The place to share knowledge about upgrades, mods, customisations and all other cool DIY projects for MPCs and other music equipment.
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By emceewhiterabbit Fri Apr 08, 2011 2:09 pm
Jungleman wrote:
emceewhiterabbit wrote:wd40?


Well, no.

"The long-term active ingredient is a non-volatile, viscous oil which remains on the surface, providing lubrication and protection from moisture."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40


i spilt beer in my street fighter 4 fightstick once and i put that in there, it was better than ever. however, i wouldn't risk anything on the mpc untill you lot say it's cool to do so!
By LZ Roberts Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:40 am
I've used Servisol on tact switches in an old drum machine & it didn't work. Also used it on the contacts of a patchbay & it didn't work there either. Servisol is basically WD40 for electronics & like WD40 it adds a lubricant which also assists electrical contact. It works on loads of things but I'm not confident its the way to go for the MPC tacts.

It seems like on the tacts there is some sort of corrosion or oxidation building up on the surfaces that prevent contact & WD40/Servisol may just add some grease on top of that. I suppose where moisture has been involved, it gets it out the way of the contact surfaces (thats why its handy for damp cars). But Deoxit by the sound of it is dry & directly effects the sulphide & oxide corrosion on the contacts. It looks pricey at about 5 times the cost of WD40 but it might just be one of those things that is worth every penny.

If you did try WD40 on a tact then if it didn't work I wonder if Deoxit would still work on it or whether the layer of lubricant would stop it having an effect. If that was the case then the tact would have to be replaced.
By mhann Mon Aug 01, 2011 5:09 pm
do you think this one will work
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tactile-Button-Sw ... 255aee567f


Peace!
mhann wrote:do you think this one will work
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tactile-Button-Sw ... 255aee567f



if not would anybody sell me like 3 or 4 of those switches if you bought 'em from that farnell link on the first post.... get at me [email protected]

for some reason this forum is not letting me send PMs at the moment, LZ Roberts... get at me :D
By King Cobra Tue Aug 02, 2011 7:36 am
my mode button is going bad right now on my 2500

can any of you recommend a good soldering iron?

i can't find any places in chicago that do soldering

so i figure i'll try it myself on an old computer board for practice

i need to learn it anyway, i have to solder a new battery on my ensoniq dp4
By LZ Roberts Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:46 am
mhann wrote:do you think this one will work
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tactile-Button-Sw ... 255aee567f


Peace!


Hello mhann,
Saw the switch, it looks like the sort of thing you need. Its quite good value for 40.
The life is 100,000 cycles where as the Alps are 1 million & Alps are a bit more known for quality, but if you do get your 100,000 depresses on them then you'll be old & grey when they go flakey, then you've got good value there.

I'd solder in one to see if it works & then if thats good then do the rest.

It is also a good idea to get a lot more switches than you need. I did over half of mine, the ones I didn't do are starting to go a bit now after only a few more months. I've left them on purpose because I've just got some DeoxIT D5 & am going to field test that later. But will no doubt have to replace those too, eventually.

I'm in the middle of moving home so my life is up in the air at the moment.
Last edited by LZ Roberts on Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
By LZ Roberts Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:08 am
King Cobra wrote:my mode button is going bad right now on my 2500

can any of you recommend a good soldering iron?

i can't find any places in chicago that do soldering

so i figure i'll try it myself on an old computer board for practice

i need to learn it anyway, i have to solder a new battery on my ensoniq dp4



Mine is an Antex 18watt Iron
http://www.antex.co.uk/product.asp?strP ... 0&P_ID=821

I've noticed that the iron wattage ratings in the US seem quite high, but your mains voltage is 110V where as its 220 & 240V in Europe. So I think the power ratings will be a bit different.

Don't be tempted by the cheap electrical irons though, they get too hot, get one that's for electronics.
Hopefully, someone from the US or Canada can post a good recommendation.
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By crossings Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:14 am
what's the best/cheapest place to buy these tact switches shipped to the USA? i have a feeling shipping from the UK is gonna cost a bit [despite the package being very light]... can anyone in the states help a brother out? i don't even need them yet, but i just wanna have a dozen of them around for any future issue i may encounter... :mrgreen:
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By emceewhiterabbit Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:20 am
i just ordered 150 of them lol, had to make a minimum order with them if using credit card. i doubt i will use more than fifty if you're interested in me sending you some.
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By konc3pt Mon Aug 08, 2011 1:49 am
crossings wrote:what's the best/cheapest place to buy these tact switches shipped to the USA? i have a feeling shipping from the UK is gonna cost a bit [despite the package being very light]... can anyone in the states help a brother out? i don't even need them yet, but i just wanna have a dozen of them around for any future issue i may encounter... :mrgreen:



if you asking about the mentioned alps tact switches I got mine from here, came within days

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/ALPS/SKHHAKA010/?qs=seHrhfPpLDyPUsCTaeDTPQ%3D%3D
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By emceewhiterabbit Thu Aug 11, 2011 10:17 am
BIG UP my homie Ken for fixing my MPC on short notice. these buttons work better than the day i bought this machine no word of a lie. anyone who is thinking of soldering new buttons on: find an engineer friend!


anyone know where i can buy the big red tacts for cheap?
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By konc3pt Thu Aug 11, 2011 3:53 pm
Nym wrote:i never heard of one of those going out before, but you probably are just being thorough


so they are different huh,...havent looked under the hood yet but transport buttons do feel better than all the rest...is cursor tacts the same as the rest or they're also different?
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By Coz Thu Aug 11, 2011 3:55 pm
emceewhiterabbit wrote:i just ordered 150 of them lol, had to make a minimum order with them if using credit card. i doubt i will use more than fifty if you're interested in me sending you some.



How much did you pay for these?