1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. PianoDisc Manuals
  4. Other
  5. Prodigy
  6. Installation manual

PianoDisc Prodigy Installation Manual

Installation guide for grand pianos (standard system)
Hide thumbs Also See for Prodigy:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

See also: Troubleshooting Manual
Heading
PIANODISC SYSTEMS
Installation Guide for Grand Pianos
(Standard System)
Jan. 2019
Installation
Place you r m essag e h ere. Fo r m axim um i mpact , use two or t hre e se ntenc es.
Guide

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the Prodigy and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Subscribe to Our Youtube Channel

Related Manuals for PianoDisc Prodigy

Summary of Contents for PianoDisc Prodigy

  • Page 1 Heading PIANODISC SYSTEMS Installation Guide for Grand Pianos (Standard System) Jan. 2019 Installation Place you r m essag e h ere. Fo r m axim um i mpact , use two or t hre e se ntenc es. Guide...
  • Page 3 Reproduction or distribution of this guide may result in civil and criminal penalties plus prosecution to the maximum extent possible under the law. PianoDisc and Burgett, Inc. reserve the right to change product design and specifications at any time without prior notice.

  • Page 5: Introduction

    PianoDisc Installation Seminar, this guide should be an invaluable resource. This document is considered confidential by PianoDisc, and is for the sole use of PianoDisc Certified Technicians. It may not be reproduced, distributed or quoted in whole or in part without the express written permission of PianoDisc.

  • Page 6: Fcc Information

    Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a separate circuit from that of the receiver. Consult PianoDisc, or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal Communications Commission helpful: How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems.

  • Page 7: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Introduction ....................i FCC information ..................... ii Step1 Disassemble the piano ..............1 Step2 Measure the key groups ...
  • Page 8 System start up ................49 Step36 Sustain pedal Trapwork set-up & solenoid adjustment ....50 Step37 Final check list ................52 Appendix A (Keybed Information) ..............54 PianoDisc Parts ID444444444444444444444444444..55...

  • Page 9: Step1 Disassemble The Piano

    Step 1 Disassemble the Piano A. Remove the music desk and the fallboard. On many pianos, the fallboard can be easily removed by lifting it upward and outward. On others, it is attached to cheek blocks at the ends of the keyboard. These blocks must be removed first, usually by loosening the long screws beneath the keybed.
  • Page 10 H. Remove the hammer stack. Remove the screws – 2 per bracket, for a total of 8 or 10. The screws may vary in size; consequently, mark each one in such a manner as to insure its return to the original position in the keyframe. Lift the action “stack” from the keyframe and place it somewhere safe.

  • Page 11: Step2 Measure The Key Groups

    Figure 1B Step 2 Measure the key groups Establish the key groups. The front of the keys are evenly spaced in one continuous line: left to right, numbered 1 through 88. The stack is typically divided into four groups. The group at the left, the bass, has the largest hammers.
  • Page 12 Do the same for the tenor and treble sections. Label each rail (Bass, Tenor, Treble) Figure 2A Figure 2B...

  • Page 13: Step3 Measure The Keyframe Cut

    Step 3 Measure the keyframe cut A. Remove all keys from the keyframe, except end keys of each section. Be careful to keep them in the correct order, 1 through 88. If the numbers are not readily discernible on the key tops, re-number them with a ballpoint pen.

  • Page 14: Step4 Bedding The Keyframe

    Step 4 Bedding the Keyframe Determine if additional support is necessary. Measure from the back edge of keyframe to the keyframe cut line. Tilt the keyframe vertically, looking at the bottom side and transfer measurement to the bottom side plus 1/4” (6 mm). (See Fig.4 below) If there is still 1/8”...

  • Page 15: Step5 Cut The Keyframe

    Step 5 Cut the keyframe With a jig saw, cut away the keyframe in the marked area, conforming to the line drawn in the previous step. CAUTION: Do not cut away the supports for the action brackets. That is, the small strips at the breaks on the keyframe.

  • Page 16: Step7 Transfer Your Measurements

    B. With a pencil, outline on the keybed the cut just made in the back edge of the keyframe. Step 7 Transfer your measurements A. Remove the keyframe from the piano. B. Transfer the keyframe cut outline from the top (inside) to the bottom (outside) of the keybed, where you will have access to it with a saw.

  • Page 17: Step8 Determine Location For The Solenoid Rail Slot

    B. Now measure 2” (51 mm) to the right of line “B” which establishes the back of the slot, - line “C”. (see figure 7A) C. Using the 1/8” (3mm) holes drilled in step 7C, (looking inside the piano), measure from 1/8” (3 mm) hole to end of slot inside point. Transfer this measurement to the keybed bottom side (outside of piano).

  • Page 18: Step9 Drill The Keybed

    Figure 7B Step 9 Drill the keybed A. Measure the thickness of the keybed. B. Mark the drill bit. Take a 3/8” (9.5 mm) bit and wrap masking tape around the bit at the depth of the keybed. This will indicate the point at which the bit will break through on the other side.

  • Page 19: Step10 Prepare To Cut The Slot

    Use of the dags is important for the PianoDisc system because they keep the action of the piano from impacting against the solenoid stems and possibly damaging them.

  • Page 20: Step11 Cutting The Slot

    Step 11 Cutting the slot A. Cut lines B and C. Starting at the bottom of the keybed, cut along the length of line B with a circular saw. Then cut along the length of line C. Make sure that there is never more than 1/8”...

  • Page 21: Step13 Making, Mounting, And Marking The Rail Covers

    B. Prepare the mounting location for the angle iron by routing out the equivalent thickness and length along the bottom of the keybed. (See Fig. 9 ) • This is so that the angle iron will not protrude from the bottom of the keybed, allowing the rail cover to fit properly.
  • Page 22 B. Position the rail cover onto the piano, leaving 1/8” (3 mm) spacing at each end of slot, at “A” and “B” (see Fig. 10). Position side “C” of rail cover to barely cover the front edge of the slot and then attach the cover with the screws supplied. Cover plate location Figure 10 C.

  • Page 23: Step14 Leg Alterations For Placement Of Rail Cover

    Step 14 Leg alterations for placement of rail cover NOTE: Some piano manufactures designate the legs for particular locations. Check for numbers or letters on the legs before proceeding. A. Place the front legs (bass and treble locations) on the piano. B.

  • Page 24: Step16 Modifications For Proper Trapwork Fit

    A. Install the pedal lyre. Mount the pedal lyre on the piano with the mounting screws, determining thereby how much room there will be for the sostenuto lever, and other trapwork. Re-install the una corda lever. B. Measure the distance from the back edge of the una corda lever to the edge of the solenoid slot (See Figure 13).

  • Page 25: Step17 Prepare The Pedal Solenoid For Mounting

    D. Check the una corda lever position. Because we have relocated the lyre sup port (and therefore the pedal lyre) it will be necessary to modify the position of the una corda (soft) pedal to accommodate this change. Re-attach the una corda lever to its original position on the keybed.

  • Page 26: Step18 Mount The Sustain Lever And Pedal Solenoid

    Step 18 Mount the sustain lever and pe- dal solenoid . . . a note about using the right equipment When drilling the trapwork use a drill press to drill the holes accurately. Doing this by hand is strongly discouraged since the tolerances are very critical, sometimes less than a thousandth of an inch.
  • Page 27 Figure 16A Figure 16B D. Locating the best place for the pedal solenoid. Glue felt to the side of the pedal solenoid to cushion between the beam and solenoid. Center the sustain lever over the solenoid rail cover outline. Place the pedal solenoid on the beam aligning with the 6”(152mm) location established in step C.

  • Page 28: Step19 Prepare The Sustain Lever For Operation

    G. Installing the rubber grommet in the damper tray. With the sustain lever back in place look down the sustain lever and at the damper tray and mark the loca tion to drill a 23/64” (9 mm) hole for a rubber grommet. Locate the rubber grom met, supplied in the kit, and glue in the grommet with contact cement or super glue.

  • Page 29: Step20 Sostenuto Lever Installation Push Type

    Step 20 Sostenuto lever installation- push type Note: PianoDisc requires a working sostenuto or bass sustain on all pianos - which ever came equipped on the piano. Determine the type of sostenuto action. In grand pianos there are two methods used to operate the sostenuto pedal.
  • Page 30 Figure 17 “Push” Action...
  • Page 31 F. Assemble the pivot brackets to lever #1. In the kit there are six “L” shaped (left and right) mounting brackets. Use two of them as pivot brackets for lever #1. Slide left and right brackets onto the pivot pins on each end of lever #1. NOTE: A thrust washer is built into the pivot bracket.
  • Page 32 In example C, the rod is secured with two nuts. These are only three examples and Figure 18B there are other styles of connections, If you have any trouble with this, please call PianoDisc tech support. Figure 18C...
  • Page 33 Figure 19 M. Determine the connection point of the threaded rod to the sostenuto lever. As the illustration above indicates, the threaded rod should form a perfect right angle with keybed. So determine the place on the lever where the threaded rod should be mounted to form the 90°angle to the keybed.

  • Page 34: Step21 Sostenuto Lever Installation Pull Type

    O. Remove lever #2 and drill access hole. Now, remove lever #2 and the threaded rod. Using a 1/4” (6.35 mm) drill bit, drill all the way through lever #2 at the point located in step N. P. Trim the threaded rod. At the mark made in step 20-N, trim off the excess length from the threaded rod.
  • Page 35 Using the 1” hex head screws supplied in the kit, secure lever #1 to the keybed. I. Establish the location for the coil spring. PianoDisc does not supply a coil spring for the sostenuto trapwork. The reason is simple: This type of spring is typical in conventional sostenuto trapwork, and consequently, is probably already available from the trapwork of the piano you are working on presently.
  • Page 36 at that point. (See Fig. 20) Once this location is determined, mark this spot on the keybed and prepare to drill. J. Mount the coil spring. Remove the right pivot bracket on lever #1, then slide lever #1 off the other pivot bracket, removing the lever. Using a 1” spade drill bit, drill a hole 1/4”...
  • Page 37 Figure 21B tions. If you have any trouble with this, please call PianoDisc tech support. O. Determine the connection point of the threaded rod to the sostenuto lever. As the illustration above indi- cates, the threaded rod should be at an exact right angle to keybed.
  • Page 38 Q. Remove lever #2 and drill access hole. Remove lever #2 and the threaded rod assembly from the sostenuto rod. Using a 1/4” (6.35mm) drill bit, drill all the way through lever #2 at the point where the threaded rod will pass through. R.
  • Page 39 Steinway Sostenuto Because we cut a solenoid slot in the keybed, we lose the guide hole for the American Steinway sostenuto. This is not a problem, as we have a perfect solution. A. The bass section on all American Steinway pianos have an even number of keys. By starting with a short stem solenoid for No.
  • Page 40 Figure 24—Solenoid is used as a guide for Steinway sostenuto Figure 25—Steinway Sostenuto...

  • Page 41: Step22 Locating The Access Hole In The Rail Cover And Mounting The Cpu

    Secure spring attachment on monkey with veneer glued to the sides. Figure 26 Step 22 Mounting the CPU in the piano Note: CPU is mounted outside of the rail cover on the piano beam area. A. Locate the CPU and mounting screws in the kit. B.

  • Page 42: Step23 Prepare The Rail Cover

    Step 23 Prepare the rail cover A. Mount the rail cover on the keybed in the location outlined. B. Place the sustain and the sostenuto trapwork back on the piano. Next, place the lyre on the piano. C. Looking through the drilled pitman holes of the 2 levers, place a mark on the rail cover.

  • Page 43: Step24 Building Solenoid Rails4444

    Step 24 Building Solenoid Rails A. Starting with the bass key solenoid section, clamp the bass rail to a work bench with the recessed side up elevated by a 2” x 2” (51 mm x 51 mm) block of wood. Note: The key center marking on rail is facing toward you.
  • Page 44 D. Remove the holding clamps from rail plate and rotate rail 180 degrees. Clamp the rail back to the bench. E. Place a long stem key solenoid between the short stem solenoids and attach With screw. (See fig. 31) Figure 31 NOTE: The long stem solenoid tip and felt rest on the top row of solenoids.
  • Page 45 H. Twist the solenoid wires to help manage the wires as well as the ease of plugging them into the driver boards. NOTE: When starting with a short stem solenoid, the wire lay nicely because they line up better than starting with a white wire solenoid. (See fig. 36) NOTE: The wire twisting tool in fig.
  • Page 46 J. Tape down plunger stems to solenoids with masking or clear tape to keep plunger from falling out. Cut the excess rail plate off with a band saw, file off any metal burrs and blow off with compressed air. NOTE: It is best to draw a cut line and re- move the end key solenoid before cutting to keep from damaging the solenoid or wires.

  • Page 47: Step25 Install The Solenoid Rail

    Step 25 Install the solenoid rail Locate and installing the hanger bolts A. Place end keys of each section on the key frame. Put the key frame in the piano and put the action end blocks in place. To determine where to drill the holes in the keybed hold the completed section of a rail in the slot and align plunger tips with the end keys.

  • Page 48: Step26 Mounting & Connecting Key Board Drivers

    This can be accomplished by using either a guide block or a drill guide. D. To insert the hanger bolt, use a "stud installer", (Fig. 41) available from PianoDisc and install into the keybed. Another option is to put both nuts on the stud, tighten them against one another and screw the stud into the keybed.
  • Page 49 NOTE: In the event of space limitations, where not all 88 solenoids were used within the piano, it will be necessary to omit the first two or three connections. Every two pins on the key driver board are used for one key solenoid connection.

  • Page 50: Step27 Connect The Power And Data Cables

    Step 27 Connect the power and data cables A. Connecting the driver harness cable: The gray cable has a 3 pin plug and 3 equally spaced 4 pin plugs. Plug the 2-pin plug into the two pin cable attached to the cover plate. Starting at the bass, plug the remaining 3 plugs in each Key driver board.
  • Page 51 Prodigy CPU front view Prodigy CPU Left Side Driver Board Connections 40 VDC Cables...

  • Page 52: Step28 Mount The Power Supply

    Step 28 Mount the power supply The power supply should be mounted in such a position that its cables will be of sufficient length to reach the driver CPU board. Test different positions of the power supply (with cables attached) to determine which position will produce the best results.

  • Page 53: Step29 Lyre Support Rods

    Step 29 Lyre support rods If the lyre support rods do not clear the rail cover, select the correct thickness of wood to elevate the rod enough to clear the rail cover. Three inch square blocks of plywood, of proper thickness, will work well. Paint the blocks to match the bottom of the piano and secure with wood glue and screws.

  • Page 54: Step31 Checking Key Height

    Step 32 Action regulation procedure The PianoDisc system will perform optimally when the piano action is operating at the manufacturer’s specifications. The following items represent a typical regulation checklist.

  • Page 55: Step33 Action Installation

    Step 33 Action installation NOTE: The current springless design key solenoid was released in Jan. 2005. Proir to 2005 the key solenoid was spring loaded which requires the keys to be depressed, or the action to be lifted as the action is moved into position. This is necessary to ensure that the action clears the rubber tips of the plungers, thereby preventing damage to the plunger stems.
  • Page 56 Figure 48 A. Look across the bottom of all three solenoid rails for a quick check to see the level of accuracy of the height adjustment. All three rails should line up straight.

  • Page 57: Step35 System Start Up

    Step 35 System start up A. Check all cable connections. B. Plug the system into a power outlet. C. Turn on the power strip. D. The soft light and sustain light on the driver CPU will flash. E.. Press test button located on the C.P.U. interface. (See Fig. 49) This will start the playing of the solenoids from the Bass to the Treble end.

  • Page 58: Step36 Sustain Pedal Trapwork Set-Up & Solenoid Adjustment

    Step 36 Sustain pedal Trapwork set-up and solenoid Adjustment Figure 50 NOTE: Adjust the stroke of the pedal solenoid to give a damper lift of 1/8” (3mm) off the strings. Occasionally, as a result of either a poor regulation or worn parts, the solenoid stroke must be adjusted to a longer distance than is desirable.
  • Page 59 A. Adjustment begins wih the pedal solenoid operation. (See Fig. 50, previous page) 1. Loosen (C) pedal solenoid stop pad and adjust it upward by turning it clockwise. (looking up from the bottom) 2. Loosen (B) pedal solenoid lock nut and adjust it upward by turning it clockwise.

  • Page 60: Step37 Final Check List

    Step 37 Final check list A. Make sure to do the complete calibration with the PianoDisc Calibration app. Verify that all solenoids, keys, and pedals are functioning properly. It is very important that all calibrate is performed for the piano to function properly B.

  • Page 61: Appendix A (Keybed Information)

    Appendix A - Keybed removal Grand pianos with removable keybeds in produc on today Boston Estonia Fazioli Kawai Petrof Pearl River Mason & Hamlin Samick Yamaha Young Chang Grand Pianos with non-removable keybeds in produc on today Steinway and Sons Sauter Forster Schimmel...
  • Page 62 PianoDisc Standard Parts ID Key Driver Set Multi Plug Strip Driver Cables Grand Driver Mounting Baggie, Grand Key Solenoid Screw Bag Key Solenoids...
  • Page 63 PianoDisc Standard Parts ID User Pack PN: 8500-00006 iQ Accy. Baggie Keybed Guide pins Power Supply, 10 VDC...
  • Page 64 PianoDisc Standard Parts ID (cont.) PN-1900-12148 Rail Cover Solenoid Rails HD Cover Plate Rail Cover Bag- Trapwork Hardware Bag- End Support Plate...
  • Page 65 PianoDisc Standard Parts ID (cont.) Wiring Hardware Baggie Pedal solenoid Extension Cable Solenoid Rail Mounting Baggie Pedal Trapwork...
  • Page 66 PianoDisc Standard Parts ID Power Supply/Pedsol Hardware Baggie Pedal Solenoid PN: 8000-00002-01 Power Strip Mounting Bag...

Table of Contents