Problem with Komplete Kontrol S61 MK1 light guide

Pecosbil

Hi,

I recently bought a second hand S61 MK1 keyboard (as an addition to my MK2) and noticed a strange issue with the light guide. I tested the unit after the purchase and it was working perfectly and it's been sitting inside the original package - until I set it up again few days ago. Now it seems that the (almost entire) upper half of the light guide is fixed solid with light blue color and it stays static - no matter what you do. It doesn't respond to key presses (like it normally should and how the lower half does) and even the startup "rainbow thingie" doesn't show up in this area of the keyboard. The same applies to the keyboard color settings and layout splits - the changes don't apply to this "frozen" upper-half.

Otherwise the keyboard is working just fine, it's just the "fixed state" light guide on the upper half of the keyboard that is annoying me. I tried to update the firmware but the tool says it's already at the latest version.

Does anyone have a solution to this probelm? ...or is it possible to do a "factory reset" type of procedure to this thing and then try to update the firmware again? 

Jeremy_NI

Unfortunately there is no way to do that. You can find the latest firmware here:

Firmware Updater for Komplete Kontrol S-Series MK2 1.4.0 - Win

Firmware Updater for Komplete Kontrol S-Series MK2 1.4.0 - Mac

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/support/downloads/drivers-other-files/

If the latest firmware is already installed then you won't be able to update it. Your only option will be to contact our hardware department: https://bit.ly/NISupport_Hardware

Uwe303

Hello,

have you tried to open control editor and edit the template, on your picture it looks like it's in midi mode.

Pecosbil

Hi,

Yes...I've tried it and it makes no difference. Editing the template affects only the lower-half of the keyboard, the upper section remains static with the light blue color. Using the keyboard with Komplete Kontrol application (where each plugin does it's own color scheme) doesn't help either, the lights on the upper-half remain static and non-responsive to any key presses. The keys themself do work, like I said, but the lights don't - even the power-up raindow effect doesn't appear on them. I don't think it's a hw problem though...

Uwe303

If you can't change it with editor then i would guess the hardware is defective, even if it worked the first time you started the keyboard. Maybe you can try in another computer but i guess it will not change anything. Cable should also be no issue, but you could try another one and another USB socket.

MyStudioOne

I see you are in midi mode and you have two templates. What happens when you switch to the second one with the lit up/down arrows?

Pecosbil

The picture was taken in MIDI-mode (the "1/2" shown in the picture is the page indicator, not the amount of defined templates) and the same issue happens when running the keyboard with Komplete Kontrol app (where templates shouldn't matter). Like I said, this weird light guide issue happens even during the power-up "rainbow effect". You should see the colors changing within the whole keyboard - regardless of the current template. I wish there was a way to reset the firmware...

Jeremy_NI

@Pecosbil If you can try the keyboard on a different computer it will tell you if it's a software issue or if it's a hardware failure.

Pecosbil

I tested the keyboard with another computer (and another OS too) and it makes no difference. 😔 I posted a short video of the keyboard being turned on and here you can easily see how even the power-up "effect" doesn't have any effect on higher octave lights.

https://youtu.be/CJF-q3965NI

I also tested various NKS plugins through Komplete Kontrol (especially plugins that have a specific color scheme, like Studio Drummer) and the upper part of the guide stays the same.

Can I "force" a firmware update to the device, even if it already has the very latest version?

Jeremy_NI

Unfortunately there is no way to do that. You can find the latest firmware here:

Firmware Updater for Komplete Kontrol S-Series MK2 1.4.0 - Win

Firmware Updater for Komplete Kontrol S-Series MK2 1.4.0 - Mac

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/support/downloads/drivers-other-files/

If the latest firmware is already installed then you won't be able to update it. Your only option will be to contact our hardware department: https://bit.ly/NISupport_Hardware

Glamrox

I bought a refurb S49 mk1 from NI direct on Reverb and my unit has this EXACT same problem. I opened a ticket with hardware support but I’m thinking I might just buy another unit and return this one. Did you ever get any resolution from support?

Pecosbil

Yes I did, I shipped the unit to NI's repair centre in Germany. It turned out to be a faulty mainboard and the repair estimate was about 190 euros...

dain

I also shipped my S49 MK1 with the same problem to Germany, but customs slapped a 78.85 EUR duty fee on it that NI didn't pay for a week, so now it's being returned. But if it was going to be 190 EUR maybe I'm better off only losing the outward shipping fee...

Has anyone tried a UK based repair shop? I found this (Electronic Partners Leeds), but not sure if any good?

dain

I'm happy to report that Electronic Partners have actually managed to fix my S49 MK1! The issue was that the boards had to be reseated for the contacts to line up, in other words sounds like it was a relatively simple contact issue. Nevertheless, it was a job nicely done! They provided a shipping label to send the keyboard for free, quoted £70 for the repair and finally £15 for the return postage and all the lights now work. So don't be put off by the basic website design, they are genuine and apparently do have someone who knows their way around NI gear. Did take almost 3 weeks or so from posting to receiving the keyboard back, but they have a premium express option.