside to store schematics and maintenance notes. I may scan everything I have gathered about my keyboards into .pdf and my videos and put them on a thumb drive inside as a nice "Easter Egg" for the next owner. I still have to increase the gain on the after touch amp, it's just a resistor change. Since that resistor has to go to a higher value, I just lift one lead of the resistor and solder in a new resistor to it to form a new higher value resistor. This way if I ever want to back out the modification, the original resistor is still there.

@@ispowart The action on the KX88 keys is superb quite actually - very much like a Yamaha Grand Piano. I know you Brits use "quite actually" a lot, do you get commission on it [smile]. Just kidding, I like to poke fun at you guys because you drive on the wrong side of the road [laugh]. But I can take it as much as I can dish it out.

Ctylerr93 No, tinned copper braid will not work too well... read on. Copper is not ferrous so some of the EM field can make its way through that thin gasket. In fact, EHF pulses can actually follow shaped surface through a phenomena known as skin effect. Steel braid is best as it works with the steel box to give a total EM shield around the contents. Copper (like aluminum) will shield the electric field but not the magnetic. Most people would say a thin gasket of copper is fine, but the Russians and Chinese are perfecting their EMP weapons with more power and shorter pulses (higher frequencies) to get through those that didn't go the extra step and use ferrous steel gaskets. So copper mesh, or aluminum foil "look" good from a casual perspective, but to EMPs of very high frequency components, these two materials let the magnetic field pass right through, couple into your electronics and... bam! Destroyed in a nano second. You can't think DC here, like people use an Ohm meter. No, at such high frequencies, metals behave differently that most people don't understand (RF engineers do). I should have used a copper sheet as well in my video, it would have worked just like the aluminum. On my Paint Can EMP Box, I even say it is best to sand away the few thousands of an inch tin layer on the lid and can where they meet so it is a steel to steel contact. Yes, Super EMP weapons can get right through a few thousands of an inch of non ferrous tin. There is no way around it, it must be all ferrous metal or you risk the EMP getting through, our enemies are betting people don't realize this and think, "well, it is conductive, so it works". Electrically conductive not magnetically shielded.

@@paulromsky9527 wow very interesting stuff thankyou for the detailed response. So how do you recommend attaching the steel braid? Some type of conductive adhesive? Or could solder still be an option? Just trying to use as much as what I have. I’m an electrician so I have lots of copper wire/braid solder etc. I’m just trying to protect my gps devices, ham radios and maybe some of my red dot optics.

@@paulromsky9527 also what do you mean you should have used a copper sheet? Sorry I don’t follow that part.

@@ChristiannTyler Ooops, I was referring to my other video where I demonstrate how steel shields a magnetic field and aluminum doesn't. I should have added a copper sheet as well to that video. Check it out on this same playlist, it's a simple experiment anyone can do at home. It also has slides at the end that show how even thin gaps can let pulses through.

@@ChristiannTyler Look closely at the details on my slide show. I show just a little glue INSIDE the channel all around on the SIDE. It would be impossible to solder because solder does not bond well to steel (even with liquid fluxes) - have you ever tried to solder steel wire? Don't bother. Just study the slide show. If you have any questions just ask. You don't need conductive adhesive because the braid the touches the lid and the box lip will have no glue on those surfaces, that will be your EM gasket seal point all around the lip/lid. The glue is PAST the seal point so you can even use hot glue, just keep glue off the "mating" surfaces.

Nice job!

Thanks for the feedback. I also have a Fiero Diagnostic tool (Fiero GT ALDL Monitor) one can connect between the car and a laptop computer. I have a video on it. It's very comprehensive and I offer advice to my users. It has helped several Fiero owners find problems with their classic car. I am now working on a suite of Interface Test Adapters (ITAs) and a GUI that you connect to a PC so you can test EVERY sensor from a Fiero on the work bench. I am designing a circuit board that can be used in the ITAs (one design, 11 solutions) to interface the PC to the various test instruments in the ITAs. For example, the Temperature ITA can test all the sensors that work off of temperature, except the O2 Sensor that requires a special ITA that gets the sensor up to 600 degrees F using a butane torch. I have 11 ITAs in all to test 37 sensors. For example, this Speedometer bench test is now tested using the GAUGE ITA. The GAUGE ITA also tests: the Engine Temperature Gauge, Tachometer, Volt Meter, Oil Pressure Gauge, and the Fuel Level Gauge. So this ITA is common to 6 sensors and that reduces cost by using overlap.

Yes, there was no need to hide the screws, but I did find them. I have a Hoover Carpet Cleaner. I could not get the cover off of it. Sometimes you have to break something just to figure out to remove it for the next time. Only 2 times in my life I was stumped on taking something apart. The other time was on my Minolta X-700 SLR camera. The advance lever broke inside. I took it to a camera shop and they said it would cost more than the camera is worth to fix it. So, I took it apart for fun... I didn't get far. Without a detailed manual and special tools is was impossible.

@rpbajb. It's no so much about the conductivity to block EMP, it is its how ferrous (magnetic) the metal is. Yes a good EMP shield has to be conductive, but it also must have FERROUS properties to block the magnetic field. A weapons EMP is a very short pulse (a few pico seconds wide). This pulse has a frequency component in the Giga to Tera Hz. Copper and Aluminum will shield the electric field of an EMP at any frequency, but the MAGNETIC field still penatrates the Copper or Aluminum somewhat at those frequencies. It isn't until you reach frequencies near the far Infra Red where Steel, Copper, and Aluminum cross over and all block EM. The steel inducts the magnetic field and creates a strong eddy current to absorb and dissipate the energy. I have another video that demonstrates this. Thick Aluminum lets a magnetic field pass through it while steel block it. It is a DC demonstration, but it gets the point across. This is why Faraday Rooms, that we use in RF development, are made from steel panels. For radio waves and EMP, steel is the best all around. Look at my slides again, they tell you to hold a magnet to the material to see if it is ferrous. I never said anywhere to measure the resistance of the material.

@@paulromsky9527 What you write is very interesting. I've struggled to understand faraday cages, my background is chemistry not physics. I know that Wikipedia isn't always accurate; what do you think about these quotes in the faraday cage article: Typical materials used for electromagnetic shielding include thin layer of metal, sheet metal, metal screen, and metal foam. Common sheet metals for shielding include copper, brass, nickel, silver, steel, and tin. Shielding effectiveness, that is, how well a shield reflects or absorbs/suppresses electromagnetic radiation, is affected by the physical properties of the metal. These may include conductivity, solderability, permeability, thickness, and weight. A metal's properties are an important consideration in material selection. For example, electrically dominant waves are reflected by highly conductive metals like copper, silver, and brass, while magnetically dominant waves are absorbed/suppressed by a less conductive metal such as steel or stainless steel...Copper is used for radio frequency (RF) shielding because it absorbs radio and other electromagnetic waves...EMI shielding is often achieved by electroless plating of copper as most popular plastics are non-conductive or by special conductive paint. P.S. Your last statement confused me. Aren't resistivity and conductivity opposite sides of the same coin?

Is it a coil spring or flat spring. I don't have any springs in mine. Shark is aways changing the design. The only place a think a spring may be used is near the switch that shuts off the brush motor when the unit is in the stored upright position.

@@paulromsky9527 hi it’s a torsion spring

@@iainsim8680 My floor nozzle has no springs. I have another Shark model that does have a torsion spring that is used in the lint roller release. That model has two rollers (lint and brush). The model in my video does not have a lint roller, just a larger brush roller and uses no spring. Is your Shark model the exact same model as in my videos?

@@paulromsky9527 thanks for your time Paul but as far as I care I’ve sorted it I attached the spring next to the right wheel, replaced the hose and it appears to work well

@@iainsim8680 OK, I am glad you figured it out. The one thing you have to remember about vaccum cleaners (or hoovers in the UK) is: they all "suck", some "blow" too, but they all suck [laugh]. When I was dating my wife, we went shopping for a new vaccum. As we looked at different models, I would comment, "This one sucks!", "This one blows", "This one sucks and blows". My wife did not pick up on my sarcasm and got pissed at me, but the people all around me were laughing.

I can't mention my web site on this "site's" comments due to some weird rules. If you go to the video "more" info in the description, the second link is to the web page you will need. The first version of this tool used those simple adapters that "fooled" an RS-232 Baud rate in seeing the ALDL 1's and 0's as ASCII bytes, but that was years ago on my old laptop that actually had a serial port. Since then, they put USB ports on PCs instead of RS-232 COMs ports. Many sites now have ALDL cables that you can buy (or make in rare cases) but they still use that "fooled" RS-232 trick with a RS-232 to USB adapter built in. So, they are really no better. I decided to improve on all those others and use a microcontroller (Arduino, then the Trinket) to actually measure the 1's and 0's pulse widths and send an ASCII '1' or '0' over USB to my GUI. Also, many cables can only do ALDL Mode as they have a built-in 10k Ohm resistor built into the cable, or some have jumpers you install to put the Fiero in the modes. My Adapter sets all 4 modes under software control via GUI control at the click of a button - no jumpers. My adapter can monitor the Service Engine Soon (SES) signal, if you add that signal to your Fiero's ALDL connector - I have instructions. If you do that, my Adapter will count the flashes for you and display the Error Codes, if you don't add the wire, you simply count the flashes and then look them up in the GUI. Finally, my Adapter can monitor the Shift Signal if also added to your car's ALDL connector. So my adapter is high-performance and feature rich compared to the others. The GUI will run on Windows XP thru Windows 10 and beyond. The install on Windows 10 (too fancy for its own good) requires extra permissions settings but once set, it works the same as on any other version. The laptop you saw in tye video was Windows 10. Not my favorite but it has a touch display that I wanted for the video. You can build your own Trinket or Arduino adapter (instructions for both are in the download) but I recommend I build you one for you at cost plug shipping - no profit - as the ALDL cable requires some modification and re-potting the connector back shell. Also, I am here to collaborate with users on how the GUI works and help you diagnose what the GUI tells you. But you have to find my email address and contact me that way for detailed personal advice. Please respond with a comment when you have read this comment. Thanks, Paul

Also, you don't need the Adapter to run the GUI, so you can try it out first before investing in a cable. You can play back recorded files without an Adapter, but you need an Adapter to make recordings in the first place, however, I can send you a recording you can play back to try it out. Once you have the Adapter, you can Monitor, Record and Playback ALDL data.

Yes, I have a video on the EGR that I made after I fixed my EGR issues, many of my users found that slideshow video helpful. It actually shows you how to bench test the EGR Solenoid and the EGR Valve.

The Arduino UNO requires you program it with an .ino file that I provide with the download, as well as a schematic for using the Arduino UNO as an adapter. But the Trinket M0 is a lower cost adapter and has simpler circutry - I provide the .ino file and schematic for it too in the download. If you want to run my Fiero GT ALDL Monitor - Grahical User Interface (GUI) - you DO NOT need to connect an adapter, you can playback files without one, but without an Adapter you obviously can't record files in the first place, but I can send you an example file that you can playback to try out the GUI before you make an adapter (or I build one for you). Most ALDL cables use a cheesy method to read the ALDL 1's and 0's pulses. Those adapters read the pulses as if they were 8-bit RS-232 ASCII bytes at around 1440 baud. This works but the "oddball" baud rate is not standard and the ALDL bits don't fall perfectly within proper RS-232 bytes frames - this causes comms errors that have to be handled behind the scenes. My adapters (whether you use the Trinket M0 or the Arduino UNO) actually measures the ALDL 1's and 0's pulses as Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) pulses - which they actually are... thus my adapters are very robust and do not generate comms errors. I could make my GUI work with those cheesy adapters but the simplest ones do not convert RS-232 to USB, and since none of my laptops (or any on the market today) have traditional RS-232 Comms ports anymore (only USB that emulate Comms ports) I decided not to support them. Now, there are some ALDL adapters that do output data as USB but I don't have any on hand to use them as a base line to write code to support them. Also, my Trinket M0 or Ardunio UNO based adapters do MORE than those other adapters can do. My adapters can set the ALDL to all 4 modes WITHOUT using jumpers. Many adapters are hardwired to put 10K Ohms across ALDL pins A and B so that the Mode is set to ALDL Mode when it is plugged in. My adapters use a circuit that can place Open/10k/3.6k/Short across pins A and B - all under GUI software control. Also my adapters can read the Service Engine Soon pulses (if you add that wire to your Fiero's ALDL connector) and will display the error codes directly. It can also monitor the Shift signal if it too is added to the connector. But even if you don't add those 2 wires to your ALDL Connector it will still work in all 4 modes - you just have to count SES flashing and then look up the codes manually using the GUI.

My email address can be found at the bottom of my Home page, just click 'Home' at the bottom of the 'Fiero GT ALDL Monitor' page.

You do not need to connect an adapter to launch the GUI. You can play back files but to record or monitor you need the adapter.

@@paulromsky9527 Thank you Paul, I wanted to make sure before I put this thing together. I have an arduino kit at home from which i can build most if not all of your kit. Thank you for your time and effort. I will come back here or email you if i have more questions! My friends fiero is running rich on startup. My hope is that i can find the problem by looking at all the data coming from the various sensors...

​​​​@@benjaminharper7626 OK, you can download the GUI today so you can get through the initial install (updates are easier) and you can get acquainted with it. My video was inside the car and was hard to see as I had to darken the exposure. I am going to make a bench top demo where I go over it in detail in better light. You will find all the drawings you need to build an adapter in the download after you unzip it. Finding an ALDL cable with all 12 pins wired was impossible. But the one I have in the parts list should have pins A (GND), B (MODE), and E (ALDL DATA) wired. UPDATE: Actually pin E is needed but not wired. These are the 3 very minimal signals needed without modifying it. My adapter includes a red Bannana Jack for the Remote Fuel Pump Test Cable. That uses pin G (FUEL PUMP) that may not be wired on your cable. But if you are not using it, you can leave it out. When I build the adapter, I carefully cut open the ALDL connector side right down to the internal pins, wire it up with a 8-wire cable, and then seal it up with black epoxy. But that is for all the features and why I suggest I build adapters at cost plus shipping - I have built several and have it down to a science. But I made the drawings as detailed as possible for those that wish to save a few dollars on shipping. I am here to answer any questions and to help you analyze your recordings.

Watch all 3 videos as it was a learning process - like in video 1 I had forgotten the whole nozzle comes off the main unit [embarrassed smile].

@@paulromsky9527 Hi! So… speaking of embarrassed smiles… I’m afraid I messed it up by removing some of the screws without making a map… I’m also allergic to dust (asthma) and am frustrated and tired of fidgeting with this. I can’t find anyone to help me with this and I would seriously be willing to send you some money to tell me exactly how to do this over a Skype call… but it’s a weird request, so no worries if not. I may give up!

@Tim Snow. First, check to make sure you have resistance across the two pins that drive the filter and coil. Then energze the coil with 12V, on the dual vaccum line, plug one end and apply suction to the other, the other two contacts on the connector shod go to 0 Ohms when there is suction (vacuum) and open when the coil is de-energized. If this doesn't work the vaccum switch is faulty and/or the solenoid's valve is worn/clogged.

My website has my email, best way to reach me. The site is my name with a dot in between then the common ending. Or Google Paul Romsky for it.

Reply if you got my comments, this site often forgets to alert people to replys.

@@paulromsky9527 Got your reply thanks

@@snowman307 Great, go to my website and find my email at the bottom of my page. We can collaborate there. I can tell you how to rebuilt one, but there are a lot of things you have to look for, a lot of slides and I don't have one to make a video.. I am working with another Fiero owner that is troubleshooting, you may want to download my free ALDL Monitor and build an adapter for it (about $30). It will give you an inside view of your Fiero - better than any tool out there.

@bobluhrs Great job, mine didn't have any security screws. My hose was so old the glue lost its grip and it twisted out. Yes, that's is why they call them security screws.

My pleasure.

Mike, Thanks for the feedback and subscribing! The EGR Solenoid is just a fancy air valve. GM doesn't make these anymore. The Fiero Store said they might have been be able to find a rebuilt one, but it would not be guaranteed. So I decided to reverse engineer mine - and found out that water got in through the "pressed on" filter and corroded the coil wires. It was a poor design. After I rewound the coil, I sealed all seams (around the filter and the valve assembly) with liquid electrical tape to keep water out. I am thinking of making another video using common air valve solenoids and small inline fuel filters as the air filter. This would be better than trying to rebuild an EGR Solenoid as it can be easily damaged beyond repair during the disassembly process. Your thoughts? My latest project is making Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) of the vintage 1960's Apollo spacecraft instruments that were used to land men on the moon. Check out the video and my website.

Also, my shifter cables are all gummed up - it is a bear to shift. I have pull them out and clean out the old lubricants and re-lube them. Now that spring has sprung (I heard it... it went "boing") I can start that project. This winter I designed what I call a Fiero "Shift Assistant" It monitors the Tach and Speedometer to determine which gear I am in and which gears are best for the conditions and then lights up LEDs on the dashboard (arranged in the shifter pattern). It constantly calculates what gear the car is in and lights up the LEDs with various colors to show the current gear, which gears are safe to shift into (to avoid "money shifts"), and even the moment when a gear is at synchromesh speed for clutchless shifting. It even has the ability to control lock out solenoids (that I can add to the shifter) to lockout shifting into wrong gears. I have an old Tachometer from my first Fiero. I am thinking about making a Hood Tach Shroud for the Tach, Shifter Assistant, and selected Warning Lights. That would be a cool addition to my Fiero. Let me know if you are interested in seeing the Shift Assistant and I will post a video of it. I used an Arduino UNO microcontroller in the prototype and it works, but I have yet to connect it to the car. On my website you will find the Fiero ALDL Monitor diagnostic tool. This is a GUI I made that actually helped me find the bad sensors (including the EGR Solenoid) that were causing my Fiero to run very rough and not idle. The ALDL Monitor has a Gear Indicator as well. Since the ECU in the Fiero does not "spit out" what gear you are in, it uses the Tach and Speed to determine the present gear... the Gear Indicator in my ALDL Monitor was the inspiration for my Shift Assistant - which uses the same code.😊

Mike, I have been working with a couple of guys online. I have updated the GUI and Adapter files and have tested the Adapters with my car. If you are using my ALDL Monitor tool, download and reinstall, and build your adapter from the either the low cost Adafruit version or the Arduino version.

Hi Paul, I would very much like to build an ALDL such as the one you are describing. My Fiero I recently purchased did not pass the CA smog test, and so I’m scrambling to fix it now before the registration runs out. Where can I find the info for your monitor? I have an Arduino uno if that might be compatible? Your shift light sounds really cool too, and regarding your future videos Paul I think anything you plan on doing is going to be great, but yes the EGR solenoid would be a popular one I’m sure given the part is discontinued. Right now I’m studying your egr solenoid video in great detail in efforts to correct my vehicles emissions failures and pass smog. Thank you so much for all the information you have provided the Fiero community with your videos! We greatly appreciate them and hope to see more in the future. Great soundtrack to this one as well.@@paulromsky9527

@@mikenelson9568 Mike, my website should be listed in the end credits. If not, try Paul Romsky with a dot in between [if you know what I mean]. You can also write to me via email. I consult for free as each case is different. You can build an Adapter using an Arduino UNO R3, but you will need a case, a prototyping shield, components, and a cable that MUST be modified as I could not find a source with the wiring I needed. It is best that I build an adapter for you. I build them using a lower cost Adafruit Trinket M0 that requires a smaller lower cost box and I now have a professional circuit board made up for it. The cost went up from $45 to $53 (inflation), but you get the Adapter built, tested, and shipped for COST, I only charge for the cost of materials and shipping. If you really want to build your own Adapter, there are drawings/parts list after you unzip the download file.