Kontrol S88 Mk3 4 Light Guide Keys went out

theodd

Hi there,

Had this keyboard for a month. Turned it on today and noticed the light guides for the lowest 4 keys are dead. Has this happened to anyone else? I have no idea what to even try to trouble shoot it. Seem like a failure.

Thanks,

Wade

mykejb

Watch the failing light guide LEDSs when you power on the keyboard and it does the rainbow effect across all the lights. They should also all light up when you have the keyboard connected but no software running. If they don't light up it's almost certainly faulty so you'll need to put in a support ticket which you can do here - Komplete Kontrol – Native Instruments (native-instruments.com)

theodd

Hi there, thanks for reaching out. I can confirm that they do not light up during the turn on sequence. I've started a ticket (4262623). Thank you.

BIF

That's really weird. And unusual...I don't think I've ever heard of light guides failing in all the years of having them. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.

theodd

Yeah, I’m really bummed. I had to send my s88 mk2 back for screen issues twice. I was so hesitant to get the mk3 but I just really hoped they addressed the hardware issues in the new version. This is really not good.

mykejb

I agree with @BIF, I've never heard of lightguides failing as LEDs are usually pretty bombproof. I'm not sure if you'll get a replacement or if it will be a repair. Hopefully a replacement if you've only had it for a month but @Jeremy_NI will know what the official replace/repair policy is.

theodd

I'm really hoping for a replacement. To be fair, I am not interested in a repair or a refurbished replacement. My defective unit is a BRAND NEW flagship product. These are VERY expensive pieces of supposedly professional gear now. ...just a few weeks old. Not to mention massive physical objects to ship around. It's no small chore just to uninstall from the desk, pack up in the box and transport to a shipper. Wait weeks for a repair. And then to have to redo the whole process on the other side.

My hope, and the really only outcome that will turn this situation around for me, is for NI or Sweetwater (who I'm in contact with on this) to send me a new unit and I will return this one when it arrives so I'm not without my main board for weeks.

That said, no one from NI has responded to my ticket yet. So I'm not sure what they are going to propose.

mykejb

NI won't response until Monday as their support working hours don't include the weekend. Hopefully they'll get you working fairly quickly once they're back.

theodd

Copy that. Thanks very much for your help / insight on this. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Simchris

This is where I miss the old school "hinged" top covers of analog and digital synths, where you could undo couple of screws, then flip up the cover to see if a cable came loose. Now you need an anti-static test bench, and a manual you cannot find anywhere for "right to service."

Jeremy_NI

If the lights never turn up, even when you power it on and or moving through the octaves on the keyboard, it's definitely a hardware issue. I've added this info in the ticket as well.

theodd

Yes, confirm the lights don't turn on, even during the power up sequence. Thank you for adding this additional context to the ticket.