Share your knowledge on these two classic MPCs
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By 3K. Mon Mar 24, 2014 1:24 pm
Hi all,

I am posting this for some expert advice and as this is my first (well, actually my third, but …) post, please bear with me catching the typical newbie pitfalls. Yup, I read the 3K bible thread and check mpc3000.com + mpchunter too …

Been watching the usual places on the net irregularily for 3Ks since 5 months roughly, and now I'm finally ready to shell out the $$s. My question isn't that much for prices, by now I've seen enough selling to know what's reasonable, but a rather esoteric one:
My dream setup would be a classic 3K (LE's are ok too, but aesthetically I prefer the classic) with VGA board, Vailixi OS and a built-in CF Reader. Mint condition of course, haha :roll: This combination makes a rare machine like the 3K even less likely to pop up and shoot, before others do. Being highly unlikely to have 'em all, I thought I'd set the Vailixi to be #1, as they're less likely to get the chips only.

By now I've missed so many opportunities that I'm asking myself if I just should grab a 3K with either CF Reader or VGA board or just a mint looking and technically sound model. Sometimes the VGA boards do pop up, so these could be retrofitted. I'm OK with electronics and I don't mind replacing a backlight or exchange switches etc., but the price tag should reflect that job.

Luck awaits those with patience, they say. Me is wondering how much patience would be worth it, as I said, I've missed a lot already (time zones, not checking every day, life, blah) and I get the notion I should grab the next one that at least isn't just mint and technically sound, but offers something above average.

What do you all think?
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By 3K. Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:52 pm
OK, I made my fait accompli tonight and sourced a classic model with VGA board but, alas, without Vailixi or CF. The price tag seemed acceptable to me for what's been advertised, given the recent averages. Can't wait to have it here, don't know when though :popcorn:
In the meantime, I could start looking for high quality sound packs; ie. the classic Roland drum boxes plus nice acoustic kits with a club flavour … or check my crates for parts to sample. Is there a good intro in building sample libraries for the 3K? I'm going to print the manual and bind it, makes for a great loo-reading :-D

BTW, did anyone of you try the retr0bright http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com procedure on any plastic parts of the 3K, yet?
By master-ceo Tue Mar 25, 2014 4:13 am
Congrats on your purchase. The joy of sampling is that you can sample anything and make it into something.

I plan to retrobrite the buttons on my MPC60’s real soon and try to document it in a new thread when I do. My only fear is destroying the lettering on the stop play buttons etc. They dont seem to be etched like quality keyboard keys so the lettering fades away from constant use. Hopefully they can withstand a few hours of retrobrite without fading.
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By 3K. Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:10 am
Cheers ceo, yeah, looking forward to get my hands on it :nod:

Please share your retr0bright experience! My MPC has all but the faceplate and display unit, that's originally white/light grey, in shades of yellow. Doesn't look too bad actually :lol: but I won't let it stay that way. My first go would be on one of the white buttons of the transport section, as some have faded lettering and still get sold on eBay; if they turn out bad, plan B (buy 'em new or mint used) kicks in. I'll first want to get my head around it's workflow, tho :smoker:
By jimmie Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:22 pm
You using SCSI?
If ur relying on floppies ur gonna want to get a CF reader as soon as possible.
Get an Acard 7720U and a Delock 91640. Cost around £170 with cables... or u could buy it already set up on eBay for £220 (I have no experience with this seller but it looks as though he may use Acard's and delocks.. message him).

I fitted this Acard + Delock in two MPC 3000's and use one every day.. It works amazingly.
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By 3K. Tue Mar 25, 2014 7:57 pm
It's been a long long time ago I had to rely on 3,5"s (for computers), and I kinda have mixed feelings (retromantics vs. past dramas) about that. Depending on how much cash is left after import duties, taxes and such, I'd either go for a ZIP250 or the CF, and if it'll be the latter, I'd rather save cash and assemble my own kit, based on your recommendations. I have no prior MPC experiences other than mediocre internet knowledge.

As my MPC's a 110V model, I need to hook it up with a step down converter. I've two of them, the small one is for gear up to 50Watts, the bigger one for devices no less than 50Watts. From what I read in the manual, it's power consumption is 40Watts, elsewhere I read folks recommending 300 - 400Watts converters. That MPC must be cooking :shock:

Has anyone tried to exchange the internal transformer? From what I read in the manual, I'd need a
BT-419200J TRANS POW L4012
transformer to get rid of the step down converters. It's listed here in a thread "Parts you can buy from Akaif for MPC 2500", but if either my national Akai dependance won't sell it directly or ask for ridiculous prices, I'd measure the voltage when running and would look for some generic alternative. Unless someone already went down that route and can fill me in …
By soundtech Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:36 pm
master-ceo wrote:Congrats on your purchase. The joy of sampling is that you can sample anything and make it into something.

I plan to retrobrite the buttons on my MPC60’s real soon and try to document it in a new thread when I do. My only fear is destroying the lettering on the stop play buttons etc. They dont seem to be etched like quality keyboard keys so the lettering fades away from constant use. Hopefully they can withstand a few hours of retrobrite without fading.



Would be great if you could do that. I have a 60 with yellowish buttons otherwise in great condition it could use from that

To the OP congrats on your purchase enjoy it i know how it feels to be watching listings for that long but great you got yourself one
By MPCHunter Wed Mar 26, 2014 3:38 am
3K. wrote:Has anyone tried to exchange the internal transformer? From what I read in the manual, I'd need a
BT-419200J TRANS POW L4012
transformer to get rid of the step down converters.


The "Parts you can buy from Akai for MPC 2500" thread is really just a list of parts copied from the service manuals.

I am not aware of any off the shelf transformers that you would be able to purchase to place inside your MPC 3000. Akai does not sell them anymore.

Your best bet is to find a company that makes custom wound transformers and get a quote from them. The specs are in the service manual which you can download from this forum. Make sure you give them the physical dimensions of your existing transformer as you want to make sure the new one will fit inside your MPC.


3K. wrote:BTW, did anyone of you try the retr0bright http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com procedure on any plastic parts of the 3K, yet?


I've had mixed results using commercially sold retrobright. Using it is more of an artform, rather than a science. It will bleach the lettering off the buttons if you leave it too long in the solution. I found a local business that does "pad printing" and there were able to put text back onto the buttons of my MPC. Perhaps there is a business near you that can supply this service.
By master-ceo Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:25 pm
:WTF: Ahhh. I thought it would. I know a couple of screen printing places in my area so I'll check them out for a quote first before I dive in. My buttons aren't that bad either just a lil off white, but since I already seen how good they make the 60 look when their bright white my OCD is kicking in.
I'm gonna do some googling on some things and I'll most def keep ya'll updated with my progress. I also got a spare set of play/start buttons to do a few tests on.
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By 3K. Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:23 pm
I'd rather mix my own retr0bright (recipes are here http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Retr0Bright+Gel) than buy a commercial product, this way you can start off with peroxide of different strengths, but I think it's more a question of how long you let it rest before washing all off. If the lettering is readable at all, before you start.

It's fairly easy (for me) to recreate the printing files needed for re-printing their lettering. Find the font and it's point sinze, get the absolute position on the button. Depending on the printers details on the tampography (pad printing), I could set the registration marks accordingly. But honestly, I don't know if all this hustle is worth the efforts as long as replacement buttons are readily available. From my experience with print jobs, I doubt any print company would be interested in printing a single set of 10 buttons in one gang-run, and if they are, you'd probably reconsider with the first quote you get. It already takes a few prints to fine tune the press and match the exact position, set up costs are the same for 1 or 1000 sets of buttons. If you know a company that would handle such a job for a competitive price, it may well be worth to give it a shot and I'd be happy to help you lot with the files needed.
Alternatives could be laser or traditional engraving, but that would look significantly different.

Aren't those buttons available anymore?
By Clint Fri Mar 28, 2014 8:14 pm
3K. wrote:
Aren't those buttons available anymore?


I got some from MPC Stuff recently, but other places have them too. The sweat from your fingers will wear out the lettering eventually unless you put some type of protective clear coating on them.

Many MPC3000 buttons are the same as MPC60 buttons. If you ask the right people, you'll get the buttons you need.
By master-ceo Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:27 am
@3K.
I agree. I think I'll try the 3% Peroxide route and let them soak in a big jar, put it out in the sun and check on them every 30 mins. I seen some good results from that method with keyboard keys on the ATARI forums.

I do have some Transport buttons on deck that I bought years ago from VST in case of emergency. lol
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By 3K. Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:44 am
Clint wrote:If you ask the right people, you'll get the buttons you need.


I hear you :wink:

master-ceo wrote:@3K.
I think I'll try the 3% Peroxide route and let them soak in a big jar, put it out in the sun and check on them every 30 mins.

Let us know how it turns out.

Still waiting for my MPC to pass our local customs dept., will post a pic when it's here. Clint, would it make sense to re-name or detach the lower part of this thread, start a new one (dedicated to the restoration part)? Pretty sure will have a lot of general questions and issues, but also more technical like the electrical innards.
By Clint Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:35 pm
You could start a new thread in the modification forum about cleaning buttons and keys if you want. Most people here don't have an MPC3000, but buttons are pretty much universal, so you may get more suggestions/alternatives.
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By 3K. Wed Apr 02, 2014 2:44 pm
Clint, once I get to this stage, I'll do that.

Is there by any chance an overview on the available pad options? Had a look at mpcstuff.com, and I felt overwhelmed with too many options (lacking proper descriptions apart from their colour).
My 3K comes with dark grey pads which, I assume, are 3000 LE pads, but I'd prefer the bog standard (matching) grey type. From what I've found in this forum and on the net, there's no definitive guide as to which pads are still available for the 3K and what the differences are (apart from their colour). Would be good to know if the original Akai pads are still available (where?) and how they compare to aftermarket types; also, which pads are to be avoided.
Is there a general opinion on what advantage the so called fat pads offer, if any?