Kawai Digital Piano P360

Repair: Kawai P 360 Digital Piano

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ungefähr 6:38 Minuten

The Kawai P 360 (or Kawai Digital Piano 360) was introduced in 1988. It has a wonderful hammer action keybed with 88 wooden keys and features 13 tones from Grand Piano to Brass and Strings.

For my social project I got a P 360 that had been used heavily as a theatre and pub piano resulting in a lot of dead keys and most of the selection buttons not working. If you wanted to switch the tone/select another sound the corresponding button LED would just start blinking. With these issues and problems the instrument was simply unplayable.

The P 360 has a built in function which allows for playing and sustaining one sound, switching to another, but you won't hear the new sound until all notes with the previous sound are released. So I suspected permanently triggering keys was the issue with the lost sound selection functionality.

Opening up

There is just one screw both on the bottom left and right side to keep the top in place. Remove the screws and you can open it up.

Removing the keys

Unscrew the long batten on top of the keys first. Since the nuts are fixed with wax or glue you have to screw out the whole screw first, remove the nut with pliers and put the screw back in place.

Then remove all the springs. Pay attention to the different coloring of the springs! The silver springs are for white keys, while the slightly golden ones hold the black keys.

Kawai P360 removing keys

To take out a white key lift it up in the front and while enlarging the angle pull it softly upwards until it slips off its holding pin. To remove a black key you have to make some space first by removing a neighbored white one. Lift up the black key like a white one, then tilt it a bit aside and remove its hammer by pulling it backwards. This gives enough space to lift up the black key. Put the hammer back in place.

Kawai P360 cleaning contacts

Cleaning contacts

Remove the keybed circuit boards and wiring. Remove the rubber contact mats and keep track of their position and orientation on the board. Be careful to get rid of all dust with a vacuum cleaner. Clean all contacts both on the boards and mats softly and properly with benzine or something comparable, make sure the liqid evaporates traceless. Put the contact mats back in place and make sure they lay tight on the board. To push the nipples through the corresponding holes you can use a small Allen key. Be careful and use something that is not sharp, otherwise you will cut holes in the mat.
The contact concept Kawai used here is a bit different compared to keybeds produced nowadays. There is a circular contact area with a feathered spot in the middle and a ring all around. Velocitiy is determined by calculating the time between closing the center and the outer circuit.

Kawai P360 cleaning contacts

Key adjustment

Put all keys back in place and make sure to keep the order. Once the keybed is complete you want to do some trigger or pressure point fine tuning, to adjust dynamics and playability.
Each key has two screws to adjust the height of the key in the keybed (rear) and for dynamics (in the middle of the key). The dynamics screw enlarges contact pressure by turning it clockwise with a small screwdriver. So if a key is not responding fully to playing this might be the quick solution before opening up everything and giving it a complete cleaning.
On this P 360 some keys where triggering constantly so to get them all to the same level I turned all screws counterclockwise until the softest key touch would still make a sound. If a key was not adjusted like that I had a problem with repetition also. Playing/triggering the same key at a high repetition rate led to no-sound-at-all after a few hits.
If a key doesn't align with neighbored keys adjust the height with the corresponding screw in the rear.

I'm not sure yet how this adjustment will work out in the long run since the keys ar wooden and wood "breathes" with humidity. So a readjustment might be necessary in summer, since I did this in dry winter air. I'll be writing an update if this is the case.

If you think the spring tension is not right you could try to adjust that by twisting the metal mount like shown in one of the images above.

Kawai P360 key adjustment

Voltage selection

The P 360 was introduced before the general voltage in Europe was unified, unfortunately this piano was still set to 220 V (we have 230 V in Germany since 1993). But it is easily switched to 230/240 V by moving the corresponding fuse from the 220 V bracket to the 240 V bracket right next to it on the amp board (board to the left).

If you hear issues in sound like sizzling noise or unequal volume comparing left to right output, it's time to recap the boards. Replace all electrolytic capacitors to their specification, like it's written on their housing, and pay attention to their polarity. Start on the psu and amp board with the big ones and go for high quality caps here (Nichicon Muse UKZ or UKA, Panasonic FM/FR/FC, Elna). If problems persists go on replacing on the main board. It's good to keep that standard there also, but you'd get away with cheaper ones.

Kawai P360 voltage 220/240 V

Small Update 2021: I closed the comments due to massive spambot traffic especially on this page, sorry. If you feel you need to get in touch with me about this type of piano, please use my contact form instead, or write to me on Twitter or Instagram.

Comments/ Kommentare

#01

Hallo !

I went back to playing piano and after going through some basic exercises, my mi/E note stopped working on my 2 decades old p 360 !

Thanks to your helpful guide, I could make it work again very easily.

VielEn Dank :)

You're welcome, that's nice to hear, glad your piano works again! And thanks for your feedback!
Cheers
Ulf

#02

Does anyone know where I can purchase parts for the Kawai p360 keyboard. ep 045 cpu

Is "ep 045" the manufacturer marking written on the cpu? I don't get appropriate results by searching for a datasheet with that indication. This would be the first step: note all information on the ic housing and search for a datasheet to find out what the item's correct name is. Then search for a local distributor or on platforms like Ebay, Aliexpress or hkinventory regarding rare or obsolete parts. Good luck and feel free to post the result of your search here.

#03

Hi i need kawai 170m digital piano service manual

I don't have that, I'm sorry. But you can always look for similarities in available service manuals of other instruments by a certain manufacturer.

#04

Hi
Do you know what type of jack i need to connect headphones to the kawai 360? The 6.3mm jack doesnt seem to do the trick
Thanks

All jacks should be 6.3 mm. If your headphones don't work there might be a problem with the jack or with the plug. Just recently I found a broken piece of a plug in a headphone jack of another piane, resulting in complete silence of the instrument. And sometimes the reeds inside the jack are worn out or even torn so a replacement should help if it is not repairable.

#05

Hi, first of all thanks for sharing this, it's the only resource on restoring a Kawai p360 that I've been able to find and has helped me enormously.

I've also recently acquired a p360 that I'm trying to bring back to life. Mine was also nearly but not quite playable :-)

The main problem on my unit was that certain keys only playing intermittently, and only when struck hard. I suspected it was an issue with the rubber pads or the contacts, and when I cracked it open it was absolutely filthy inside. I cleaned it out, removed the key/springs/hammers etc. and then took off the pads and cleaned the contacts. This made a big difference when I tested it and seems to have solved the problem. I also noticed that the topsof some of the rubber pads were clogged up which I believe was affecting how tpad was depressing.

The other big issue I had was that the keys were of uneven heights in places and I believe this is partly because much of the felt is in very poor condition where it's been eaten by moths. Before I put everything back together I'll be replacing as much of the felt as I can. I expect that this, along with fine tuning the pressure screws, will solve this issue.

Once thing I'm not quite clear about though is whether there's supposed to be a felt pad or some kind of washer between the key and the rail that the key pivots over? In your photo above of the bottom of the key there's a hole through each key between the height and the pressure screws, where the key slots onto a metal pin.

At the base of each of the pins on my p360 there's a gummy, waxy residue. I'm guessing that at one point this could have been some kind of washer, or the remains of the glue holding a felt pad which has since disintegrated.

Do you have any thoughts about this? Did you put some washer between the keys and the rail or is this uneccesary?

Many thanks!

Hi,
yes, a rubber washer should be at the described place. I would recommend getting that from a plumber (store) or cutting some rubber pad to fitting pieces. Good luck!

#06

Hi,
does the same apply to a Kawai CL25R?

Thank you!

Hi Steve,
the CL25 is different as it's a lot younger. I don't know what your problem is. Regarding cleaning procedures some parts of this blog post may apply to your piano, but you will not need to calibrate each key. Good luck!
Ulf

#07

I found this device at a very very affordable price. Is it worth the risk? The piano works and produces sound. The problem is that there is no sound from 3 keys. Some of the keys are slightly below. Do you think it would be repaired, what could be the worst malfunction? If the pcb is cracked or broken, will it be repaired?
Does the mechanism resemble those of an acoustic pianos and new Kawai digital actions.(eg Kawai's RM3) Thank you ...

If it is "very very affordable", go for it! You'll need to clean the contacts below the keys and readjust those that are a bit low. I described the procedure. Since the keys are wooden playability is quite close to a real piano. Enjoy!

I mentioned that I found a very attractive price p360. I bought the product. I opened inside. There was incredible dust in it. I applied a complete cleaning. All keys are now functional. Almost none of the function switches work. I don't need them anyway. I renewed the sponge strip in the area of ​​the springs. The rubber grommets at the pivot point were rotten. I cut out thin artificial felt and put it on. The suede leather, which the screw touches on the tip of the key, was in very bad condition again, it was sticky. I replaced it with thin felt again. The felt part under the hammers was very squeezed so it was dysfunctional, so it was not damping. i changed that strip too. I loosened the aluminum plates at the point where the hammers were, pushed them down and screwed them. Meanwhile, midi ports, line ports, headphone output are all active.
Let's come to the problems:
1- The midi output does not seem to reach the desired values ​​in the 0-127 range. I think it will be necessary to adjust the screw that contacts the sensor a little more. I am not sure.
2- There is a strange key mechanism. the hammers are present but move down when the key is pressed. Springs take the key to the rest position. Hammers seem to have a job to create momentum. Still, as if there is not enough weight on the keys. I wish I could make it better. I adjusted the screw that adjusts the vertical movement of the key to increase the momentum. But this time the keys have become very deep.

Good job so far, congrats! Regarding key adjustment I remember this was tricky and I started over several times until all keys were both on the same level and fully functional again. Good luck!

#08

Hi,
Good work. Thank you for your investigation.
I looked through your links and unfortunately I didn't find the service manual for my Kawai p260.
The synthetizer is getting old and I want to use the kb as a midi controller since the weighted keys are not bad at all.
The problem is that even if the volume is down I can hear it. Really annoying.
I know the slider is directly part of the amplifier since it is a dual ptotentiometer (stereo).
I want to shut the volume but don't want to blow the amplifier. Maybe with a resistor or a jumper.
Is there a chance you have the schematics ?

Regards

Hi Jean,
thanks. I'm afraid I don't have schematics for both P260 nor P360. I would at first open the slider pot and clean it thoroughly and check if this could solve the issue. If not, an oscilloscope is your friend to find out where exactly the audio leaks. Btw bridging the pot will not blow the amp but this should not be an option. Good luck!
Ulf

#09

Hey you amazing human! Today I bought one for 100 euros with the described issues just because of this article. And your astonishing and detailed instructions solved all of them! Thank you soo much! I am testing now the screws to have the same tension on all keys. This seems a bit hard for a total beginner.

For everyone who dont get the different tones ( Harp, Piano 2 etc) even after cleaning everything etc. what helped for me to loosen (screw in the front of the keys) all keys white and black so they dont make any sound when hitting.
Cause the problem seemed to be that there is always somekind of signal going in wich wont let you switch between these tunes.
after that you should see that you can now switch programs and the light indicator isnt blinking anymore. is is really difficult to find after that the right "hit tension" but possible.

I am really really thankful for that guide! Hope you all are safe!

Hi Frederic,
thanks for your words, makes me really glad that I could help you with my writeup. Hope you'll enjoy the P360 for a long time. Best regards
Ulf

#10

Hello.

Is this piano still good? It's more than 30 years old. Wooden Keys are expensive nowadays. But I'm Not Sure about the Sound quality. The memory should be very small - so the sounds have to be compressed.

80€ in used condition.
Or should I search for a Piano made after 2000-2005?

I would take it for 50 € provided it's fully working, in respect of work to do within the next years anyway (caps, overall cleaning and adjustment). It's great to have wooden keys, that definitely makes a difference. Soundwise it's not up to date, but for my taste it sounds better than these overloaded chinese products.

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