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[ioguie]

I was really enjoying the Studio 5lx for reasons probably well-known to people on this forum... patch changes from the front panel with no computer necessary, the joy of Studio Patches Editor, the possibility to patch up a SampleCell card, the sheer abundance of ports... reliability... compatibility...

But a couple of weeks ago, I turned it on and POP! SPARK! FIZZ!  And I turned it off and removed it.  Scared to turn it back on.

It's possible that one of my MIDI cables has gone bad ... and maybe that's to blame here.  That MIDI cable has been retired.  But could a bad MIDI cable really cause the Studio 5lx to crash & burn?

Anybody have any tips that might give me the confidence to try plugging it in and turning it on again?  Could it have just been a fuse?  The spark & pop seemed to come from somewhere near the front-panel A/B switches.

Barring that, anybody want one for parts?

[robespierre]

I can't see any situation where a bad MIDI cable could cause sparks.
What is more likely is that the AC inlet EMI filter module has failed. EMI filters made by Schaffner used to be very common in all kinds of equipment, and they will spark and smoke when they get old.

[Syn-Fi]

if they do vent, they do if you have stored the item in a humid environment and then taken it to a dry environment, you will smell a charcoal smell. inside you will see residue near the filter. 

[GaryN]

But could a bad MIDI cable really cause the Studio 5lx to crash & burn?
No. Absolutely not.

Anybody have any tips that might give me the confidence to try plugging it in and turning it on again?
Hoping for a different result? That's insanity. Don't.

Could it have just been a fuse?
Fuses don't do that.

The spark & pop seemed to come from somewhere near the front-panel A/B switches.
It likely seemed that way because the front was all you could see. It's barely possible the power switch failed somehow, but…
…far more likely it came from the power supply which is in the back by the AC inlet. Get out your trusty Phillips screwdriver - the correct one that actually fits because you'll quickly trash the screw heads otherwise, take the top off and take a look. The PSU is right where the AC cord connects.

robespierre has a good idea there. The EMI can and does just decide to retire sometimes. You know, using old electronic hardware is a lot like driving a vintage car. If you're afraid or unwilling to get your hands dirty once in a while, vintage is not so much for you.
That said, >90% of Studio 5 fails are caused by the power supply. That's where the heavy lifting gets done. If not the EMI module, it will be a filter cap or ehh…maybe a diode. What ever it is, if it made noise and let the smoke out, you can probably see the damaged part burned or at least discolored. It's also likely that the fuse will be blown, having reacted faster than you did as it's supposed to.
That said, if it's proven to be the PSU, any decent tech should be able to fix it easily if you can't or won't.

Barring that, anybody want one for parts?
Personally, I have three - one working, one for backup and "one for parts". That's another good practice when using hard to get or unobtainable vintage stuff.