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I am one of the numptys that has plugged the power cable into the XLR port on my RD-800.

Just received it back, fixed by Roland and it has now got this botched repair that is the cable attached.

They are not willing to budge on this at all. In my view it has now changed the device to not being very portable which surely is the whole point of a stage piano. It is going to get damaged every time it is put in a case.

Still in a debate with them. Any ideas?

Let the slagging for my stupidity commence...

Hi Mr Pip, Hey you made a mistake, no need to add salt to your wounds. Any chance you can post a photo(s) of what they did to your RD800. Thanks, Marko

All we can do is collectively push Roland into changing the modification to something like the XLR covers or bungs.

It's the only fix I will allow them to do to mine, having rejected their offer to permanently attached a cable.

FWIW, as far as I can remember, pretty much all the keyboards up to the early 80s had permanently attached power cords. There was no epidemic of damage, tripping, etc.

...that we heard of. Now we have the internet and read even if someone breaks a fingernail on key. So it could have been a problem in the 80s. IDK

No one's asked...When you plugged it in, was it like pushing a square peg in a round hole? Do you remember what you were thinking?

I'm sorry it happened but I think it might help to know cause if it was easy to push in, then it can be understand why Roland has gone to such lengths to fix the issue (in their minds only, at the very least.)

If the AC cable and XLR receptacle I used are any indication, as I reported earlier in this thread, it fits like a glove.

I concur with dewster that it is an easy fit, if you look at his post dated 17th April on page 2, you will see that the C8 plug has 8.6mm centres, and the XLR pins are at 8.1mm.

Nobody is denying that there isn't a risk when cabling up the RD-800 if you don't concentrate, but I do question if "Roland has gone to such lengths to fix the issue".

It's the 'permanently attached cable' fix they came up with that is the objection, when they could have gone for a solution like XLR covers/bungs, which would have had no usability impact on owners, and could also be retrofitted to avoid a recall.

When I plugged it in, it went in very easily. There was no resistance or anything that would have made me think that it wasn't the correct port.

I had previous plugged it in a lot of times and it didn't feel any different to those times.

I was leaning over the piano form the front and feeling where to plug it in when it happened.

A stage piano - especially a top professional model like the RD800 - should work under all kinds of adverse conditions which you wouldn't come across much in the home or studio: darkness, awkward angles, running late, conflicting needs of other band members, roadies with violent, homicidal tendencies, unforeseen circumstances, altered states, panic.

Even a seasoned pro-musician or roady could make this error given a combination of the those circumstances.

That's where Roland have failed here: they should have spotted the problem in tests or simply by systematically thinking through the new design.

As noted above by bgiles, sprung XLR caps appear to be a neat solution, which would be in line with the professional profile this kind of instrument likes to keep.

Had a demo on one at the weekend. Oddly enough, the display model didn't have the fix fitted, but the stock ones did.

Playing it I was extremely impressed, especially compared to what I was used to.

Practicalities however, there were a few points (notwithstanding the power issues). Because it is narrow and all the sockets are at such an angle, it looks like some of the plugs could get in the way of the stand (especially if it's a table top one).

Also, for the last 18 years I've had stage pianos in a flightcase with a shallow base. I therefore put the whole case on the stand and just remove the lid. This is now no longer possible with the angled sockets of the RD-800 as they just get in the way.

Also, as mentioned, because of the curved back, it does seem harder to carry by one person.

As impressed as I really was with it, the opening paragraph on the Roland product website does seem rather ironic. I didn't get much of a chance, since there was a queue of people wanting to demo it, so I'd be happy to be corrected.

Yes, the position of the sockets can present a problem, particularly if you have all 'right angled' plugs as I do.
If you have no clearance underneath, such as placing it on a flat surface, there is not enough room to get 2 Neutrik angled plugs in the 2 jack outputs without plugs touching the surface it's mounted on (unless you point them up ).
However, almost all keyboards stands are an open design, so not normally an issue.

Unfortunately, plugging it in whilst left in a flight case lid would be almost impossible.

All in all, a backward step with regards to connection access over previous models, so much so I have coloured stickers to help me identify what it where (except of course the power, where I look).

You could ask yourself that if Roland had stuck with the sloped up design of previous models, would there be so much of a risk of the user plugging the power lead into an XLR, I don't think so.

A painful lesson for Roland.

The stand I'm using at the moment on stage is a Quik-Lok X-frame, so I'd have to position it on there suck that a socket didn't coincide with a support.

The stand I have at home is a K&M 19850 table style, which has a beam all the way across the back. Because the RD-800 is shallow, I'm guessing that either the stand would stick out the front, or the beam across the back would get in the way of downward plugs.

Either way, yes, not good for right-angled XLRs. Others, like the supplied right-angle footswitch jack could go at a bit of an angle.

For reference, the footprint of the RD-800 is 320mm deep x 1370mm wide (12.5" x 54").

Mine sits on a Bespeco stand which is 390mm deep, so I have a gap at the back where the leads drop through.

I word of warning though, the front rubber feet on the underside are not at the same centres as the rear, as they are positioned to suit the Roland KS-G8B stand.
Front to back centres: 215mm (8.5") approx.
Front feet centres: 775mm (30.5") approx.
Rear feet centres: 910mm (35.75") approx.

Thanks

When will Roland take some new pics of their flagship DP with that nifty cord hanging on? for their website.

Their sales strategy is likely to be that they don't want the buyer to see it until they take it out the box at home, otherwise it's likely to affect the decision to buy.

They would've had nothing to be ashamed about if they'd fitted XLR covers, but what they have instead is a major turn off for buyers.

I'm not knocking the RD-800, it's a great keyboard, but I'm glad I got mine before the modification came out, because if I were buying now, I'd be having second thoughts.

From what has been posted here, it wouldn't matter because you can reverse the mod with a screw driver.

Your quote makes me think how cheap of solution Roland came up with. Attach the cord and if you remove it, I assume you release Roland from any damage or personal harm. Cheap and effective.

A spring loaded cover over the XLR's would of cost them more money.

Roland could of and should of went for a more classy fix for their flagship DP. I mean that sticker couldn't be more cheesy.

Per a post from a Canadian Roland representative, removing it will not void the warranty in Canada (and I presume the USA as well), except for damage incurred from plugging the power cord into the XLR slot.


And I'm betting that we'll see all of this in the Roland RD 800NX.