Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
User avatar
By damien907 Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:38 am
can you paint the tilt screen on the mpc 4k as easy as you could paint the rest of the unit? or does the whole tilt part have that layer of clear plastic over it like the lcd screen itself does?

i made a diagram to clarify.

thanks

Image
User avatar
By damien907 Fri Mar 16, 2012 2:10 am
hmm, i wonder how they stick it to the plastic, it looks like ghost did it, hopefully its just not to dark to tell.

all the custom ones on the forat site have the blue around the screen still.

i would imagine if you did end up getting it off without messing it up, some of the blue paint would stick to the plastic.

are there any screws around there lamp?
User avatar
By damien907 Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:36 am
cool, thanks for the reply, did you just dump acetone on it then use a knife or something to pry it off as the acetone was doing its job?

kinda confused on how i would actually apply the acetone if its stuck on there tight.

and just to clarify, so the acetone was on the clear screen? and the letters were right on the back of the screen? so you just removed the plastic, then repainted under it, added some mirrored letters to the inside of the screen, then re-applied the shiny tinted plastic to the screen?

what did you use to make it stick on?
User avatar
By damien907 Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:02 am
oh wow, so you didnt have to physically remove it, you just acetoned the top layer huh? mind me asking what kind of paint you used for it? and is it the same paint as you use for the rest of the mpc as well?
User avatar
By Mike Boogie Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:48 pm
damien907 wrote:oh wow, so you didnt have to physically remove it, you just acetoned the top layer huh? mind me asking what kind of paint you used for it? and is it the same paint as you use for the rest of the mpc as well?


I think he meant the back-side of the clear window....

I think a walkthrough/guide is in order!!
User avatar
By renato_rizoli Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:31 pm
Mike Boogie wrote:
I think he meant the back-side of the clear window....


Yup, just apply acetone with a rag or cotton at the back of the LCD window, it will remove the original screenprinting.

To put back on the lettering, you can re-screenprint it, just as Akai did ;)
User avatar
By damien907 Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:27 pm
Mike Boogie wrote:
I think he meant the back-side of the clear window....

I think a walkthrough/guide is in order!!



yes i did mean the back side of the clear window, it seemed like you made it sound like you could just leave the clear plastic stuck to the tilt up mechanism and wipe the surface down with acetone without taking it off, is this incorrect?

a step by step guide would be awesome.

did you just pull the clear window off, or are there screws holding it in?

did you paint directly onto the mpc after it was off, then put silkscreen letters on the back of teh clear screan and re-adhere the clear screen to the mpc? if so, what did you use to glue it back on (if there arent any screws to remove.)

thanks
User avatar
By renato_rizoli Sat Mar 17, 2012 7:52 am
Lampdog wrote:
Every time I see these gorgeous 4k's of yours I drool.


Thanks Lamp ! I am glad to read that since it was our first 4k customer ...

So Damien907, to sum up :

1- Disassembly the screen surround, the LCD screen and the window.
The window is glued to the surround with a kind of neoprene tape. You can slowly cut it with a blade or use a solvant or degreaser to melt down the glue, it would be easier.

2- Wipe off the blue original Akai scheme.
Use acetone on a rag or some cotton. It will wear off the screenprinting ink. No need to force, let acetone do calmly its job. But don't put too much of it, it will kind of "melt down" the plastic, making it become whitish.

3- Rescreenprint it or paint it if you want (a thin paint with airbrush would be best). Don't forget these windows are tinted so .... Be careful about the colors you choose.
And let dry

4- Restick the window on the surround with neoprene

It's a harsh job because of disassembly the tilt screen and LCD takes time and need to be done backwards. You can take photos if it helps.
Another point is that you may cause scratches on your window if you don't do it calmly and with the good products.

We offer to make it in our custom jobs, but it is rarely ordered. I guess we have to show what's possible to give ideas !