Reveal MusicSTAR MIDI Piano Keyboard

16Mar/189

Reveal MusicSTAR MIDI Piano Keyboard

Picked this up at a local tip shop a while ago for cheapcheap and have finally gotten around to checking it out. It's a short MIDI Keyboard from Reveal, model number MKB02. It turns out the company no longer exists; but Creative did try to save them back in the day.

Anyway, the keyboard is really nice. It has the standard IO: Power plug, power switch and MIDI out. On top you'll find buttons to adjust pitch and octaves.

Mine didn't come with an AC adapter, so I purchased the closest 9v 200ma supply I could find.

I was concerned whilst hooking this up as to the polarity of the plug. Usually you get the little symbol somewhere on the unit to dictate where positive is. Every other MIDI device I've seen lately has positive on the outside... but this does seem to be a Japanese thing.

The best way to solve this was to crack the unit open... it's a keyboard nonetheless, so it probably needed an internal clean anyway!

That last photo is of the IO board. The best bit? The power runs in from the DC jack into a friggen bridge rectifier! Why am I so happy/excited about this? It means the polarity doesn't even matter! It more-or-less treats the input as AC and converts it to its own polarity. How good is that!? All devices should do this.

Anyway, the next step was to simply hook it all together into my SC-55. Of course... it just worked perfectly!

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soundsofsilver
October 30th, 2018 - 01:16

I have the same keyboard, and am wondering what adapter to purchase. I don’t know anything about voltage and adapters. I saw that your link was to an Australian company. What sort of adapter would I purchase in the USA to work with this?

( REPLY )
- stevenh
  October 30th, 2018 - 09:23
  
  What’s your local electronics store? Does Radio Shack still exist? You simply need a 9V AC or DC. Polarity doesn’t even matter as the keyboard will correct it.
  
  ( REPLY )
Rudy
December 29th, 2018 - 10:09

Where can I get software to connect my Musicstar keyboard to my windows 10 pc?

( REPLY )
- stevenh
  April 22nd, 2020 - 09:58
  
  Hi Rudy, You’ll just need a USB->MIDI interface for Windows 10.
  After that’s connected, any MIDI software will work with it.
  
  ( REPLY )
Pete
April 22nd, 2020 - 01:53

I have one of these but haven’t decided if I should get rid of it. I assume the key events are not at all pressure sensitive? I’m considering if it’s worth getting a midi to usb adapter to use it as a spare MIDI controller for a modern DAW?

Also, don’t understand how anyone who has a stack of old hard drives doesn’t also have a box of old power adapters?

( REPLY )
- stevenh
  April 22nd, 2020 - 10:02
  
  Unfortunately, I no longer have the keyboard, so I don’t remember if the keys were pressure-sensitive. I’ve just watched a video on the device which seems to show that the keys are either on or off.
  
  As for power supplies, all are either 5v or 12v. I’d not had to deal with a 9v power supply (especially with reverse polarity) until these MIDI devices came along.
  
  ( REPLY )
Jose
February 14th, 2024 - 11:11

Hoy 13 de febrero compre uno, debo de conseguir el Interfaz MidiUsb, el adaptador 9V, o sera que pueda usar uno de 12V.? y luego lo probaré en Windows 11 con un DAW llamado Reaper. haber si funciona, saludos

( REPLY )
- stevenh
  February 14th, 2024 - 11:31
  
  Although it says 9v on the outside, it’s running a standard 7805 regulator inside and so 12v should be fine. I don’t have the keyboard any more, and so can’t check if the capacitors smoothing the 7805 are 12v rated?
  I can only recommend 9v though! As per the unit.
  
  MIDI to USB will work fine with this.
  
  ( REPLY )
  - Jose
    February 15th, 2024 - 04:29
    
    Perfecto Amigo, lo que voy hacer intercalar un Diodo o bien una resistencia para bajar la intensidad del voltaje.
    Gracia por tu respuesta y recomendación, Saludo
    
    ( REPLY )