Post your views and questions about the Akai MPC2500
By fayekhelmi Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:56 pm
TL;DR

if your volume knob is causing issues and needs to be replaced, the volume knob on MPC2500 uses the same pot as the q-link knobs. chances are your q-link pots are in better condition so swap one of them out with the volume pot and you'll likely fix your problem.

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Hi everyone,

i've recently bought a MPC2500 and the seller had seriously underplayed it's used condition so i'm in the process of fixing it and refurbishing it.

this is the first ever MPC i ever owned so i'm very new to the world of MPC and the workflow so i'm slowly (very slowly) getting to terms with it. i've had an easier time learning the octatrack :D

i've already modded the right side PCB to have a modern encoder pot based on another very helpful thread in this forum and it's working very well!

another issue ive had was the volume out was cutting in and out on the right side, i initially thought it was a software issue until i realized that by moving around the knob it would cut in and out again and if i pushed it kindof hard in a certain direction it would work, so i knew that it was a physical problem with the pot.

initially i figured maybe resoldering the joints would. fix the issue as this is often the main cause of cutouts, cold joints. but after doing the fix it didn't really matter at all. it still had the issue.

i tried to look for the potentiometer model number everywhere but no one seems to know what it is and the only site that had it was MPC stuff.

respect to MPC stuff for giving so many people an easy way to refurbish and customize their gear but the prices are incredibly high for some of the parts. 16$ for a single pot? something like 5 bucks for a single tact switch!? anyways. i knew there was another way.

while reading the info on the volume pot part on mpcstuff they mentioned that the same pot can be also used for the q-link knobs.... which lead me to realize that the other way is also true, and i have 2 fully functional (or at least i hoped) q link pots on the left side, why not swap them pots around and fix the issues? i figured id rather live with 1 less q link knob than with a busted output signal.

last night i finally made the switch and it worked! the volume is now fixed and to my even better surprise, the q link knob still works perfectly! i assume that these pots have a dual channel resistor build in there and the q link signal only needs one of the channels. or perhaps the scratchiness of the pot for volume was obvious enough but for data entry it did not affect it. all in all without spending a dime, i managed to get a fully functioning volume knob.

so for anyone who's struggling with fixing the volume knob and don't want to spend 35$ for a single pot from mpcstuff or 150$ for the full board, just swap out the pots with one of the q links... it works!

(disclaimer:
this worked for me but that doesn't mean it will 100% work for you as well...i take 0 responsibility)

desoldering the pots could be tricky if you don't have the proper equipment. a desoldering iron is highly recommended. you don't have to get an expensive one, there are ones with a manual pump attached to it (this is the one i use) on amazon that work great.

enjoy.
By Zedisded Thu May 21, 2020 8:21 am
You can download the service manuals for most MPC's here >>> https://www.mpc-tutor.com/akai-mpc-manuals/

According to the manual, all the pots are the same - Akai SKU VR Rotary RD14k12D L20 C203X2 - which translates into either ALPS RK14K12-D or ALPS RK14K1230D0R. They are like $1.60. If youre also interested in replacing the faders, i've just successfully changed them with - Alps 10k Linear Sliding Potentiometer Rs45112 Stereo Linear Sliding Distance 45 mm Fader (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1). The height of the fader lever is a touch high but tbh I prefer it since it ensure the fader knobs dont scratch the surface, but you can always just cut it down with a dremel if need be.

Oh and the info regarding the pots was found on this post >>> viewtopic.php?f=21&t=187728
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By saltmcgault Thu May 21, 2020 3:05 pm
fayekhelmi I had the same problem with the master volume knob. It would cut out and would make a lot of static noises when turning the volume up or down. A couple cats on here swore by this stuff. I used it to clean the master volume and the record gain knobs and it eliminated the problem. You can also use it clean your q-link sliders. I can almost guarantee that's the issue with that particular knob.



https://www.parts-express.com/caig-deox ... utm_group=
By Joku.bas Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:03 pm
Hey guys, could you help me out a little bit? I replaced the main volume knob with the one ordered from Mouser. It is working, but I have 2 unsoldered pins left, i'm not sure where to should I solder them? Could anyone check my picture for help? https://e1.pcloud.link/publink/show?cod ... C7n0UUdt4y
I was cheking the mpc schematics but could figure it out..