The place to share knowledge about upgrades, mods, customisations and all other cool DIY projects for MPCs and other music equipment.
By JVC Sat May 19, 2012 11:49 pm
I think this switch is not hard to find if you know where to look, but I accidentally found this tactile switch:

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-st ... UNT/1.html

This tact switch is good for replacing MPC-1000, MPC-2000, and other MPC's red, large tact switches that are used for play, record botton, etc. I know you might notice that the shape is a bit different than the red switches on MPC, but this is compatible. This is nice, Omron brand, 12x12mm flat type switch (the part number is B3W-4000).

The MPC Specialist website charges $10 for this part.
By JVC Mon May 21, 2012 5:39 pm
The small tact switches on MPC-2000XL (and other MPCs) are one of the most common tact switch used for electronics. It's not hard to find at all. I've posted the info about it before.
MPC-3000 uses same tact switches, but different mount.
By JVC Mon May 21, 2012 7:02 pm
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=144769

Again, this is very common parts, many manufactures produce this switch.
Omron B3W-1000, for instance, would fit.

This is the specification:
Tact Switch 6*6mm 5mm Through Hole SPST-NO 50mA
A. It is 6mm by 6mm, and its height is 5mm.
B. SPST-N means Single Pole, Single Throw, Normally Open (most common type)

ALPS and OMRON make tact switches, and they are top brands. The one I got from seller was most likely generic brand, but it was fine, and so cheap. It was $1.00 for 15 switches, I've bought two bags from an eBay seller, shipping was $2.50, so $4.50 for 30 tact switches.
By JVC Mon May 21, 2012 9:10 pm
mQueue wrote:Ahh I meant the actual plastic buttons

The plastic piece that attaches to each tact switch is not generic parts. That, you have to go through MPC specialist sites.
However, depends on the damage, you can fix the button with hot glue gun. I've tried other glues, but hot glue seems to work best.
I made a thread for that before.
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By konc3pt Wed May 23, 2012 8:19 pm
I can vouch for the alps tact switches as far as feel goes, I've replaced pretty much entire right side of my 2500 with those and left F's alone and Qlink, and difference is noticable right away
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By damien907 Tue Nov 06, 2012 4:04 am
konc3pt wrote:I can vouch for the alps tact switches as far as feel goes, I've replaced pretty much entire right side of my 2500 with those and left F's alone and Qlink, and difference is noticable right away


how does the feel differ? are they less noisy when you push them?
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By konc3pt Tue Nov 06, 2012 7:38 pm
damien907 wrote:
konc3pt wrote:I can vouch for the alps tact switches as far as feel goes, I've replaced pretty much entire right side of my 2500 with those and left F's alone and Qlink, and difference is noticable right away


how does the feel differ? are they less noisy when you push them?


I think they might be tiny bit less noisy/hollow click sounding than stock ones, not much tho...overall operation of the switch is lot smoother, broken in feel

I think akai might have used different tact switches in 2500 over years, cuz dopedee's 2500 buttons felt lot better than mine before switching to alps

JVC wrote:The small tact switches on MPC-2000XL (and other MPCs) are one of the most common tact switch used for electronics


that is correct, found same tact switch as in mpc in my garage door opener after the button fell out
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By sciguy Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:16 am
The alps (or equivalent omron) switches' biggest benefits are probably the higher reliability (at least 10x the rating for number of presses) and the lower push force, which is what makes them feel smoother.

A cheapo tact switch probably needs more than 2x the force to press it than the high quality ones.

I've got a couple b3f omron switches (not the right button height for the mpc unfortunately) and they feel super smooth compared to a cheap tact switch.
As a random point of reference, a C battery plus 4 quarters is enough to push down the switch. 2 C batteries plus 2 AA batteries plus 4 quarters was not even enough to press a cheap switch I had lying around.
I dunno, they were the first common objects with significant weight that I could find on my desk... :-D
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By konc3pt Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:37 pm
:roll: yessir, well put..# of operations is the main benefit of replacing your tact switches, smoother operation is just icing on the cake...btw that's a neat way to benchmark a tact switch :-D
By Clint Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:03 pm
mQueue wrote:Cool....any source on cheap/bulk buttons? I've seen buttons go for like $5 a piece on ebay... ridiculous!


I've sold some buttons (transport, locate, real time) for MPC60/MPC3000. You don't have a whole lot of options if looking for these babies, especially Rec & Overdub. They certainly sold for much more than $5 apiece. I suspect buttons for newer MPC's are easier to come by from broken machines or MPC Stuff/ VST/ Forat.

Whether you decide to maintain you machine with OEM or quality aftermarket parts, ultimately depends on the value you place on it. But then you always will have people looking for the cheapest option which is often a false economy.

I just ordered four encoders from Mouser, and the postage cost more than the parts. Looked for supplier based in the UK, no dice. The value of those encoders to me was more than the total cost so I did not procrastinate about the purchase. Same applies to the pads sensors I got from MPC Stuff.
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By W. Steele Sat Mar 17, 2018 7:38 pm
What's going on, fellas ?!! I know . . . long time no post. The link on this post is dead for the tact switches.

Does anyone know where to find the big red tact switches on 2KXL's for a decent price besides eBay? I have someone bringing me two 2KXL's next week who wants all the tact switches replaced.

Thanks in advance!